Balancing human talent and intelligent automation
BUSINESSES in Singapore have hit a productivity plateau. According to the Ministry of Trade and Industry's 2016 Economic Survey of Singapore, the nation's labour productivity - measured by value added per worker - increased by only one per cent last year.
Singapore is not alone. The recently published OECD Compendium of Productivity report shows a slowdown in productivity growth in many of the world's economies over recent years. This indicates that it is becoming increasingly difficult for organisations to get more productivity out of employees using traditional optimisation approaches.
However, the emergence of artificial intelligence technologies - notably intelligent automation - will take human capabilities to levels far beyond anything we can currently comprehend. Intelligent automation will go beyond enablement and actually augment the human workforce, opening new avenues for productivity as machines process data and surface insights beyond the capacity of humans.
Business leaders are increasingly recognising that intelligent automation is essential to achieving increased productivity and faster time-to-market. New Avanade research shows that global business leaders have moved beyond the humans versus machines hype about artificial intelligence technologies, with more than half of respondents optimistic that intelligent automation will augment the human workforce, rather than replace jobs. Avanade's research also found that 86 per cent of business leaders believe that their organisation will need to deploy intelligent automation within five years to be a leader in their industry.
Woodside Energy, one of the world's largest oil and gas producers, is a great example of this. Using intelligent automation, Woodside has generated millions of dollars of cost savings, increased the lifespan of critical assets and enhanced productivity by being able to prevent unplanned site shutdowns.
Management now has access to data from devices at the plant within minutes, freeing leaders to focus on more complex tasks and innovation. Intelligent automation is also generating hundreds of millions of engineering predictions per day for Woodside - faster than humans could ever achieve.
However, while most global business leaders are optimistic about the potential of intelligent automation, 60 per cent of consumers surveyed by Avanade believe that intelligent automation is more likely to replace jobs than augment the human workforce. This indicates that leaders need to help their teams understand the benefits of intelligent automation.
One opportunity for engagement is to highlight how much we all rely on intelligent automation in our lives already, whether in our personal or professional lives. Think Siri, Echo and customer service chatbots - these newcomers have not put valets, personal assistants, life coaches and personal shoppers out of business, because hardly anyone employs such "helpers". Instead, these technologies outsource the drudgery of our daily lives, and free up the human mind for the tasks at which it excels.
A good example of intelligent automation helping organisations to break through the productivity plateau is a leading global consumer goods company that Avanade works with. A digital assistant is helping the human resources team to respond to menial requests such as vacation leave entitlements, freeing their time to focus on more complex people challenges. By implementing a fully integrated digital assistant supported by a network of human professionals, 90 per cent of queries could be solved more productively - and employees considered the augmented workforce approach to be a positive experience.
History reminds us that machines have enabled humans for centuries, helping them to work faster and produce more. In the first industrial revolution in the 1800s, there was a shift to powered, specialised machinery machines and factories that facilitated mass production that could not be achieved by human capabilities alone. Fast forward to the late 1900s, and a form of digital disruption has occurred every decade: from the PC revolution of the 1990s to the Internet boom of the 2000s and the emergence of the mobile-first world in the 2010s. Each development has brought previously unimaginable opportunities for humans in the professional and personal lives.
The key is not just to understand the differing capabilities of humans and technology, but to recognise their individual shortcomings. Success with intelligent automation comes from the right layering of human with technological capabilities, so both complement each other. In parallel, leaders should develop a roadmap to help guide high-level conversations, as well as discussions across the entire employee population about the opportunities of an augmented workforce, powered by intelligent automation. This will result in more satisfied, engaged and productive workforces - and help Singapore organisations break through the prevailing productivity plateau.
