Sunday, December 2, 2018

"AI may take your job- but it could save your career"/ "Lessons I've learned about leading organizational change"

Apr. 27, 2018 "AI may take your job- but it could save your career": Today I found this article by Andrew Dunckelman and Joe Greenwood in the Globe and Mail:


Andrew Dunckelman leads the Google.org Work Initiative. Joe Greenwood is lead executive for data at MaRS Discovery District.


As the end of the academic year approaches, thousands of graduates are about to enter a strong job market. According to the Royal Bank of Canada, Canada’s economy is on target to add 2.4 million jobs over the next four years. But do our graduates have the skills they need to land these jobs?


On paper, they are better prepared for work than their parents, with more holding advanced degrees. But the kinds of jobs available, and the very nature of work, have evolved in a way our educational systems haven’t addressed, particularly as it relates to technology.



Technology will improve, change or even replace many of the tasks people are currently performing all over the world. 


Last week, for example, a pair of robots in Singapore made headlines by assembling an IKEA chair in 20 minutes. 

Russia is exploring postal drones as a means for delivering goods. 

And according to McKinsey Global Institute, they’ve identified another 400 tasks that could be handled by Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the near future, a list that includes preventive machine maintenance, sales analysis and transportation planning. 



As technology changes the kinds of tasks we’ll do at work, it can cause difficult transitions. 

But we’ve been through these transitions before and have generally been able to leverage technological advances to transform jobs for the better. This time is no different, with one exception: We will use the same technology that brought the change to help us navigate it. 


Deploying AI to solve problems created by automation seems counterintuitive. But it’s the kind of problem AI was built for. Its first challenge is identifying in-demand skills. 

For example, Burning Glass Technologies, a provider of job-market data, has identified an uptick in postings for “hybrid” jobs, such as marketing analysts, that require digital skills – graphic design, programming or data analysis – as well as sector expertise. 

The company points out that few university courses teach both skill sets as a package, leaving the pathway into these roles unclear for many young people. And while no one can know exactly how work will change in the future, we believe that the pace of change – and the imperative to keep up – will increase.


But where AI is truly game changing is in its ability to process massive amounts of data and complex sets of economic variables at a scale we’ve never before been able to do. The challenge is knowing what to do with the results. 

Toronto is well placed to provide an answer. The city has one of the world’s strongest AI and startup communities. For this reason, Google.org is helping MaRS, a Toronto-based innovation hub, develop the Employment Pathway Platform (EPP), an AI-powered tool that will put the power of big data and machine learning to work for job seekers. 

The platform will use algorithms to analyze users’ skills and experiences, and couple them with expected shifts in technology adoption and predicted growth sectors. 


With EPP, we will be able to identify potentially suitable jobs, connecting the dots between the skills job seekers have and those they will need, and identifying pathways between the two. 

We plan to support 10,000 Canadian workers making career transitions in the next two years, focusing on young people, immigrants, Indigenous people and other groups who are particularly vulnerable during times of economic transition. If the approach proves successful, we can adapt the program to help many more.


Our platform is an attempt to marshal the data and analytical power of AI to help workers make sense of the changing world of work – and find their place in it.


And those graduating students? They will enter the work force with a powerful tool no generation before has had, a tool which will help future-proof their careers.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/careers/management/article-ai-might-take-your-job-but-it-could-save-your-career/


"Lessons I've learned about leading organizational change": Today I found this article by Andy O'Brien in the Globe and Mail:

CEO, M&M Food Market


In July, 2014, I was sitting in my car in the parking lot of my new job at M&M Food Market (known as M&M Meats at the time). The company had just been purchased by new owners, and it was my job to modernize the business.

The team waiting inside was a tightly knit group who had worked together to build a well-known Canadian brand with more than 30 years of history. I was an outsider about to unveil a radical transformation plan to people I’d never even met.


If there were ever a time when I felt nervous about my first day at work, this was it.



When organizational change is managed poorly, it causes confusion that leads to discord, conflict and failure. But if it’s managed well, change can be a trigger for growth and success.

 This is the challenge for leaders — how do we find strategies that inspire and empower people to find the good in change, while steering our organizations clear of chaos? I’ve spent many years pinpointing “sweet spots“ in organizational change, and I’ve learned a great deal along the way.


Establish clarity as a policy from day one



From the moment I walked through the door at M&M, success hinged on rapid, company-wide acceptance of a new vision. Uncertainty inevitably gives rise to distrust. However, transparency is a strong countermeasure, particularly in circumstances where changes in behaviour are necessary. 


Explain the justification for change and ensure teams know exactly where they fit in the process. Too often, leaders rely on lengthy speeches or presentations loaded with jargon, acronyms and charts that don’t feel relevant to the day-to-day lives of people across the organization. 

Carefully consider that fact before you engage. Does a sales manager or human-resources department really care about your EBITDA goals? 

Do they want to know your plan for better alignment at the board of directors level? Probably not. 

They need to know three very important things: where they stand, who is in charge and your unambiguous plan. Anything less is an invitation for dissent and, eventually, rejection. 


People expect accountability and consistency


The buck always stops at the top, and a key part of a leader’s job is ensuring everyone knows that they are personally responsible for all policies, direction and decisions. 

This is especially true during a time of change and goes hand in hand with an obligation to regularly deliver updates on progress – both positive and negative. 


Perhaps the easiest way to meet the accountability test is to embrace transparency and a consistent timetable for reporting back to staff. For example, during my first week on the job at M&M, I spent time in face-to-face meetings where I outlined every detail of my plan and when people could expect updates from me. 

Regardless of who I spoke to – vendors, franchisees, our receptionist – my goal was to eliminate uncertainty, establish leadership responsibility and build trust by committing to regular progress reports. 

Within a few days, employees were able to articulate the new company plan and timetable. 

Since that time, we’ve held town-hall sessions and countless meetings where teams are brought up to speed on our work, new developments and what the road ahead looks like. 

Assuring accountability will help sidestep disorder and allow leaders to focus on important tasks.

Past achievements should not be a reason to avoid change

During my career, I’ve spoken to people who have gone through the unfortunate experience of business failure, and many admit that getting too comfortable was the cause. Their idea was great. They enjoyed success for a period but, at some point, things stopped working, and it was too late to alter course.

In 2014, M&M was a company in need of a new course. The established ways of doing things may have seemed good enough on the surface, but a deep examination revealed a level of comfort that, if left unchallenged, threatened the future of the company as well as the livelihood of employees and franchisees.

What followed was a three-year effort to incrementally overhaul everything from the look and feel of our brand to the products we sell every day.

Just because something’s been done the same way for years doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be modified. For example, we reassessed our tried-and-true way of collecting and analyzing customer data. 

New customer insights informed decisions around product changes, took the guesswork out of pricing adjustments and helped guide how and where to focus our marketing activities. 

This also informed our rationale for major investments and renovations of our stores, which have transformed our customers’ experiences and how they think about us. We’re now on an all-new and very positive path. Modifying long-standing business practices can spark positive momentum that breeds success, while building organizational confidence to do more.

Don’t underestimate the need for speed

Let’s face it, not all decisions are easy. You may have to make the tough choice to let someone go or modernize a well-loved but outdated CSR (corporate social responsibility) program, but if decisions are rooted in strong rationale, they should be as swift as they are decisive. 

It seems counterintuitive to not give people lots of time to adjust and get used to the new regime. However, this is an area where speed is often the more prudent direction.


Moving slowly can give rise to unhelpful “hope strategies,” where leaders spend hours overthinking a situation. They might hope that a situation resolves itself, second-guess themselves or even rationalize how the old way of doing things might be acceptable. 

I often think about the decisions I’ve made at M&aM and what would have happened if I’d dragged my feet on changes that ultimately strengthened our business. 

In my opinion, it’s tough to make a bad decision that’s rooted in logic, so, when it’s time to change, it should happen immediately.

If I think back to that July day when I arrived at M&M, the business cards in my pocket read “CEO,” but I was untested in the eyes of the team. We have covered a great amount of territory since that day, and without a doubt, our future is brighter than it has ever been.

I’m proud of having accomplished two interconnected goals since joining this exciting company: effectively managing organizational change and beginning the exciting job of modernizing an iconic Canadian brand. I know the strategies I’ve followed have played a big part in our achievements to date and will continue to drive our future success.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/careers/leadership/article-lessons-ive-learned-about-leading-organizational-change/

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