Artificial Intelligence, Automation and the Future of Competence at Work

171 Pages·2021·2.195 MB·English

by  Jon-Arild Johannessen

Artificial Intelligence, Automation
and the Future of Competence
at Work
Artificial intelligence and the autonomous robots of the Fourth Industrial
Revolution will render certain jobs and competences obsolete but will also create
new roles, which in turn will require new sets of skills. They will also transform
how we produce, distribute and consume, as well as how we think. Rather than a
linear understanding of evolutionary processes, we will develop a more interactive
and circular interpretation.
This book offers a unique and holistic perspective on the future of work in
the context of industry 4.0. It discusses the globalization of capital markets, how
artificial intelligence can help organizations to be more competitive and the new
role of leadership in this technological landscape.
The author argues that there are four categories of competences, which will be
required to maintain the relevance of human skills and expertise in the innovation
economy. The new jobs that come into being will lend themselves to a particular
set of skills. General competences will be necessary for roles involving the
4Cs of communication, creativity, collaboration and change. Specific or STEM
competences will be called for across the science, technology, engineering and
mathematics sectors. Human competences will lend themselves to positions
comprising the SELC framework of social, emotional, leadership and cultural
skills. Critical or REVE competences will be in demand for roles embracing
reflection, ethics, values and the environment.
This book provides a human-centric view of the current technological
advancements of artificial intelligence and robotics and offers a positive outlook
for human actors seeking continued relevance. It will appeal to scholars and
students of the innovation economy, the knowledge society and the coming Fourth
Industrial Revolution.
Jon-Arild Johannessen is Full Professor of Leadership at Kristiania University
College, Norway.
Routledge Studies in the Economics of Innovation
The Routledge Studies in the Economics of Innovation series is our home for
comprehensive yet accessible texts on the current thinking in the field. These
cutting-edge, upper-level scholarly studies and edited collections bring together
robust theories from a wide range of individual disciplines and provide in-depth
studies of existing and emerging approaches to innovation, and the implications
of such for the global economy.
The Dynamics of Local Innovation Systems
Structures, Networks and Processes
Eva Panetti
Innovation in Knowledge Intensive Business Services
The Digital Era
Anna Cabigiosu
The Impact of the Sharing Economy on Business and Society
Digital Transformation and the Rise of Platform Businesses
Edited by Abbas Strømmen-Bakhtiar and Evgueni Vinogradov
Automation, Innovation and Work
The Impact of Technological, Economic, and Social Singularity
Jon-Arild Johannessen and Helene Sætersdal
The Political Economy of Digital Automation
Measuring its Impact on Productivity, Economic Growth and Consumption
Sreenath Majumder and Anuradha SenGupta
Artificial Intelligence, Automation and the Future of Competence at Work
Jon-Arild Johannessen
For more information about this series, please visit: www.routledge.com/
Routledge-Studies-in-the-Economics-of-Innovation/book-series/ECONINN
Artificial Intelligence,
Automation and the Future
of Competence at Work
Jon-Arild Johannessen
First published 2021
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2021 Jon-Arild Johannessen
The right of Jon-Arild Johannessen to be identified as author of this work
has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice : Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation
without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Johannessen, Jon-Arild, author.
Title: Artificial intelligence, automation and the future of competence at
work / Jon-Arild Johannessen.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2021. |
Series: Routledge studies in the economics of innovation | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020029650 (print) | LCCN 2020029651 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780367640460 (hardback) | ISBN 9781003121923 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Labor supply—Effect of automation on. | Automation—
Economic aspects. | Artificial intelligence—Economic aspects. |
Vocational qualifications. | Skilled labor—Effect of automation on.
Classification: LCC HD6331 .J637 2021 (print) | LCC HD6331 (ebook) |
DDC 331.25—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020029650
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020029651
ISBN: 978-0-367-64046-0 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-12192-3 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
Contents
List of figures viii
1 Introduction: what competences will be in demand in the
Fourth Industrial Revolution? 1
K ey points in this book 1
Introduction 1
Narratives 4
Description 8
Analysis 11
Theoretical points 15
Practical utility: what can this be used for? 18
Conclusion 20
Notes 20
References 21
2 General and specific competences 23
Introduction 23
Communication competence 27
Narratives 28
Description 30
Analysis 32
Theoretical points 33
Practical consequences 34
Sub-conclusion 36
Creativity 36
Narratives 37
Description 38
Analysis 39
Theoretical points 42
vi Contents
Practical utility 42
Sub-conclusion 44
Collaboration 44
Narratives 46
Description 48
Analysis 51
Theoretical points 53
Practical utility 55
Sub-conclusion 58
Change 58
Narratives 60
Description 64
Analysis 66
Theoretical points 70
Practical utility 73
Sub-conclusion 75
Main conclusion 77
Notes 79
References 80
3 Human competences 84
Key points in the chapter 84
Introduction 86
Social and emotional competences 90
Narratives 91
Description 94
Analysis 102
Theoretical points 106
Practical utility 110
Sub-conclusion 114
Leadership competence 115
Narratives 117
Description 120
Analysis 123
Theoretical points 126
Practical utility 128
Sub-conclusion 131
Cultural competence 133
Narratives 134
Description 138
Analysis 141
Contents vii
Theoretical points 143
Practical utility 146
Sub-conclusion 149
General conclusion 149
Notes 150
References 152
Index 156
Figures
1.1 The new technological paradigm 9
1.2 The balanced-competence paradigm of the Fourth Industrial
Revolution 16
1.3 The future wages hierarchy 17
1.4 The competences that will be in demand in the Fourth Industrial
Revolution 18
2.1 General and specific competences 27
2.2 Basic competences in the Fourth Industrial Revolution 28
2.3 From the automation of production and distribution, to the
informatization of communication 32
2.4 Creative success 40
2.5 Ideas-fountain organization 41
2.6 Organizing the exploitation of hidden knowledge 43
2.7 Collaboration and success 46
2.8 Aspects of collaboration in the Fourth Industrial Revolution 47
2.9 Collaboration as a function of feedforward and feedback
processes 49
2.10 Macro-meso-micro schema 51
2.11 Different rates of change and how organizations and companies
will be organized in the Fourth Industrial Revolution 60
2.12 Competences that will be in demand in the future 62
2.13 Variety of competences 68
2.14 Cross-functional teams 69
2.15 Becoming the change you want to see in the organization 71
2.16 The change competence that will be in demand in the Fourth
Industrial Revolution 76
2.17 People will produce data that will be used to change their
behaviour 78
3.1 A model of the necessary human competences that will be
needed in the Fourth Industrial Revolution 89
3.2 Aspects of social and emotional competences that will be in
demand in the Fourth Industrial Revolution 95
Figures ix
3.3 The basic model of how subjective experiences can become
objective in their consequences 97
3.4 Artificial intelligence as supplementary competence in the Fourth
Industrial Revolution 100
3.5 The five perspectives 102
3.6 Two theories that propose different approaches to understanding
emotions 111
3.7 A method for developing social and emotional competence 114
3.8 Leadership window 117
3.9 Making the others shine: the necessary operational social
and emotional competences to facilitate effective leadership
in the Fourth Industrial Revolution 122
3.10 The necessary and sufficient conditions for effective
leadership 125
3.11 Practical leadership competences in the Fourth Industrial
Revolution 131
3.12 The constitution and development of social systems 134
3.13 Technology as a social phenomenon 142
3.14 The cultural narrative 148