‘You can’t run the enterprise of tomorrow with yesterday’s talent’, says IBM & Oracle
AI has the potential to completely transform the future of work, but getting it right is tricky. UNLEASH digs into IBM and Oracle’s new Reimagining Human Potential report to find out the actions HR leaders need to take now.
News In Brief
People are essential to a successful future of work powered by AI - that's the main takeaway of a new report from IBM and Oracle.
This means HR needs to be at the forefront of all AI and future of work strategies - currently just 20% of HR teams are doing this!
UNLEASH digs into how HR can step up with IBM Global Managing Partner and co-author of the report, Jill Goldstein.
Seven in ten organizations are disappointed in their generative AI investments so far.
That’s according to new research by IBM and Oracle, which surveyed 1,000 executives from across the globe.
The problem is that 62% of organizations say there is a lack of expertise, and this is a barrier to executing on AI and automation.
This is also preventing organizations from being able to move the needle from simply “automating basic tasks and engineering prompts” to actually seeing the full potential of generative AI to create a new future for the organization.
It is no surprise that the IBM-Oracle report found that only 45% of organizations have a vision for the AI-powered future of work, and six in ten have no framework for assessing the impact of generative AI on the current workforce.
Clearly, something needs to change – the report stated: “Organizations need to first envision Gen AI not as a standalone, but within the context of their workforce”.
It is HR’s job to lead the way, as a recent blogpost about the IBM-Oracle report stated.
HR, seize the opportunity to own future of work strategy
Currently, 93% of executives say that HR plays at least some role in developing the future of work strategy for their organization.
The issue is that only one in five actually say that HR owns the strategy.
This is concerning as 64% said that success around AI and digital transformation is from adoption, not the technology itself, and 57% noted that cultural change is more important than overcoming tech challenges when building a data-driven organization.
This means that HR leaders have a huge role to play around cultural change that encourages employees to embrace AI.
Speaking exclusively to UNLEASH, Jill Goldstein, Global Managing Partner for HR & Talent Transformation, IBM Consulting, and co-author of the report, states: “CHROs need to create a culture that actively promotes collaboration with AI.
“Encourage a ‘failing forward’ mindset, where employees feel safe to experiment with new technologies, take calculated risks and learn from mistakes.
“Focus on open communication and psychological safety and champion continuous learning to get the workforce comfortable and engaged.”
Currently, 65% of executives said their organization empowered people to work in collaboration with AI. Evidently, more work needs to be done around skills.
Traditionally, only 6% of the workforce needed reskilling – this has jumped to 35% in 2024 (the equivalent of 1 billion workers worldwide).
At the end of the day, “you can’t run the enterprise of tomorrow with yesterday’s talent”, stated the IBM-Oracle report.
It is important to remember that while AI literacy is essential in the future of work (30%), there also needs to upskilling and reskilling around non-tech, people skills.
Credit: IBM and Oracle’s Reimagine human potential in the generative AI era report.
Goldstein concludes: “By promoting hands-on learning with AI, the workforce will gain practical experience and develop the technical, critical thinking and problem-solving skills needed to effectively use AI.
“The organizations that establish a skills-focused foundation will be better prepared to adapt as generative AI applications and the necessary related skills continue to evolve.”
