Focus on skills, not titles

We can’t ignore that the robots are coming – and the online gaming industry knows this better than most. It is arguably already one of the biggest influencers in the area of disruptive technology.

For example, even football clubs, looking to steal a march on their rivals, look to use the same data analytics as sports betting companies.

Human decisions can influence the use of technology and vice versa. Are humans and robots already intertwined in the workplace?

So what are the jobs of the future? This is a question that gets asked frequently, particularly in an age when seldom a week passes without some prediction or analysis of the amount of roles that will either be lost or carried out by robotic process automation (RPA) or artificial intelligence (AI) be it 10, 20 or 50 years from now.

But that’s not the right question. We should be asking ‘what are the skills of the future?’. Robots won’t necessarily come with arms and legs.

Of course technological advances will continue to improve and optimise the workplace and technology has the potential to tackle some of the biggest challenges of our time. But that’s been going on for decades.

So why should any future technology, including RPA or AI, scare us? There’s no need. Instead, it’s about looking at the component skills which make up workforce needs.

It’s not about job titles, which will clearly change over time. It’s about what human beings can be excellent at.

Attributes like adaptability, creativity, resource management, leadership, an understanding of how to delight customers, organisational skills, empathy, resilience, an ability not just to solve problems but to understand what the relevant problem is in the first place, and so on.

If someone has those traits, the chances are they have the skills that organisations are going to need more than ever. Indeed, the automation of more manual and repetitive tasks – but those we might call ‘low value’ – will enable some workers to focus on higher value, more rewarding work.

Get ready for disruption

So what should companies in the gaming industry be doing now? Clearly there are benefits to be gained from staying ahead of the curve when it comes to emerging and new technology.

But businesses also need to ensure that they are investing in their people and building the skills they will value most in future.

They shouldn’t bury their heads in the sand or ignore the obvious and understandable concerns that some employees will have about the increased prominence of technology and automation. PwC’s survey of more than

10,000 people globally, covering China, Germany, India, the UK and the US, found that one in three workers are anxious about their future.

Anxiety can affect a worker’s confidence and their ability to change and innovate – another skill that is already critical and will become even more so.

Now is the time for employers to be talking to their people about their future value, how to remain relevant, how their organisations may look in the coming years, and the transition plans for getting there.

They should be looking at how they can increase access to training and retraining and provide incentives for adaptability and flexibility.

As George Doriot, the venture capitalist, said: “Someone somewhere is making a product that will make your product obsolete”.

So you might as well disrupt yourselves before that happens.