Human Performance in the Age of Augmentation

Almost 10 years ago to the day, together with Lt.Col. Robert Herring CBE, I started work on creating a concept to enable organisations to thrive and not just survive in an increasingly VUCA (see below) world, and create the optimal environment to take on the challenges of the future.??We called it Optimal Human Performance (OHP).

Why OHP?

We designed OHP to enable leaders to optimize their organisation’s ‘human capability’, either individually or as teams, by taking a holistic and balanced approach to sustainable performance by considering a person’s mind and body capability.??

The programme has evolved over time but was born from the combined experience and approaches taken by elite sports, special forces, record breaking explorers and many of industries highly influential leaders.?It employs innovative techniques that enable people to learn faster, be more resilient, and perform at even higher levels. At the heart of OHP is the belief that anything is possible with the right mindset and a willingness to change.

Dimensions of Human Performance

We identified 8 dimensions across the MIND and BODY domains that need to be considered holistically when developing a human performance capability.

MIND

Psychological fitness is the integration and optimization of mental, emotional and behavioural abilities to optimize and strengthen performance.??The MIND domain is about developing an understanding of psychological fitness and how optimal performance at personal, team and organisational levels is achieved through the integration of mental and physical capability. It includes:

Purpose -?knowing and believing in the ‘why’ of what we are doing.

Mindset -?understanding the critical importance of positive thinking and ability to reframe difficult tasks from a ‘threat’ to a ‘challenge’.

Community -?developing the strong social connections and commitments that provide the emotional and psychological support that is a known force multiplier – the power of a cohesive team.

Effect -?delivering effect is about identifying your most important goals and executing towards them, mastering the tools, methods and technologies available in the midst of the daily ‘whirlwind’ of life at home as well as work.

BODY

Physical fitness refers to the state of being physically healthy, fit, and capable of performing the demands of work and play with ease and efficiency. It includes a combination of aerobic fitness, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and body composition.?

Physically fit individuals tend to have higher levels of resilience, as they are better equipped to handle physical and mental challenges and are less prone to injury and illness. Additionally, regular exercise and physical activity have been shown to improve mental health and well-being, including reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression and improving cognitive function. It includes:

Exercise –?physical activity and structured exercise improves cardiovascular health, builds muscular strength and endurance, enhances flexibility, and supports a healthy body weight.

Nutrition -?plays a crucial role providing the body with essential nutrients to support energy levels, muscle function, and overall health.

Sleep -?allows the body to recover, repair and recharge as well as support essential brain functions such as memory consolidation, learning and problem-solving.?

Environment -?is about the space we need to live and operate in. Providing a secure and supportive space amplifies the benefits of exercise, work, restful sleep and social connections .

Where are we now?

Over the last decade we have designed, developed and delivered thousands of hours of training, run hundreds of workshops and coached individuals in dozens of organisations across multiple continents.?

We have contributed to research on nutritional and pharmacological ergogenic aids to augment physical and cognitive performance, completed development and trials of methods and interventions to monitor and ameliorate fatigue, developed strategies to sustain performance on complex cognitive tasks and identified methods and interventions to improve sleep and reduce fatigue in service personnel.?

We have developed and proven tools and technology including measuring Total Load (Cognitive + Physical) to better predict failures and improve the selection of appropriate recovery protocols.

We have created knowledge base and library of content available to our coaches and partners that makes evidence based human performance insights more widely available and easier to apply consistently across populations.?

Throughout, our core belief has remained consistent:

• Possessing, understanding and applying psychological and physical skills allow a person to be effective, adaptive and tenacious in tackling the challenges they face.?
• Recognising that only by utilizing all of a person’s resources, integrating mind and body can optimal performance be achieved.?
• We view performance through the lens of unbounded potential, built on health and wellbeing practices that sustain balance, the mental toughness to thrive under pressure, and the thinking skills to deliver winning outcomes.?

What is the future of human performance?

Our experience spans a diverse range of industries from high-tech, to communications, to finance, to retail, to manufacturing, the military, elite sports, adventure and disaster response. While it is challenging to make definitive predictions about the future, there is no doubt that data, technology, Artificial Intelligence and human augmentation are trends that most experts agree will significantly disrupt the fundamental ways we work:

• Automation and Artificial Intelligence will reshape the labour market, automating routine and repetitive tasks, displacing certain jobs and creating new ones requiring skills in collaboration, creativity, problem-solving, and emotional intelligence.?
• Gigs and flexible working will provide greater flexibility and autonomy but also change the rules on job security and worker protections.
• Hybrid and remote work will lead to the redefinition of physical workspaces and a greater emphasis on the need mixed modality use of space.?
• Automation of routine tasks will increase demand for uniquely human skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, emotional intelligence, and adaptability.
• Organisations will need to work out how to ensure the responsible and ethical use of automation, AI, and personal data. ?

The reality will be shaped by a complex interplay of factors outside our control but we believe establishing these three capabilities will be critical:

1. Collective Intelligence - the shared knowledge, insights, and problem-solving abilities of a group of individuals working together can surpass the capabilities of any single individual within that group. Harnessing Collective Intelligence approaches and tools is already enabling us to harvest the knowledge and experience that exists across the organisation, increasing access to expertise, helping improve decision quality, improving engagement, collaboration and resilience.
2. Augmented Intelligence - the integration of artificial and human intelligence to enhance and complement human capabilities is amplifying human intelligence rather than replacing it. Designing and architecting how augmented intelligence is embedded into the flow of work is enhancing productivity, helping to identify patterns, trends and correlations as well as create more personalised experiences.
3. Integrated Health & Performance - investments in health and wellness have already proven to improve employee engagement and productivity but next generation capabilities adopt more holistic approaches to employee wellness, recognising that physical, mental, and emotional well-being are interconnected. We are already seeing that advanced programmes that emphasise mental health, are enabled by highly personalised and easy to use user experiences, integrate data from multiple sources from wearables to personal productivity tools, combined with workspaces designed to accommodate physical activity as well as rest, recovery and quality nutrition are changing the game for employee productivity and performance.

How to optimise your own performance?

Whilst the tools and methods we have used over the last decade have evolved, we continue to use the 10 OHP Principles to help our clients reach?optimum performance.?

Use them as you develop your own personal development plan to ensure lasting success.

1. Understand where you want to be, and where you are, before you start. Identify what the challenge is you are trying to meet and what does the future level of performance look like.??
2. Establish the steps to achieve your SMART objective and use the Plan, Do, Check, Act cycle to move towards it.??Once identified, select one thing at a time to work on and focus your resources towards strengthening that before moving to the next.
3. If it doesn’t work, stop doing it.?As Einstein said a sign of madness ‘is to continue to do the same thing and expect different results’.?
4. Don’t let your environment control you...take ownership and build mental toughness.?You have the freedom to choose your response to any event – do you view uncertainty as a threat or a challenge? Be proactive and take responsibility.
5. Start small, go slowly, and be patient.?Deconstruct what you need to achieve.??Set small (so small you can’t say no), realistic goals that are challenging yet achievable.??Tackle one thing at a time.
6. Practice, practice, practice.??“Muscle memory” (autonomic thinking) is developed over time for both good and bad habits.??Behaviors acquired over years take time, patience, and commitment to change.?
7. Set up an environment that supports your new plan.??Creating a system to support new changes may not be easy, but it can be achieved.
8. Bring in the experts and educate yourself.??The world’s best performers have coaches and consultants to assist them in honing their skills and preparing for competition.??Find experts who can assist you in your quest for optimal performance.
9. Maintain situational awareness and have a plan.??The only constant is change; establish systems to maintain situational awareness (what is going on around you and understand what will happen next) and develop foresight in both your personal and professional life.?
10. Practice reflective learning and maintain vigilance.??Reflection accelerates learning and keeping a journal or a log is a key aspect in performance improvement programme program, especially when aligned to a personal development plan.??

If you would like to talk about how Resilient can help your organisation design, develop or deliver holistic Human Performance programmes in an increasingly VUCA world get in touch or download the Resilient Operations brief?here .

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