FROM THE CEO | Welcome
W
people-centred
progress
T
echnology creates as many business problems
as it solves, or so it may seem. Automation
enhances efficiency but threatens traditional
roles; digital collaboration tools allow
instant communication... that distracts and
overwhelms. And boundless data leaves us
rich in information, but swamped by issues
of ownership and privacy.
In recruitment and selection, algorithms may simply
replicate the unconscious bias that characterises
traditional processes, while reducing face-to-face contact
along the way.
Underlying all of this is the biggest problem of all:
our belief that tech will leech the humanity out of the
workplace, leaving people at the mercy of machines.
In truth, it is not the tech we should fear but the way
in which we introduce, implement, use and regulate it – in
business and in all areas of life. Humans lie at its heart,
for better or worse, and it falls to today’s leaders to lay
the foundations for the future: to shape machines to aid,
rather than replace, people. HR directors have a vital
part to play in achieving this within their organisations.
In our March issue of Future Talent magazine, as
at our Future Talent Conference later this month, we
consider ‘humanity and technology’ in a variety of business contexts,
unearthing the pitfalls, practicalities and potential, and providing a
forum for discussion and sharing, through timely opinion pieces,
case studies and insightful features.
We aim to inform and inspire, fuelling ongoing debate and
people-centred progress.
it is not tech
we should
fear, but
how we
implement
and use it
Jim Carrick-Birtwell
Co-founder and CEO | [email protected]
March – May 2019
// 7