For much of the last century, management theory was about ironing out human personalities.
It was focused on standardizing processes, reducing variability, and treating human resources as just another cog in the machine.
In order to increase efficiency and predictability, the idea was to minimize the impact of individual human traits and personalities on the work process and create a more uniform and controllable environment.
Of course, from that perspective the best human is no human. Which is why, over time, most of these jobs have been and will continue to be taken over by machines (which increasingly means AI).
That’s probably one of the reasons why we’ve seen a decisive shift in contemporary perspectives that emphasize the value of human creativity, emotional intelligence, and individuality. This shift aligns with a broader recognition that employee well-being and personal development are crucial to organizational success.
Modern management and leadership theories often focus on empowering individuals, fostering innovation, and creating a more human-centric work environment.
It’s built on the belief that while machines and AI can handle many tasks that humans used to perform, there are certain qualities – like empathy, creativity, and moral judgement – that are distinctly human and invaluable in the workplace.
And yet, people are regularly surprised to see some of these categories disappear. What used to be “distinctly human” is suddenly AI territory.
I think that’s because it’s often a lazy argument. We all think we know what “distinctly human” really means, but do you?
Can you articulate it?
In a way that your team sees what it means for them to be distinctly human?
In a way that you and your team can leverage it to make an even bigger impact for your customers?
The irony here is that those who consciously and rigorously tackle those questions, will likely see superior results on both fronts: They can wholeheartedly embrace the human strengths. And they can wholeheartedly embrace AI to replace everything else.
What are your thoughts on what “distinctly human” really means?