A shift is occurring in the economy, and workers--including HR professionals--must have 6 abilities associated with the right side of the brain if they want to prosper, said author Dan Pink during the Society for Human Resource Management's 59th Annual Conference and Exposition in Las Vegas.
Pink, who is author of A Whole New Mind, said that in the past, the abilities that mattered most in the U.S. economy involved the left side of the brain and were logical, analytical, and linear. Those abilities are still necessary but no longer sufficient, he said.
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Pink argued that the changing U.S. economy requires abilities involving the right side the brain, including inventiveness, empathy, and meaning.
He noted three factors driving the change in abilities needed to succeed:
Abundance. Our grandparents could never have imagined the level of prosperity that we have in this country right now, Pink said. There are, for example, more cars in the United States than license owners, he said. Our houses get bigger even though our households don't. Still, a big increase in prosperity has failed to boost the level of fulfillment among Americans. This "abundance gap" has put a premium on factors like design and meaning, he said. He cited the example of the designer toilet brush. He said his grandfather would have laughed at the notion of a designer toilet brush. In an earlier time, a toilet brush that did its job was enough. Now, many Americans want products that look good as well. For an example of Americans' search for meaning, Pink noted the growing numbers of Americans practicing yoga--and some employers offering classes in the workplace.
Asia. Pink said that offshoring has been overhyped in the short term but underhyped in the long term. Countries like India and Malaysia have large populations of talented, ambitious, upper middle-class workers who can do many jobs at a fraction of the cost of American workers. He said that the one word that will obliterate a career in the future will be "routine." If the work is routine, it is racing to places where labor is cheaper, he said.
Automation. In the last century, machines replaced the backs and arms of some American workers. In this century, software is replacing the brains of some American workers, Pink said. One example is the growing trend of using software to prepare income tax returns instead of going to an accountant.
Pink identified 6 abilities workers will need to prosper in the shifting economy. He also offered tips on how HR professionals can develop some of those abilities themselves.
Design. Pink said design has become a fundamental business necessity. He said companies should hire "design inmates" and "let them run the asylum." His tip for developing this ability was to keep a design log for 7 days. In the log, write down one good design and one bad design you see in your travels each day.
Story. The ability to tell a story, putting facts in context and constructing a narrative, is becoming increasingly important, he said.
Symphony. He said this ability may be the most important. The ability involves seeing the big picture, connecting the dots, and looking at a wealth of information and detecting patterns. Pink said attending a drawing class can help develop this ability.
Empathy. Pink said empathy is hard to outsource. Empathy allows you to stand in someone else's shoes. He noted that customer service is an area in which empathy can be very important. He recommended that attendees try to get better at reading facial expressions, suggesting that they all read the book Emotions Revealed: Recognizing Faces and Feelings to Improve Communication and Emotional Life by Paul Ekman.
Play.. Pink spent little time on this ability, but it involves playing games.
Meaning. Pink reiterated that Americans are looking for fulfillment, a fact that many employers have already realized. He also noted that people who are motivated by meaning are the highest achievers at work.
Pink said that many HR managers already have those 6 abilities.
Pink said that workers who are concerned about their place in the changing economy should ask themselves three questions about their jobs:
Can someone in another place do my work cheaper?
Can a computer do my work faster?
Does my job involve something in demand in the world of abundance?
