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Blending digital and physical capabilities in the workplace

There are many organisations working to figure out how technology like artificial intelligence (AI) will impact their business. Whilst there is still much public debate about automation overtaking jobs, employees are hopeful about using digital technologies to get a better outcome at work. According to a report by Accenture, 62% of workers believe AI will have a positive impact on their jobs.

The role of technology in a workforce has long been about driving efficiency but it is now evolving beyond that towards enhancing capabilities of the workforce through collaboration. The main benefit of this collaborative approach is that it blends the unique capabilities of human talent and technology in a way that adds huge value to businesses.

Humans have the edge in areas such as creativity, contextual understanding, and complex communications, but technology is unmatched when it comes to precision and consistency.

Avanade has outlined the 3 core principles to making the human and technology blend work:

  1. Preparing for the change: ensuring that the AI strategy is clearly defined and is aligned to outcomes the employees can achieve. How can this new knowledge exchange be used for all employees across the organisation?
  2. Prioritise the employee over the machine: involving employees in the process for reimagining how they will work. Organisational leadership also needs to understand how employees work will be transformed by the tasks that they will perform vs. the machine.
  3. Skill development: identifying the new skills or tools that employees will need to learn. Is the skill strategy in place for how employees will need to work with the AI-powered system?

Empowering employees to work with technology opens the door for curiosity, creativity and the desire to make an impact on people’s lives. Digital transformation is no longer just a buzzword.