Do you want to remain competitive in the future workplace? Check if you have the 10 key skills and competencies to stay relevant.
Overworked, discouraged and without energy – those are the characteristics of the XIX century workforce. An alarming picture emerges from numerous studies and burnout became a modern plague. Especially now, when social interactions are limited due to the global pandemic and most of the work is done remotely from the home office.
Many professionals start feeling that their potential or skills at work are not utilized to the fullest potential. As a result, they do not know what to look for, where to place their passions, what is the purpose and meaning of their lives.
New competency model
Technological development, which is revolutionizing the world before our eyes, introduces inevitably changes in the way we live and work. The development of artificial intelligence, robotization, management of a huge amount of data – all this means that the competency model of employees is changing. And skills like comprehensive problem solving, creativity, innovation, cooperation, cognitive flexibility and empathy become more important.
A big question is if all employees and leaders have the strength to become such?
Many employees often feel discouragement, irritation, fear or even anxiety. The tasks they perform do not give them satisfaction and joy and they don’t know the sense and purpose of their job duties. On such foundations, it is impossible to build competencies of the future that will help to win with artificial intelligence.
Ideal employee of the future
The ideal employee of the future is a flexible specialist. One that is digitally savvy and has the ability to see problems in a wider spectrum. A creative individual that can also demonstrate analytical thinking and understanding of the data.
And while machines can beat us in analyzing information, they cannot look at it creatively. For this reason, in the era of machines, there will be someone who is well-versed in his work, empathic, able to communicate and cooperate and having a flexible mind. Such a combination of features ensured success in every age and there is no indication that the machines would change something in this field.
Key skills to develop or acquire
Let’s look at the below 10 skills and competencies that can keep you relevant in the future workplace.
Interdisciplinarity – the ability to understand concepts from various fields and “connecting the dots”.
In the face of the increasing complexity of the world and problems, narrow specialities will not allow people to properly understand reality. Therefore, people with 360 degree view and expertise in various fields will have the advantage.
Innovative and adaptive thinking – proficiency in unconventional thinking that goes beyond the usual patterns. Creativity, flexibility and openness to change are the base for development and progress.
Digital competencies – the ability to use a wide array of digital tool, as well as new media for effective communication.
Design thinking – the ability to use a non-linear iterative process to understand users’ needs and problems, creating solutions and prototypes, defining tasks and their implementation to achieve the expected results.
Computational thinking – the ability to understand and translate huge amounts of data into abstract concepts. As the amount of available data increases, people will have to be able to process the huge amount of information in a meaningful way.
Deeper reasoning – the ability to recognize the deeper meaning or importance of what is being expressed. While routine and repetitive activities can be performed by robots, there is a whole range of skills that the computer will not be able to master, such as drawing deeper conclusions that go beyond the scheme.
Emotional intelligence – the ability to communicate with other people in a deep and direct way that allows you to feel and stimulate specific reactions. Employees with high emotional intelligence are able to quickly assess the emotions of other people, empathize with them and communicate more effectively.
Intercultural competence – ability to work with people from various cultural backgrounds. In the times of progressing globalization, the ability to work with people who function in different cultural conditions may turn out to be a gold competence.
Working in informational noise – the ability to filter valid and credible information in the media noise and overload of facts and data will become increasingly important to effectively work in the world of complexity.
Virtual collaboration – the ability to work effectively within virtual teams. The rapid development of communication techniques will require employees of the future to work at a distance within virtual teams. Usage of tools for online or virtual cooperation will be an asset.
