People feel uncertain and fearful... so what are we going to do about it?
How the 4Ps – Purpose, Performance, Potential and a Personalised plan – are helping us be More Human at Unilever
Technology has become so advanced it’s easy to believe we’re being overtaken by innovation. Yet to hide in fear of a jobless apocalypse is to focus only on one side of a complex argument. Flip this on its head, and we see that technology could help define and complement the ‘human’ in all of us.
But to do so, we must ask ourselves: What does it really mean to be human?
What do we need to thrive in this changing world? And how can we use technology to amplify – not overtake – our uniquely human traits?
When people are experiencing change, they feel uncertain, fearful – as if they’re in the midst of a storm. Finding their purpose will give them the anchor they need, not only to survive the storm, but also to thrive in it.
At Unilever, we’ve committed to helping every single one of our employees find their purpose as part of the programme covering 4Ps: Purpose, Performance, Potential and a Personalised plan. We know that companies with purpose last, brands with purpose grow, and people with purpose thrive.
How often do we hear that the half-life of a skill today is two and a half years? That today’s primary school children will do a job that doesn’t yet exist? And that our jobs will soon be stolen by robots? But people are inherently wired to learn. So by investing in lifelong learning, businesses can re-skill everyone and prepare them for the future.
We get our people to explore their own curiosity by allowing them to personalise their learning process. Have a coffee with a colleague, take a course, have some coaching, join an online programme… and we’ve invested in a system that curates and personalises learning content for everyone. Here technology is an important enabler, augmenting our natural curiosity.
The final piece of the puzzle, when we talk about being more human, is our need to feel understood and valued as individuals. In a digital world, a one-size-fits-all approach would no more work for different brands than it would attract different customers.
Technology can be used to put people in the driving seat, giving them more choice over how and where they work – and how they’re rewarded for it. It can even eliminate unconscious bias during our recruitment process, making for a more diverse, personalised and fairer world in which we can all thrive.
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This post was originally published on Unilever.com
Further reading:
- Why AI must ignite the human spark to build a better business and a better world.
- How we are innovating in order to create a more diverse Unilever
All things Talent!
7 年I really want to appreciate how beautifully you have captured about the human element. That's the future of HR in my belief, how in the midst of all technological advancements, we still not be a slave to it and leverage it to our advantage in furthering and enabling people's purpose is really where HRs can support.
Impact Investor, Innovator, Strategic Thinker, Humanites Institute. Human&Technology, Center for Ethics of Technology, Author of Coherent Leadership, C-Level Executive.
7 年I am happy that the subject of “Human” and #BacktoHumanity arrives more and more often on the business agenda. Hopefully not only as a part of external employer branding but true actions really changing the perspective from hiring employees to hiring people! “People cannot be enslaved by technology,” said two weeks ago Prof. Yuli Tamir – Head of Shenkar Institute in Tel Aviv and former Ministry of Education of Israel being a speaker at our V Annual Conference for Business Leaders held in Poland. This year we were tackling the question: “Who will take responsibility for the human in the Digital Transformation?”. Eight years ago apart from my business activities I have founded Humanites Foundation with the focus on wide systemic social impact projects bringing us more back to human basic values and needs at Families, Business Environment, Education, and Media. Enclosed short view of Prof. Tamir on Revolution 4.0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3jQOexH7BU #Humanites, #Humanfirst, #CoherentLeadership, #SpójnePrzywództwo,
Corporate CEO turned Serial Entrepreneur - Outstanding track record in value creation and business transformation
7 年What does it really mean to be human? Wondering why do we seem to be so sure that Robots can’t be human?
CEO at Little Moons, certified B Corp. Previously CEO of graze. Campaigner for Better Business Act & B Corp advocate.
7 年Well said Leena! Technology represents an opportunity for us to raise the contribution of humans within the workforce. By augmenting - some might say relieving - people of the work that can be easily automated, we create the opportunity to upskill humans so they can have a greater contribution. The stubborn optimist in me believes in the positive potency of this idea.
MD at Symbia | Helping teams and leaders achieve more to positively impact business | Leadership | Professional Development | Capabilities Training | Facilitation | Mental Fitness
7 年Couldn't agree more Leena Nair! I'm writing a book on this very topic, below is the model for navigating the future which sits at the heart of the book. As you'll see the core focus is on what makes us human with a particular focus on EMotional & Social intelligence and adaptability (which is really the management of fear and cultivation of courage and resilience). I'm proud to also be one of the core external facilitators rolling out the 'Discover Your Purpose' workshops at Unilever - amazing initiative that anyone associated with Unilever should be proud of! Thanks for your insights, i'll be reading your posts from now on! Jodie