As I sat down to write this fourth and final installment in the Global Strategies series, I pondered what would be the best way to conclude this series. The last three installments have all dealt with the preeminent issue of keeping people at the forefront of all global strategy. No matter how much technology advances, no matter how many tasks computers may be able to perform for us in the future, nothing can ever take the place of the human connection.
Yet, we live in a world where technology is changing and advancing at light speed. We know that it will continue to do so and that we will continue to have to adapt to these changes.
Knowing this, how do we keep the human factor at the center of a rapidly advancing technological world? How do we continue to grow and advance with technology without letting it run our lives and replace that connection? And finally, how do we begin to prepare the next generation of workers to keep pace with technology while not losing that very critical piece of the human connection? Those are difficult questions that don’t have easy answers but as I pondered these questions and how to answer them, I came across a couple of articles which I thought provided some great insight that can help us begin to address those questions.
The first article, by Pew Research, deals with the question of how technology impacts the youth of today and is this impact positive or negative? One of the primary arguments for the 42% who thought the affects would be negative was that this generation lacks face-to-face social skills.
A very valid concern, I think. Interestingly, 55% believe the affects will be positive, but most of these positive affects had to do with their ability to handle technology and adapt to its changes. It’s an interesting read that you can find here, but no matter where your opinion falls on the effects of technology on teens, the fact remains, technology is here to stay and today’s teens know how adaptability is one of the keys to use it and adapt quickly to its changes. This will serve them well as the future workforce.
According to Nicholas Enna, author of the second article, 10 Skills The Workforce of the Future Will Need, adaptability will be one of the most vital skills the future workforce will need. This article was a great read and provided some keen insight on how technology will likely shape the workforce and the qualifications needed to succeed.
Both of these articles provide some great insight on humans, technology and the future which can be a great starting point for answering the more pressing question of how to maintain that human connection amidst ever-changing technology. However difficult these questions may be, two things we can know for sure: humans and technology will both shape the future.
This blog was written by Dilip Barot, Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Etech Global Services, and founder of Creative Choice Group, headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Etech employs 2,500 team members across the US, India and Jamaica. If you would like to learn more about Etech, contact info@etechgs.com for more information.
