Training initiatives should focus on more than just software integration, a workplace behavior expert told HR Dive. Leaders should also be aware of the strengths of each generation.
Labor market leaders are talking about the importance of human skills in the context of the artificial intelligence gold rush, but what does that mean? Andy Nelesen, head of market solutions and insights at behavioral assessment firm SHL, told HR Dive that managers need to think of the relationship between technological skills (the AI element) and strategic judgment abilities (the human element) as a tree.
Leaves, which are prone to falling from the tree and regenerating, are what Nelesen and SHL call „perishable skills.” These tend to be tied to tasks performed in specific software, such as Microsoft Office. „These are many of the skills that could be replaced by artificial intelligence,” Nelesen said.
Meanwhile, the tree trunk represents „semi-durable skills” such as cloud computing or marketing prowess. The roots are „sustainable skills” that will help human employees advance regardless of circumstances, such as judgment, critical thinking, and decision-making, Nelesen said. In its research, SHL observed that people who focused more on these sustainable skills were more effective than those who focused on perishable skills.
Simply put: „It's not about your ability to write an excellent prompt in ChatGPT5,” Nelesen said, but rather about a person's AI literacy and analytical ability, which differentiates high performers from the rest of the pack.
Similarly, a study released in August by Multiverse presented the 13 human skills that researchers considered auspicious for the adoption of artificial intelligence. These skills include „creativity,” „analytical reasoning,” and „systems thinking.”.
While researching the AI model, Nelesen and her team also found that certain generations tend to have different strengths. Part of successfully adopting AI involves „having an ambitious attitude” when it comes to new technologies; another part is „knowing when to use it and when not to,” Nelesen said.
„More experienced” employees tend to have rules and regulations top of mind, Nelesen said. Meanwhile, younger employees, Nelesen said, are „very adept and very willing to try new technologies, but they don't have some of those governance aspects.” In short, „neither group was fully prepared for AI.”.
As with many learning and development programs, personalization can be essential. When it comes to integrating artificial intelligence by a workforce, Nelesen argues that ”you can't just paint with a broad brush.”.
