Meeting the human-first challenge : the power of workforce dexterity
As organisations navigate a world of constant change , AMS ’ s four pillars of true workforce dexterity offer a road map and guide to making the most of the single most important resource we have available to us : people . Here , we consider the pillars in more detail , with insights from AMS CEO David Leigh .
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The beginning of any new year is invariably a time for a
bit of crystal ball gazing ; the chance to fill reports , blogs and column inches with predictions for the year ahead . As 2021 gets underway , and with more than a nod to the unpredictability we all experienced in 2020 , we don ’ t need to dig too deeply to unearth some familiar themes . COVID-19 has taught us that agility and flexibility are no longer just abstract concepts ; rather , they ’ ve become our lived experience at work . None of us has had to search too hard for that disruption we ’ ve so often been told is the route to organisational innovation and success .
Alongside the need to bottle and deploy this agility for the future , our crystal ball gazers are also looking to another key element of our working lives in 2020 : the human ingenuity , humanity and resilience that underpinned our response to such troubled times . Deloitte ’ s 2021 Global Human Capital Trends survey anticipates that the organisations that will successfully make the shift from “ surviving ” to “ thriving ” in this environment will be those who are “ distinctly human ” at their core , embracing “ a different way of being that approaches every question , every issue and every decision from a human angle first ”.
In service of this distinctly human approach , Deloitte identifies five key trends : designing work for wellbeing ; unleashing worker potential ; the rise of ( often cross-functional ) ‘ superteams ’; the primacy of workforce strategy , and , last , but certainly not least , the need to empower HR teams to “ re-architect ” work itself .
It ’ s encouraging that the Deloitte report also confirms that business leaders have more confidence than ever in their HR colleagues as a result of how they ’ ve handled the COVID-19 crisis . But business thinking that places humans front and centre still provides a challenge , as well as opportunities , for everyone in organisations tasked with attracting , deploying , managing and developing its people . If Deloitte ’ s cultures of “ preparedness ” require us to think human first , what does this mean on the ground ?
Agility and flexibility are no longer just abstract concepts ; they ’ ve become our lived experience at work
Introducing the four pillars
Fortunately , help is at hand . The launch of AMS ’ s new strategy for creating the true workforce dexterity that these human-first approaches demand is very timely . Its four pillars of workforce dexterity offer a new approach to building , reshaping and optimising workforces ; talent strategies that will allow businesses to anticipate and capitalise on continuing shifts in people , processes and technology .
Fluid
Don ’ t just keep up , anticipate what ’ s next
Resilient
With the right workforce , uncertainty doesn ’ t stand a chance
Diverse
Let ’ s move beyond just acquiring talent
Differentiated
Real success is achieved by standing out in a crowd
The four pillars anticipate workforces that are boundless and global , quantified by skills rather than headcount . They have the adaptability that allows them to be built faster and the resilience to bend rather than break when faced with challenge and change . According to AMS CEO David Leigh , “ success will take a mix of people – from full-time employees to contractors – who are able to reskill , upskill and shapeshift to support the needs of organisations . Optimising this collective workforce will require seamlessly integrated technologies and artificial intelligence that can improve speed and accuracy , as well as use predictive analytics to anticipate what ’ s coming next ”.
In short , true workforce dexterity provides the strategy and tools that support HR teams and their organisations to make the most of workforces that will , of necessity , be multidimensional and constantly fluctuating . It helps to map out that shift in mindset we ’ ll all need to make to thrive in a world that never stands still .
Let ’ s take a look at the four pillars in more detail .
Fluid : don ’ t just keep up , anticipate what ’ s next
If we want to operate successfully in a business environment characterised by change and fluidity , our human-first response requires a mix of people , skills and technology that can flex as needs change .
It ’ s a trend that ’ s increasingly well documented , neatly summarised in an article by Deloitte : “ As a result of work becoming less mechanistic and work outcomes evolving , jobs have become increasingly fluid and dynamic , with some thought leaders believing that the end of jobs – fixed , task-based work – is near . This change is being accelerated as ways of working shift away from rigid reporting lines to networks of teams , from prescribed routines and job descriptions to expanded job canvases , and from narrow skills to broad capabilities .”
It ’ s also a trend that many of us are experiencing on the ground . Such a skills-based approach to talent means that we have to be at the top of our game when it comes to understanding the markets for talent and how to access the skills we need . It requires us to rethink outdated notions of seeing contingent and permanent workers as completely different talent propositions . We need to mind what we ’ ve learned in the last year about remote working and talent no longer being geographically confined . It means we have to be smart about using technology to get to know and deploy the capabilities of the people already inside our organisations and to keep channels of communication open with external talent whose skills we might need in the future .
Resilient : with the right workforce , uncertainty doesn ’ t stand a chance
Bestselling author Brené Brown has an interesting take on what resilient individuals have in common . Her research found that they share a “ tolerance for discomfort ”; in fact , they lean into it .
It ’ s not a bad lens through which to view the idea of resilience more widely . In effect , building resilience offers an antidote to uncertainty . When it comes to people at work , resilience is rooted in a company ’ s ability to shift its workforce and systems in response to change without weakening over time . It ’ s a hard ask that needs a strong , clear and well-communicated workforce strategy to achieve . For Leigh , though , being able to deal with that uncertainty is “ a skill set and attribute that is critically important ”.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that workforce resilience can be found in all sorts of places . It might come from redeploying , reskilling and upskilling the people we already have . It may be a matter of looking beyond our own sector or direct expertise , acquiring , swapping or trading talent as needs change . It will definitely need us to invest in our people to give them the individual resilience they need to be confident contributors in this often unnerving new world .
Diverse : let ’ s move beyond just acquiring talent
We ’ ve been talking about the desirability of diverse workforces for some time . These days , we know that diversity is not just desirable , it ’ s an essential business driver too . And , as our understanding of the power of a broad range of perspectives , capabilities , skills and experiences has developed , so our understanding of what diversity means has grown and evolved . For example , we ’ re increasingly attuned to the benefits of cognitive diversity . Writing in Harvard Business Review , Alison Reynolds and David Lewis remind us that we ’ re all inclined to gravitate towards people who “ think and express themselves just like us ”. But that , of course , closes us off from crucial input from people who bring with them a range of different experiences and perspectives .
It ’ s also important that diversity is not just about acquiring a diverse talent base . We need to retain a razor-sharp focus at every stage of the talent life cycle , making sure that everyone feels they can speak up , that they ’ re heard and that difference is celebrated and recognised . As the pandemic threatens to heighten inequalities and limit social mobility , we must be on our guard to protect , and continue to extend , the diversity we need .
Leigh reminds us that diversity is “ not just the right thing to do from an ethical and moral perspective . It ’ s the only way to make sure we have the best possible talent bases in organisations ”. Talk is cheap ; so is focusing just on talent acquisition . We need decisive and ongoing action in all areas of our business to make real the D & I strategies we know are essential to success .
Differentiated : real success is achieved by standing out in a crowd
Every business is unique , with its own mission and vision . So , too , are people . The differentiation challenge requires us to bring the two together , so that workforces both reflect and represent the businesses they support , elevating brand and building on strengths to help them stand out from the competition .
Differentiation is at the heart of effective talent strategy . It happens when an entire business pulls together in its mission to shape the future , with motivated and engaged people at the core . It ’ s not just about existing staff buy-in , important as that is . It ’ s also about emerging talent , anticipating the skills and competencies that will be needed to make the most of those opportunities that drive that mission and vision .
It ’ s about bringing together the capabilities , insight and automation that are uniquely suited to every business . That ’ s what creates a boundless workforce that stands apart from the crowd .
It ’ s important that talent strategies can adapt and change , but it ’ s equally important that the talent itself can adapt too
All about workforce dexterity
In simple terms , dexterity means ‘ skill in performing a task ’. It ’ s about people , often associated with hands , with pragmatism , with action . It also has a close association with agility and flexibility . For Leigh , when it comes to talent , it ’ s about “ capturing the essence of what organisations will need in an era of shifting workplace demands and expectations ”.
By adopting dexterity as a guiding principle and promise , AMS is recognising that what dexterity emphasises more than anything else is adaptability . Leigh says : “ If we learned anything over the course of 2020 , it ’ s the importance of both organisations and individuals adapting in a very action-orientated way . It ’ s important that talent strategies can adapt and change , but it ’ s equally important that the talent itself can adapt too . We all recognise that the skill sets with which we started our careers won ’ t be sufficient to see us through to the end of our working lives . The concept of constantly adapting at an organisational and individual level is at the heart of workforce dexterity .”
Whatever the future might throw at us , whatever those new year crystal ball gazers might predict , workforce dexterity is a road map and guide to how best to structure work and make the most of talent in ways that enable both individuals and organisations to learn , grow and thrive .