Quality Work in a Digital Age (QWiDA)

People continually overstate the impact of artificial intelligence on jobs. Yes, a huge number of tasks will no longer be done by humans, but at the same time, completely new tasks m̶i̶g̶h̶t̶ e̶m̶e̶r̶g̶e̶ have already been emerging. Take software development as an example: let's assume that basic coding skills will be done by generative AI tools (and many people would argue that even that is not yet possible, despite all the hype). Suddenly, there will be a need for a higher-order set of tasks - coordinating and "project managing" such code-writing agents. The skills required for it will be quite different from those for simply writing code, but understanding the basics will still be crucial, just like it still makes much sense to know arithmetics, even when using calculators. I'd be very curious to hear what new types of tasks or skill needs you see emerging in your space. For instance, we use gen AI a lot to analyse various data assets in our research (where traditional methods do not apply). We have to learn how to prepare the data for these systems to be able to work with it, how to prompt them effectively, and how to ensure the outputs are of acceptable quality. I don't see our jobs disappearing any time soon. Instead, the quality of work we produce is definitely going up! (An excerpt from my chat with Michal Krawczyk 🚀 of Int4)

Automation, augmentation, or maybe AMPLIFICATION? Here's a thought experiment for you: what if we considered GenAI an idea amplifier for your teams? Picture this: just as a sound amplifier takes a faint audio signal and boosts it to fill a room with powerful sound, an "idea amplification" does the same for strategic thought and creativity. It takes the seeds of ideas that your team brings to the table and enriches them, enhancing their clarity, impact, and reach. How would it work? Input Stage: Your team brainstorms and puts forward initial concepts—the foundational ideas. Amplification Process: Enter GenAI. Just like an amplifier uses electronic components to elevate sound, GenAI processes these initial ideas, adding depth, breadth, and entirely new angles. It’s like having an additional team member who consistently surprises you with innovative extensions and unexpected insights. Output Stage: The result? A set of richer, more expansive ideas that resonate far beyond the original thought—ideas that empower your teams to think broader, tackle challenges from different perspectives, and bring more ambitious solutions to the table. GenAI as an idea amplifier isn’t about replacing human creativity; it’s about boosting it. The machines of the Industrial Revolution amplified our strength and manual skills. The machines of the AI revolution have started to amplify our thoughts and mental skills. It’s about taking what’s already there and transforming it into something more impactful. I had a great conversation about it with Michal Krawczyk 🚀 of Int4. And, together with Dr Graham Kenny and Dr Kim Oosthuizen, we wrote about the potential of GenAI for strategic planning in Harvard Business Review ("How CEOs Are Using Gen AI for Strategic Planning") #genAI #technology #business #strategy #creativity

How can organisations leverage social capital for optimised network effectiveness? Watch this video by our Chief Investigator, Professor Dean Lusher about the Social Network Analysis Toolbox 👇

🚨 New research alert from our Chief Investigator, ARC Laureate Fellow Professor Maureen Dollard

Our Chief Investigator, ARC Laureate Fellow Professor Maureen Dollard with fellow researchers at the Psychosocial Safety Climate Global Observatory presented on the current state of Psychosocial Safety climate in Australian universities. 👉 Read the full findings in the 'Work, Digital Stress and Wellbeing Survey Report' here: https://lnkd.in/gvr32hvA

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Congratulations, Marek! What an incredible achievement!

Second week after publishing, and our Harvard Business Review article on the use of Gen AI in strategy development is still among the most popular HBR articles. I am particularly excited about the section on the power of divergent strategy exploration. In a world where everyone worries about "hallucinations" (I hate this term, but that's for another post) of gen AI tools, we asked ourselves what could be good about them. Spoiler alert: plenty! Hallucinations are good if you need inspiration! Here's a friends-only link to the article that takes you straight around the paywall: https://lnkd.in/gwFGJmV4 Dr Graham Kenny Dr Kim Oosthuizen

Can GenAI help in strategic planning? Our most recent Harvard Business Review article—which addresses this question—was published earlier today. (spoiler alert: the answer is: "Yes, but...") We (Dr Graham Kenny, Dr Kim Oosthuizen and I) found that gen AI tools show promise in strategic planning, particularly for smaller companies, but their capabilities may be overestimated. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 - 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐛𝐢𝐚𝐬: Gen AI can provide perspectives outside the team's professional training and industry experience, helping to identify blind spots. - 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠: Gen AI tools can come up with a wide range of strategic issues and potential future scenarios, stimulating creative thinking among the planning team. - 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬: Gen AI can highlight industry changes and emerging trends that might not be immediately apparent to the internal team, aiding in more comprehensive strategic planning. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 - 𝐋𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲-𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭: Most gen AI tools cannot access internal company data or nuanced understanding of a specific business's unique challenges and opportunities. - 𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲: AI models are trained on past data, limiting their ability to predict future trends or disruptive changes in an industry accurately. - 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: Gen AI may overlook crucial business-specific issues or industry-specific factors that human experts would immediately recognise as important. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬? - 𝐈𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: Use multiple prompts and regenerate responses to get comprehensive results. Always filter AI suggestions through human expertise to ensure relevance and practicality. - 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧-𝐀𝐈 𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: View gen AI as a tool to augment human strategic thinking, not as a substitute. Combine AI-generated insights with industry knowledge and company-specific understanding for well-rounded strategies. - 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Where possible, use AI tools with Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) to incorporate up-to-date information and potentially company-specific data, enhancing the relevance and accuracy of AI-generated insights. Have you tried using Gen AI for strategic planning? What was your experience? What did you learn? #generativeAI #strategy

How do you optimally prepare your workforce for the digital future? Read our Professor Eva Kyndt's interview (in Dutch) with #ZigZagHR here 👇