Closing the loop
On data-driven human capital management
I was in Denver this week for the inaugural Human Potential Summit. Like at virtually all of the recent conferences and conversations in which I have participated, AI was a prominent topic. The newly minted Chief Economic Opportunity Officer at LinkedIn, Aneesh Raman, shared a remarkably simple yet powerful sports analogy that stuck with me. A basketball coach does not teach the players how to dribble: the coach’s role is to enable the team to be the very best they can be collectively.
Aneesh was squarely in the optimist camp of leaders who believe AI will unlock as of yet unfathomable ways to unleash human progress by reserving the use of labor to tasks that humans are uniquely qualified to complete. I share that view yet I worry that we won’t achieve that outcome without fundamentally and intentionally redesigning our traditional management frameworks. Technology can help create highly personalized and flexible work arrangements without the need for a costly, often ineffective, middle management layer. I am bullish on the fractionalization of work and an increasingly decentralized workforce where opportunity is much more broadly distributed.
In order to make that vision a reality, we need to have a more granular understanding of each unit of work, who is best equipped to complete it, when, and how (including whether remotely, in person, via zoom, phone or simply at the click of a virtual button). If you are working on a data-driven approach to optimize the use of human capital, email me directly here and/or fill out this form. I look forward to hearing from you!