As The Workforce Transforms, Creativity Must Take Priority

Cameron Conaway

Today, the division of labor between human and machines/algorithms across total task hours looks like this: Humans: 71% Machines/Algorithms: 29% By 2022, according to a report by the World Economic Forum, it’s predicted to be: Humans: 58% Machines/Algorithms: 42% While this shift naturally generates both excitement and fear, stories about the future of work are often technology-focused and, therefore, fail to capture one aspect I find critical: As machines/algorithms automate once-impossible tasks and replace those that are repetitive and laborious, it is likely that creativity will increasingly become a vital (and, further down the road, measurable) skill of the modern worker. LinkedIn recently analyzed the skills listed on profiles of candidates who are getting hired at the fastest rate and found creativity to be the top “soft” skill. The report’s summary stated that this result wasn’t surprising: “Organizations everywhere need people who can innovate and conceive fresh ideas and solutions.” A Note On ‘Soft’ Skills According to an article in the Journal of Management Inquiry, soft skills are more accurately referred to as CORE (competence in organizational and relational effectiveness) skills. This definition is likely to cause less confusion than “soft.” In line with LinkedIn’s findings are those from the World Economic Forum’s “The Future of Jobs Report 2018,” which lists creativity as one of the major skill groups in demand today and set to grow through 2022. With creativity rising, the heat is on to tie its impact not only to disruptive, industry-changing ideas, but also to key performance indicators throughout the company. And future research is likely to shine more light on the dichotomy between what companies believe and say about creativity and their actual practice. One global study from Adobe offers a glimpse into this: While 76% of respondents say companies that invest in creativity are more likely to have happier employees, 77% also believe there is increasing pressure to be productive rather than creative at work. Business leaders spend considerable time thinking about how to best keep up with technological advancements to prepare their companies for the future of work. While addressing this is an important, ongoing process, few seem to be considering an equally important topic: how they’ll improve their organization’s creativity skills. Shiny new tech tools don’t always achieve their promises, and companies that are in constant pursuit of the next incrementally better tool while neglecting aspects of organizational creativity are setting themselves up to be a house of cards. As employees will need nearly 100 days of training to provide maximum organizational value from now until 2022, now is the time to begin prioritizing individual and organizational creativity — no matter your current domain specialty. Besides taking on more creative projects, here are a few ways to build the foundation for a sustainable creative practice. *** Read the full article at Forbes.com