You can also access this resource, and many others, in Issue 366 of my Talent Edge Weekly newsletter.
As AI reshapes work, many Chief HR Officers continue to reassess how these changes affect the capabilities their organizations need to execute their business strategies. A new 52-page IBM Institute for Business Value report, drawing on surveys of 1,500 CHROs and other executives responsible for workforce strategy, as well as 8,800 employees, identifies 10 capabilities across five focus areas for turning AI-created capacity into business growth. While the full report explores the detailed implications for CHROs and their teams, page 47 summarizes the five areas and suggested actions for each. The one I want to zoom in on is advancing skill growth while preventing skill erosion. Although 80% of organizations surveyed have a reskilling plan for helping employees work with AI-based technology, those plans may overlook skill erosion: the gradual weakening of key skills employees already have, such as critical thinking, when AI reduces their opportunities to practice and develop them. It is a top concern for 46% of executives, and 60% of employees say they are experiencing it. This has implications for workforce planning and talent development. Where is AI taking on work that helps people build and maintain capabilities such as judgment? How can we redesign work and development so the skills underlying those capabilities continue to grow? These questions belong in our skills and reskilling strategies alongside plans to build new AI-related skills.
