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Is the future of human work necessarily focused on the strategic?

Derek Tong

That the future of work should focus people on innovation, creativity and strategy, particularly as a means to combat "the march of the robots" has become an oft-quoted ideal. This recent article from HBR argues the point well https://hbr.org/2018/01/the-future-of-human-work-is-imagination-creativity-and-strategy

But the idea that people are strategic and robots (or algorithms) are technical and therefore tactical is an oversimplification and I'd argue plain wrong. Surely if we are talking about reshaping education, re-skilling, re-training...etc, we need more than future-gazing strategists. We need people to focus on tactical implementation, embedding practical action within organisations. Agree?

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  • It seems obvious to me Derek.
    Given that the vast majority of people do not have the intellectual capacity to acquire tactical skillsets (let alone strategic ones), I can't see the model of "strategic only" becoming a reality. That leaves a very large number - probably the vast majority of people totally outside of whatever the new "system" becomes. Any new "social system" must find a place for them - and the notion of a world of totally free leisure seems unrealistic to me.
    Personally I am convinced that there is a real human need for personal interaction, and hence there will always be a place for a real person at the interface
  • in reply to Ray

    Thanks Ray.

    That's why education (in all its forms), mentoring, training need to be at the heart of all of this. Capacity to learn is equal parts willingness and opportunity. 


    Personal interaction or developing your ability to do this well is itself a tactical skill choice. I'm sure we've all been on the receiving end of some good customer service experiences for example, and some terrible ones. The tactical thing is to do it so well that people prefer to have you than a machine.

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  • in reply to Ray

    Thanks Ray.

    That's why education (in all its forms), mentoring, training need to be at the heart of all of this. Capacity to learn is equal parts willingness and opportunity. 


    Personal interaction or developing your ability to do this well is itself a tactical skill choice. I'm sure we've all been on the receiving end of some good customer service experiences for example, and some terrible ones. The tactical thing is to do it so well that people prefer to have you than a machine.

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