The need to be more human
Laurent Bouvier
The UK is now third in the world behind the US and China for AI investment. It’s a staggering endorsement of our entrepreneurial spirit and our position on the world stage.
At a time when the UK’s productivity is at record lows, arguments suggest that AI is a way to reverse the trend. The more we automate, the more we can do.
It’s easy to see why. For years now, businesses have focused on the “DOING”. Process improvement is the backbone of progress. How we optimise and strip costs is a reoccurring debate, and digital transformation strategies have evolved as a result, now turbo charged by the advent of AI.
But to my mind, the quest to optimise and become the leanest, most agile and super-efficient business has taken its toll on us as people and individuals. We have forgotten that our traits of creativity, empathy, imagination are essential for business success.
Our use of technology to achieve more, now means we are wedded to it at all times. We aren’t using the extra time the technology frees up to unleash these traits, work differently, or just enjoy life.
In short, our “BEING” as humans has suffered, evidenced by the rise in mental health crises we hear of, the increase in stress related absences, and burn out.
Create space for success
It’s a clear message to leaders that people need space to breath. Space to think and switch off. But also time to come up with new ideas – the space to imagine new possibilities. For only when we give ourselves time to step back can we see the path ahead. Without this time to ‘be’, we can’t possibly progress.
So, despite the automation, the to do list is getting in the way of our basic needs as humans and connection with others. We have forgotten to balance the BEING with the DOING and our motivation to get up in the morning is sapped.
In fact, more and more internal surveys and independent studies show an alarming ratio of employees who are either just passengers or actively polluting the culture of the workplace, because of this lacking motivation.
You can probably test this yourself - in the last meeting you attended was everyone at their best? Were you connected as a group and engaged? Was there a strength in your collective intelligence? Do you regularly come up with something new, exciting and differentiated as a team?
I’d bet the answer was no, and you won’t be alone.
The ‘State of Global Workforce’ by Gallup says that only 11% of UK employees are actively engaged. The rest are either disengaged (68%) or actively disengaged (21%). Peter Drucker’s ‘Culture eats strategy for breakfast’ is playing out.
So why then, when there is also evidence that companies with strong positive cultures outperform peers, sometimes by as much as 24%, do we persist?
A chance to rethink the role of humans
I believe we face a cross-roads: We need to use the advent of AI technology as a way to help people move away from the doing and be more creative and strategic – do the things the robots can’t. Be more present, develop strategies that make a difference to productivity and performance. Or we will simply drive ourselves into the ground.
Most of all, I think that the advent of a new technology wave, be it AI, big data, AR, VR, agile thinking, is an opportunity to rethink company culture full stop. It’s a chance to create the space where we can establish the right behaviours, build trust and enable an open respectful conversation about what we all want the future to look like, rather than let the robotic future shape us. It’s a chance to find the balance between the BEING and the DOING.
Unless we do, the millions being poured into our economy will be worthless. We will fail to keep our position on the global stage and fundamentally we will have failed each other as humans.
So, my question to you is what are you doing to be more HUMAN?
How are you bringing your true self to the workplace?