Thriving in the Age of AI: The Role of Emotional Intelligence in the Future of Work

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to transform workplaces across industries, there is a growing recognition of the importance of Emotional Intelligence in ensuring success and well-being.

In the age of AI, where technology is rapidly automating routine tasks, it is the uniquely human qualities, such as empathy, adaptability, and interpersonal skills, that will become more crucial than ever.

Not least because AI is evolving at a pace never before experienced. In February 2023, a study by UBS estimated that ChatGPT hit an estimated 100 million monthly active users making it the fastest-growing consumer internet application in history. It is fair to say the impact of AI is yet to be truly understood.

This newsletter* explores the significance of Emotional Intelligence at work in the era of AI and provides some practical suggestions for leaders and managers to prepare themselves and their teams for the increasing integration of AI into the workplace.

* Given the pace of change, this newsletter is based on our Psychologists' experience, academic knowledge and conversations with business leaders over the last few months. We recognise that Information quoted about AI is likely to be quickly out of date.

The Growing Importance of Emotional Intelligence

While AI brings unparalleled efficiency and productivity gains, it is not designed (yet) to replicate or replace social interactions, networking and business relationships that are so important for business success.

Emotional Intelligence at work, which we define as the ability to use your intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligence to focus on the critical emotions and underlying behavioural traits that predict occupational performance, will continue to be the differentiating factor for success at work.

Here's why:

Emotional Intelligence will be needed to collaborate with and leverage AI

Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO of Microsoft, recently stated that “This new generation of AI will remove the drudgery of work and unleash creativity…There's an enormous opportunity for AI-powered tools to help alleviate digital debt, build AI aptitude, and empower employees” (see Microsoft Work Trends Report).

Emotional Intelligence will be crucial in building effective partnerships with AI systems, leveraging their capabilities while also providing uniquely human skills that machines currently lack - such as the ability to ‘sense check’ or make nuanced judgement calls based on knowledge about how something may make people feel.

Human-centric roles requiring Emotional Intelligence are still required.

We all recognise the advancement of AI technology has the potential to impact various job sectors in the future. While AI can automate certain tasks and replace humans in some roles, there are still several areas where humans are likely to be needed, such as:

• Creativity and Innovation: at the moment, fields like art, music, writing, and design rely heavily on human creativity, intuition, and subjective judgement, making it difficult for AI to replicate the human touch. People still like the human connection – we are after all social animals.?
• Complex Decision-Making: High-level decision-making requiring critical thinking, strategic planning, and ethical considerations is an area where humans excel. AI can provide data-driven insights, but the final decisions (hopefully) will still require human judgement and data literacy.
• Empathy: Jobs involving social interactions, emotional support, counselling, and caregiving require human empathy, understanding, and rapport building, which AI currently lacks.
• Leadership and Management: Effective leadership and management involve a mix of intra and interpersonal intelligence, strategic thinking, and adaptability and most importantly accountability, making these roles only suitable for humans.
• Research and Development: Pushing the boundaries of knowledge and scientific discovery requires motivation to learn, problem solve and improve creatively - mixed with the ability to formulate new hypotheses and approaches.

It's important to note that while AI may automate certain aspects of these jobs, it is more likely to augment human capabilities rather than completely replace humans.

In our discussions with forward-thinking leaders, a central theme is about how collaboration between humans and AI is expected to become increasingly important in the future of work.

Whereas technical knowledge and IQ were predictors of success it will be Emotional Intelligence that enables individuals to connect with customers, understand their needs, build trust and provide personalised experiences (that AI cannot currently replicate) that will be a better predictor of occupational performance for many roles in the new future of work.

AI can enhance global collaboration and communication

That is not to say that AI can not assist and improve difficult areas of business that have traditionally needed people to use their Emotional Intelligence skills.

AI has the potential to greatly enhance collaboration and communication among globally distributed teams, promoting inclusivity and transcending cultural and language barriers. Here are several ways AI may be able to facilitate these advancements:

• Language Translation & Natural Language Processing
• Real-Time Collaboration and Project Management
• Intelligent Virtual Meetings
• Sentiment Analysis
• Cultural Awareness and Adaptation

While AI can provide significant support in fostering inclusive and collaborative environments, it's important to consider the ethical implications now. Far more work needs to be done in this area to ensure that AI tools are designed and implemented in a way that respects privacy, diversity, and cultural sensitivities.

The ultimate success will lie in the combination of AI technologies that develop as we adapt, develop understanding, and empathy for others who work, think and behave differently as AI impacts our working lives.

The big takeaway from our research and leadership discussions is that the issues we imagine AI may impact will be very different to the issues that AI will realistically affect as it becomes more part of our working lives.

What can leaders & managers do to prepare for an AI-driven future?

To navigate the AI-driven future successfully, leaders and managers must focus more than ever on developing their people skills. Leaders and managers who at one time were recruited or promoted on their technical skills will no longer have such a wide door of opportunity open to them.

Leaders/managers of the future will create success because of their ability to develop and use their own Emotional Intelligence at work to foster cultures that encourage Emotional Intelligence to deal not only with the technical changes that AI will rapidly bring but to deal with the changes in the way people work together and with AI.

Leaders we interviewed discussed that in the not-too-distant future. teams may have an AI team member and the many interpersonal issues that may bring. The lack of transparacy and accountability when considering AI inputs into team meetings and whether people will trust AI suggestions when their traditional models of trust to assess ideas may not work.

Here are some strategies to consider:

Self-Awareness & Reflection

Leaders should cultivate self-awareness by reflecting on their emotions, strengths, and areas they need to develop not only to improve their own performance but the performance of the people they lead.

This practice will enable them to better understand their reactions, manage stress, and make informed decisions in high-pressure changing situations that AI technologies will bring to the workplace.

Building in regular time slots to reflect and learn and get feedback on their leadership and what to do differently to improve will be a key indicator of successful leadership in an AI-driven world.?

Empathy & Active Listening

Leaders and managers should prioritise empathy and active listening to build stronger relationships with their teams and stakeholders. Understanding and validating the emotions and perspectives of others fosters trust, encourages open communication, and creates an inclusive work environment where individuals will feel valued.?

AI and Data Literacy?

Organisations should explore how the development of Emotional Intelligence will improve data literacy.

Data literacy is increasingly important in many roles because just as literacy involves the ability to read the written word and comprehend what you have read, data literacy involves the ability to source, interpret, and communicate data in context.

Data literacy and Emotional Intelligence will be key components of success in the AI workplace. As organisations become more automated, the tasks humans do will require more judgement based on data, which is improved by Emotional Intelligence and data literacy.

With AI being central to most workplaces, organisations will need decision-makers to make better decisions faster than ever before. This will require all people not only to be data-literate but to use their Emotional Intelligence to understand how their emotions impact their decisions and to be able to effectively communicate their decisions and the data that helped form them to others.

Redefining Performance Metrics

Traditional performance metrics often focus on individual productivity and output. In the age of AI, metrics will be focussed on Emotional Intelligence-related factors, such as teamwork, collaboration, and the ability to build and maintain relationships as well as the ability to create a vision, trust and inspire commitment in teams and organisations.

By incorporating emotional intelligence into performance evaluations, organisations can encourage its development plus recognise and measure its value and its effects on success.

Invest in Emotional Intelligence Training & Interventions

Rather than leaving it to chance (or to the initiative of workers themselves) organisations should be investing in using and boosting Emotional Intelligence at work (Business Emotional Intelligence) training programmes and self-development initiatives to equip their workforce with the skills that will be needed to work successfully with a quickly changing AI driven workplace.?

Many organisations have already woken up to the fact that Emotionally Intelligent leaders, managers and employees not only increase the bottom line but are happier and much easier to retain - the global Emotional Intelligence market was valued at $8680 Million in 2021 & is expected to grow 25.2% during the period from 2022 to 2031 (according to a report by JC Market Research).

Obviously, the added advantage of investing in Emotional Intelligence at work training now is that it will help teams improve their leadership and team relations ready for the rapid changes that will happen to the workplace in the next decade.

For those who are strongly interested in getting started, we would encourage you to learn about our Business EQ assessments, tools and training programmes that drive genuine behavioural change and measurable performance improvements.

Summary

As the integration of AI continues to reshape the workplace, being able to use and develop your Emotional Intelligence at work will become an essential asset for workers to thrive in the age of automation.

By developing and nurturing Emotional Intelligence, individuals can leverage their unique human qualities to work collaboratively with AI and excel in human-centric roles.

We think there is a huge amount of opportunity for coaches, consultants and in-house HR and L&D professionals who are working in the Emotional Intelligence space.

The above article is part of EBW Global’s newsletter, Business EQ Research Monthly, which shares the latest research, industry insights and news about Emotional Intelligence in the workplace.

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