Masterclass Sessions

Part 1: Two Futures 

To open the masterclass, I set out two futures for the professions, both of which rest upon technology: the first is reassuringly familiar but the second is more challenging. Then, to open minds, I ask (and answer) why we have the professions at all, explore the people and institutions at the vanguard of the professions who are using technology to solve traditional problems in very different ways, and identify several critical trends that are unfolding in the professions. This part is in three sections: 

– Futures 
– Vanguard 
– Trends 

Part 2: Technology and AI 

The cases and trends identified in Part 1 are predominantly driven by technology. To begin Part 2, I very briefly describe the key features of current technological progress in general. But then I turn to look at one technology in more detail: AI. I explain the shift that has taken place in the field over the last decade, how it is challenging our long-standing assumptions about what machines can and cannot do — and, most importantly, why these changes are so significant for thinking about the future of professionals. This part is in two sections: 

– Technology 
– AI 

Part 3: How HR Leaders Can Prepare 

In the final part, I turn to how HR leaders can best respond now to the challenges set out in Part 1 and 2. I explain how to think clearly about the impact of technology on work (i.e. individual ‘tasks’ not entire ‘jobs’), identity the skills that will be necessary to flourish in decades to come (i.e. a challenge of ‘’mass re-deployment’ not ‘mass unemployment’) and briefly describe how the Covid-19 pandemic interacts with these technological challenges and opportunities. I close with a set of tasks for further thought and action and suggest a productive mindset for thinking about the future (‘blank sheet thinking, outcome focused’). This part is in three sections:  

– Work 
– Covid-19 
– Action