Nexttech

Nexttech
Creating Generational Legacies

Tuesday, February 23, 2021

Does The tech industry need to be disrupted ?


Why does the tech industry suffer from a  lack of diversity among employees, executives, venture-backed founders, venture capital firms and board members which still remains predominantly white and male.


Is it because  there is not enough qualified talent from diverse backgrounds? A pipeline problem?






Just this month, Facebook’s global head of diversity once again blamed the company’s meager amount of black and brown employees on a lack of available talent. This was met with criticism and anger among diversity and inclusion advocates across the tech industry


Is it a recruiting process challenge? Asks Uber Chief Diversity Officer Bo Young Lee told TechCrunch.


Do we need to change the narrative in tech when it comes to to diversity, equity and inclusion ?


Is the lack of diversity in tech 

A. because of a lack of what is in the recruitment pipeline 

or 

B. because of a deep seated prejudice or preconceived ideas on who should be controlling the industry?


Catriona Wallace suggests that this needs to change by removing inequalities, structural racism, mysoginy and micro-inequities from the tech companies themselves.


https://www.linkedin.com/posts/drcatrionawallace_examining-the-pipeline-problem-activity-6769363797011501056-4m9z



Courri Brady, director at diversity, equity and inclusion consulting firm Paradigm, suggests that there are preconceived ideas that  only certain schools, programs or other companies are the only places that produce good talent, and those people are not diverse, causing “narrowcasting”  in the recruitment process 


It’s all starts with  the equality of education says 

Dr. Joy Lisi Rankin, a research lead for gender, race and power in artificial intelligence at the AI Now Institute, suggests that it is not about getting a SAT score or a GRE -  but that it’s about privilige and “credentialing”


Decades of research have shown SATs correlate in no way with how you’re going to do in college or how you might be as a student, but correlate everything with how wealthy your family is, which also then correlates with race and access to all other sorts of things like tutoring and etc. 


The education system seems to have functioned as a gatekeeper to knowledge through credentialing, she said


“Credentialing is a form of gatekeeping and protecting who has access to power and who doesn’t,” she said. “There’s this term that I think was coined a few years ago about how Silicon Valley tech companies are not meritocracies, but ‘mirrortocracies,’ so you’re hiring people who have similar credentials to you, had the same sort of schooling, etcetera. 


There is evidence that diversity often yields better work and better outcomes in a variety of situations. 

 Focusing on certain types of qualifications and credentials, prevent diversity from happenning.


Is it because computing is so economically and politically important that computing has become so exclusive to the priviliged ? 


Disrupting for good


How do we rechannel the pipeline to allow a more diverse group of humans to collaborate, learn and grow together? 


There seems to be pipelines to prosperity 

And 

Pipelines to prison 


We have a criminal justice system that is inherently infected with racial bias







The number of black people under the control of the correctional system is staggering.


The lack of legitimate job opportunities in low-income black neighborhoods, combined with the infusion of illegal drugs into these neighborhoods, created an incentive to sell drugs.


Getting more technology and the tech industry involved in criminal justice efforts pays dividends. On so many levels — Justin Erlich, special assistant attorney general, office of AG Kamala Harris


how do we change this paradigm? 

Hoe do we channel the pipeline - from prisons to prosperity ? 


https://techcrunch.com/2016/07/31/the-other-pipeline/


Instead of relying on the pipeline as an excuse, 

Let’s work to make education truly equitable 


People who are interested in this -  from Dr Catriona Wallace post 


Courri Brady (he/him/his), MBA Joy Lisi Rankin, PhD Ifeoma Ozoma TechCrunch Meredith Whittaker Aerica Shimizu Banks Kate Crawford Tim Heasley

Ethical AI Advisory Dr Joy Townsend 

Roslyn Hames Andrew Lai Matthew Clunies-Ross Boab 


https://lnkd.in/gVCRD6M

Thursday, January 7, 2021

John Cooksey talking Organiisational Excellence at our Nexttech Transformation Forum on 16 Feb 2021


John Cooksey talking Organisational Excellence at our Nexttech Transformation Forum

 






Unpacking The Think Tank with Rob Nankervis, Cassandra Parton, Craig Saphin, Hendrik Lourens 

Monday, January 4, 2021

Big data and the recruiting process




This article was inspired and sourced from an amazing article by Nicolas Babin . One of 200 thought leaders to follow in 2021. Here is the source https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/artificial-intelligence-recruitment-two-peas-pod-nicolas-babin


People are the most important part of your business and AI can ensure the right candidate is recruited for the right job. 


When recruiting how do you know that  your new employee will fit within your company culture, create value and stay for the long term?


Matching all your requirements (business and human) is key - and big data will play a big part in getting that information.


Velocity, value, volume, variety and varsity of data (the 5 Vs of Big Data) are key to the recruitment process . Once the data lake is organized you will be able to collect all data formats. From emails to photos, videos, text, numbers, maps, CRMs, real time information, social networks, NLP, facial recognition, AR, VR, MR… all data formats will be collected and analyzed.


Algorithms will be able to cross-refence all information on all platforms and in all formats.






1.       Sourcing information 





Much of the information will be found n social networks - where you will be able to automatically cross reference information from a CV that will be scanned and analyzed in order to ensure that it tells the truth about the candidate’s experience. 


An AI algorithm will be able to source and analyze hundreds of millions of profiles. This is obviously something a human would not be able to do. 


AI is about human augmented and here the mundane task to source and check is taken care of as well as the communication with candidates whilst the process is ongoing. This will ensure engagement from all.


2.      The screening process will improve. 

You will be able to  identify valuable candidates based on your criteria, Candidate ranking will be more efficient. Facial recognition will ensure that you are talking to the right candidate and false identity will then be a problem of the past.


3.      Candidate experience will be matched to your own needs. Finding someone with 5 to 10 years’ experience with strong skills, network and know-how will become an easy task because the variety and varsity of data will allow detailed and precise analysis and extract of data. 


For example - If you are looking for longer service you can exclude candidates who changes jobs every 3 years and you will be able to predict and offer something new before he/she reaches that critical timing.



4.      Checking references will be simpler. Your AI algorithm will use all types of data available. It will be able to cross reference people and build a network with starfish type of connections. You will then either contact their references, if possible, or check what has been written or said on social networks and make your own opinion.


5.      Once all these steps have been completed, the legal aspect will become automated. The legal team will have all data available automatically gathered during the recruitment process. Contracts will take into consideration all information discussed during the recruiting process and will be written with human input to ensure it matches all legal requirements.


AI will not replace but augment the process 


AI will not be used to replace human interaction but augment it, as in all recruiting process it is essential that empathy, values and human behaviors will be the differentiators. 


AI and recruiting – two peas in a pod for the benefit of companies and candidates. 

Wednesday, December 30, 2020

The Future of Work - lifelong learning and strong leadership is key




The future of work is really about the future of humankind — and its impact will be a game changer 

      


When machines become workers, what is the human role? 


The key word in the Nexttech revolution will be human augmentation. 


The way we work is being redefined

The future of work is more than technology: We are exploring how work is being re-invented, not just by technology, but also by demographic factors (e.g., millennial workers) , cultural drivers and distributed workforces, not having to be in same office or even in same country as your co-worker , 


The Life  Long Learner 

Learning and education: is a key part of the future of work -  front-loaded educational systems such as 3-5 year full time university degrees - will be a thing of the past - a relic. 


The future of work will be all about the lifelong learner -  where people will choose to work at a firm to gain a specific skill. Corporations will align to universities - so tenure in a job will earn a diploma or a degree. 


Leadership

Leaders in both the private and public sector need to plan and prepare for the future of work. 


Companies need to have a solid Human Resources policy and programme - incorporating  talent, employee motivation, recruiting, training and skills development. 


Governments need to explore safety net solution, such as a universal basic income or a permanent Jobkeeper programme .



So the question for you is 


Where to from here?

What do you need to do to be at the forefront and on the right side of the #nexttechRevolution. 


One thing I do know - is that to survive and thrive - everyone of us - in whatever role we play - will need to embrace change - and we all need to “learn how to learn”




Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Things to focus on to get ready for the Nexttech Revolution


2020 has been the Gateway to the  Nexttech Revolution - where  computing continues to climb the exponential curve at speeds that are leaving us breathless.. 






New technologies, AI, 5G , Robots and  people are converging to eliminate inefficiencies and frictions from markets. 


The physical world is being sensed, tagged and linked to the Internet with massive  amounts of new data being generated and stored as storage capacity in the cloud has become  virtually infinite. 


AI algorithms are analyzing that data. New market interfaces are arising. Blockchain technology shows promise to establish trust between market participants in a decentralized, encrypted and secure manner. 


The convergence  of real-time communications, blockchain and the IoT is creating  “stock exchanges” for all kinds of goods and services - not just commodities.


Manufacturing-as-a-Service (MaaS) platforms will enable you to get parts into production in less than five minutes.


Fast-tracking drug research and testing will  enable pharmaceutical manufacturers to save major cost (on average, in excess of $1 billion) and time (10-15 years) for new drug development.


Connectivity  will continue to become more ubiquitous - at the expense of privacy - zoom will be like the black and white tv - think  chips in brain - that will enable you to click between real and virtual - blink to see data about person you look at .


 AI will exceed human levels of intelligence - blurring of man and machine - including emotional intelligence on so many levels - there won’t be a job or profession that won’t be augmented and possibly replaced by AI. AI applications and adoption is projected to boost global GDP by between $13-15 trillion by 2030.


EAAS - everything as a service the sharing economy is making excess  or idle capacity  a thing of the past! 

  • Uber is the world’s largest taxi company but owns no cars; giant retailer 
  • Alibaba stocks no inventory, serving instead as broker between buyers and sellers; 
  • Airbandb don’t own property 
  • Instagram, doesn’t make or sell cameras.




This sharing economy model is spreading from cars and apartments to expensive but under-utilised capital equipment — from tractors to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines), and from drones to manufacturing equipment.All are  available on an as-a- service basis.


The model will also extend to services industries, where individual skill capacities are currently  under-leveraged.... (this will proliferate the GIG  economy!) . 


Think Uber for training - where universities are a thing of the past - major disruption 


The increasing recognition of your personal data as a valuable asset will likely lead to new personal data exchanges, and the power will well and truly be transferred from the corporation and government to you! The collateral damage will be the loss of our privacy! 


The current critical skills shortage will worsen. Simultaneously, over a fifth of today’s workforce faces displacement by technology(800 million people) - will we need a universal basic income? 


Those at the forefront of this #nexttechrevolution will seize the largest shares of these gains.


So, what do you need to do to take advantage of this Nexttech Revolution?




Consider people first. 


Revamp your approach to human resources and talent, employee motivation, recruiting, training and skills development. 


Educate and reskill your people -prepare them for the future of work - enable your teams to use AI and tech!!


Emphasize skill over knowledge and lifelong learning over front-loaded educational systems.


Implement new technologies. Automation and AI, block-chain and big data: these elements of the #nexttechrevolution have the power to generate major competitive advantage. 


Here are some questions that a company entering the Nexttech Revolution need to think about 

  • How will machines and humans partner to do what each of them does best? 
  • What can business and governmental leaders do to enable this?
  • How do we teach people to learn how to learn?
  • Do your people have the skills they need to work alongside robots and algorithms? 
  • What responsibility do businesses and governments have for preparing workers for the era of automation? 
  • What is the future of retirement?
  •  Is your  organization attuned for the new capabilities of smarter manufacturing?


Sources 


https://traccsolution.com/blog/megatrends-2030/


DOWNLOAD Recovery and resilience: Safeguarding and strengthening the supply chain to thrive through uncertainty for practical strategies to help you safeguard your supply chain and ensure resilience in times of disruption.

1‘The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division

2‘Global Trends 2030: Alternative Worlds,’ US National Intelligence Council, page iv

3‘Fourth Industrial Revolution: Beacons of Technology and Innovation in Manufacturing’, World Economic Forum, January 2019, figure 2, page 9

4‘https://xconomy.com/san-diego/2019/08/07/organovo-halts-liver-tissue-rd-plans-restructuring-to-cut-costs/

5‘What’s after what’s next? The upside of disruption’, EY, 2018, page 17

Sources

‘Nothing to fear from imminent Blade Runner world’, Business Day, 25 September 2019

‘What’s after what’s next? The upside of disruption’, EY, 2018

‘Manufacturing-As-A-Service Platforms: The New Efficiency Revolution’, Marco Annunziata, forbes.com, 13 May 2019

‘From the AI Frontier: Modeling the Impact of AI on the World Economy’, McKinsey Global Institute, September 2018

‘Navigating a World of Disruption’, McKinsey Global Institute, January 2019

‘The World in 2030: Nine Megatrends to Watch,’ Andrew S. Winston, MIT Sloan Management Review, 7 May 2019

‘Five Megatrends And Their Implications for Defense & Security’, PwC, November 2016

‘2018 Revision of the World Urbanization Prospects’, Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), 2018

‘Global Trends 2030: Alternative Worlds’, US National Intelligence Council, December 2012

‘Fourth Industrial Revolution: Beacons of Technology and Innovation in Manufacturing’, World Economic Forum, January 2019

‘WTO lowers trade forecast as tensions unsettle global economy,’ World Trade Organisation Press Release, 1 October 2019

time.com

xconomy.com

Monday, December 28, 2020

Major Disruption to Education is about to happen




A great insight from EYs report on the future of work - written in 2018 - where they talk about the 5 Megatrends - they highlight the importance of Lifelong Learning 


“Learning: Education is a central pillar of social contracts. But, today’s educational systems are fundamentally misaligned withthe future of work. 


We, therefore, expect to see a long-overdue disruption of education. 


The social contracts of the future will have

a new approach to learning: one that is lifelong, technology-enabled and entered on developing skills instead of imparting knowledge.”


https://staging-area.info/EY/ey_report_v14_v04E_INTERACTIVE.pdf