The HR Odyssey; Navigating the Evolving Skills Landscape

Emerging technologies including artificial intelligence (AI), big data, machine learning, geotagging and virtual reality are being used more often throughout the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The implementation of these cutting-edge technologies has a significant impact on how business is conducted locally and internationally both. In these circumstances therefore, it is essential that managers and employers make use of these technological advancement to create a competitive advantage. In the following article the HR-Odyssey will sail through the unchartered territory of AI and how to use AI for employee reskilling and upskilling! What is AI? ‘AI is a broad category of technologies that enable a computer to carry out activities, such as adaptive decision-making, that typically require human cognition’ (Tambe et al., 2019.). Academic study on the many AI digital tools and methodologies and whether businesses can profit from them is becoming more and more common. Scholars contend, for in...

Upskilling and Reskilling - learning for adult learners As discussed in our previous Article, agility and adaptability of it's workforce is the ultimate competitive advantage a company may hold over its competitors. And upskilling and reskilling act as the means to achieve this advantage (Chakma & Chaijinda, 2020). When designing training programmes for the purpose of upskilling and reskilling employees, it is important to bear in mind that the adult learners - as opposed to children - have different learning needs and preferences. For instance, the memory span or the attention span of an adult human is significantly shorter compared to that of a child. Further, a survey (Gausby, 2015) conducted by Microsoft indicates that the average attention span of an adult human has dropped to eight seconds, which is shorter than the attention span of a goldfish. Microlearning offers a solution to this challenge by breaking down complex information into bitesized, easily digestible chunks....

The modern business environment is constantly changing. Automation, new advanced technologies, and evolving market demands call for an adaptable team of employees who can learn to ride the tides as and when they turn. No idea how or where to start? Let the HR- Odyssey guide you through this series of articles focusing on the emerging Learning and Development trends in Human Resource Management! Why learning and development? One of the most common problems faced by mangers and employers is the declining efficiency of workforce. An employee who achieved the highest performance or the team that generated the highest profit ten years back may not be the best performing employee or the team generating the highest profit today. This may be caused by the fluctuations in the external environment. Technology affecting the business, and market demands of the industry today are vastly different from the technology and market demands that were present ten years back. The best performing employee a...