June 20189 even if we haven't met in person. We live and breathe collaboration, mostly over video, but also instant messaging and audio conferencing, and this has helped us drive the business forward together, while strengthening relationships. The nature of leadership in the age of disruptive technologies like AI is also undergoing change like never before. When data and analytics is contributing to business processes and workflows, decision-making in leadership is no exception. It has been suggested that AI will displace the processing of facts and information, or the "hard" elements of leadership, but I believe that when it comes to competitive advantage, workplace automation will never quite match the power of a smart workforce. To guide a workforce and lead in the age of digital disruption, I've summarized three key areas of focus: 1. Collaboration A workplace which actively promotes and instills the value in knowledge sharing is key to building collaboration among teams. Meetings should be transformed to be about the exchange of ideas and creativity ­ we are already seeing this in the growth of new spaces such as huddle rooms, to encourage spontaneity in coming together, but it's also about ensuring that smarter ways of working can happen with the right tools at hand. So while AI in a workplace can contribute to gathering data and analytics, it's people who keep ideas flowing and want to use that information to strategize and solve problems. Executive leaders should then be focusing on improving those human-to-human connections and drive a culture of collaboration. 2. Communication Technology in an organization is built around the premise of enabling people and systems to talk to each other. What becomes critical is the relationship between technology and people, when instant messages are replacing real conversations, never has it been more important to uphold the values of communicating face-to-face. This is more important than ever today, when most teams include remote and freelance workers. With technologies such as cloud video services and team collaboration platforms, communication can happen at any time from anywhere, merely armed with a mobile phone. In the spirit of openness, leaders should not only be looking to communicate organizational changes more effectively, but embracing collaborative technology which makes those connections more meaningful. 3. Cultural intelligence In a world where people and processes cross borders and territories, leading such diversity can become complex without the right skills in place. According to the World Economic Forum, cultural literacy and awareness have been cited as two of 16 key skills needed to succeed in the 21st Century. Cultural intelligence has been described as the ability to relate to culturally diverse situations and work effectively in them. While the jury is out on whether values such as empathy and skills such as critical thinking can be programmed, a strong leader requires cultural quotient (CQ). AI can provide behavioral or demographic data of a company's employees, but ultimately the onus is on leadership to interpret that data and use it effectively. Power to the people Businesses have long been committed to building a smarter workforce and ongoing digital disruption hasn't changed that vision. An IBM study found that two out of five CEOs expect the next competitive threat to come from outside their industry, requiring an overhaul of their current workforce design. Big data and technology are the foundations to building a smart workforce, but there also needs to be a cultural shift in attitude and approach to how people work and collaborate. Even in the age of AI, human-to-human connections are enabling workforces to be agile and productive with anyone from anywhere. And while mundane tasks are being automated, jobs that require "human" skills like critical thinking, empathy, or creative problem-solving can never be replaced by machines. Even as technologies continue to disrupt and enterprise adoption of AI continues to grow, the true test of C-suite leadership is to never lose touch with their people.
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