Change management is critical to optimizing a digital workforce

Once workers are reskilled for this hybrid digital workforce, what do work interactions actually look like?

Chao: We see three main principles of these interactions: 1) augmented and automated tasks/activities; 2) autonomous processes and workflows; and 3) AI-driven judgment/decision-making.

The first two parts are easily imagined with a ‘digital co-worker’ and ‘bot’ type of resource unit. The last one is typically a tool and/or intelligent analysis that has a series of recommendations/scenarios/probabilities.

The most interesting advancements have been the integration across the three segments that have moved static workflows/processes into dynamic ones. Workflow and task/activity management is classically sequential and routinized, meaning the path to resolution is deterministic. A good example is an IT system or technology incident resolution; the means to identify root cause follows a step-The modern — or dynamic — workflow is now nondeterministic and situationally aware. Autonomic IT service management will find the fastest path to resolve and How should individual workers in this emerging digital workforce think about having bots as colleagues?

Chao: There’s a different balance between working as a human and working as a machine. A machine follows rules, and although AI can create a dynamic workflow, human beings can make adjustments on the fly.

So, the balancing act is: How do you take that human mindset that can think on the fly and that IT mindset that’s rigid and get them to work together? Working with bots, you have to understand how to marry those two worlds together.

How do companies marry those two worlds together?

Chao: It has to start with at least a cursory understanding of what the technology capabilities are. Then, it becomes [figuring out] a complex set of answers whereWe’ve all become familiar with onshore and offshore labor arbitrage. The third leg of the stool is now evident with the digital workforce. Specifically, it’s the software-based labor opportunity. There are new process/workflow design principles that underpin the ‘marriage.’ Additionally, there needs to be clarity across the digital software workforce and the digitally skilled people.

What is the role CIOs play in getting humans and bots to work well together?

Chao: CIOs need to be able to articulate why you need to adopt this technology into your job or your function. CIOs can talk about cost savings, about cloud, but if CIOs just do that, why would a worker want this [technology]? CIOs need to talk about how this technology will change how work gets done. So, every CIO needs to be conversant in that. To do that, CIOs need to have a fair chunk of their capabilities in the business function or the functional roles in the business units.