Skills for Future World of Work

Skills for the Future
World of Work
Abhishek Ghosh (M.Pharm, Clin Psy, PMP)
Career Coach/Counsellor
abhishekghosh26@outlook.com
12th October 2021
McKinsey & Company – featured insights 25th June 2021 article

McKinsey & Company – featured insights 25th June 2021 article
https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-
insights/future-of-work

Backdrop
Digital and AI technologies are transforming the world of work
COVID-19 crisis has accelerated the digital transformation
Automation, AI, and robotics are becoming omnipresent across industry sectors
Trend: Need for manual, physical, and basic cognitive skills will decline; demand for technological,
social, emotional, and higher cognitive skills will increase
Need for new foundational skills for the future world of work

Backdrop
• Three criteria for new foundational skills
 Add value beyond what can be done by automated systems and intelligent machines
 Operate in a digital environment
 Continually adapt to new ways of working and new occupations
• Four broad skill categories
 Cognitive
 Interpersonal
 Self-leadership
 Digital

Cognitive Skill
Critical thinking Planning & ways of working
Communication Mental flexibility
 Structured problem solving
 Logical reasoning
 Understanding biases
 Seeking relevant information
 Work-plan development
 Time management and prioritization
 Agile thinking
 Storytelling and public speaking
 Asking the right questions
 Synthesizing messages
 Active listening
 Creativity and imagination
 Translating knowledge to different contexts
 Adopting a different perspective
 Adaptability
 Ability to learn
Cognitive

Interpersonal Skill
Interpersonal
Mobilizing systems Developing relationships
Teamwork effectiveness
 Role-modeling
 Win-win negotiations
 Crafting an inspiring vision
 Organizational awareness
 Empathy
 Inspiring trust
 Humility
 Sociability
 Fostering inclusiveness
 Motivating different personalities
 Resolving conflicts
 Collaboration
 Coaching
 Empowering

Self-Leadership
Self-leadership
Self-Awareness & Self-Management
 Understanding own emotions & triggers
 Self-control & regulation
 Understanding own strengths
 Integrity
 Self-motivation & wellness
 Self-confidence
Entrepreneurship
 Courage & risk-taking
 Driving change & innovation
 Energy, passion & optimism
 Breaking orthodoxies
Goals achievements
 Ownership and decisiveness
 Achievement orientation
 Grit & persistence
 Coping with uncertainty
 Self development

Digital Skill
Digital
Digital Fluency and Citizenship
 Digital literacy
 Digital learning
 Digital collaboration
 Digital ethics
Software use and development
 Programming literacy
 Data analysis and statistics
 Computational and algorithmic thinking
Understanding digital systems
 Data literacy
 Smart systems
 Cybersecurity literacy
 Tech translation and enablement

Critical Thinking (Cognitive)
CT skills allow individuals to transcend lower-order, memorization-based
learning strategies to gain a more complex understanding of the
information or problems they encounter (Halpern, 2014).
CT is a metacognitive process, consisting of a number of skills and dispositions.
Metacognitive: It requires an individual to think about thinking
Main skills: Analysis, evaluation, and inference
Analysis Evaluation Inference
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/thoughts-thinking/202003/3-
core-critical-thinking-skills-every-thinker-should-have

Critical Thinking (Cognitive)
Analysis, Evaluation, Inference
EVALUATING AN ARGUMENT:
In philosophy, an argument is a connected series of statements (at least one premise)
intended to demonstrate (infer/reason) that another statement (the conclusion) is true.
Arguments are “inferential” — they intend to “infer” something.
- ANALYSIS is a core CT skill used to identity & examine the structure of an argument.
- EVALUATION is a core CT skill to make assessment of propositions and claims with
regard to their credibility, relevance, balance, bias, and inferential relationships.
- INFERENCE is a core CT skill for gathering of credible, relevant, and logical evidence
based on the previous analysis and evaluation for the purpose of drawing a reasonable
conclusion.
PROBLEM-SOLVING is at the heart of what people do at work everyday.
ANALYSIS, EVALUATION & INFERENCE are used to solve a problem in four steps:
- Defining the problem
- Generating alternatives
- Evaluating & selecting alternatives
- Implementing solutions

Planning & Ways of Working (Cognitive)
Project Mgmt, Time Mgmt, Agile Thinking
PROJECT MANAGEMENT:
Project Management is the use of specific knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to deliver something of
value to people. (PMI definition)
 5 Process Groups: Initiation, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Control, Closing
 10 Knowledge Areas: Integration, Scope, Schedule, Cost, Quality, Resource, Communication, Risk,
Procurement, Stakeholder Management
TIME MANAGEMENT:
Based on prioritization planning (Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits)
 4 Quadrants: I (Urgent, Important), II (Not urgent, Important), III (Urgent, Not important),
IV (Not urgent, Not important).
 Spend more time on Quadrant II (tasks which are important but not urgent yet).
AGILE THINKING:
The ability to consciously shift your thinking when and how the situation requires it. It is an approach to
project management: “Rapid” & “Respond to Change.”

Communication (Cognitive)
COMMUNICATION is a very broad skill area, which is used in business on both tactical (day to day) and strategic reasons.
Landscape of business communication:
- Written (email, presentation, blogs, newsletters, internet, articles, papers)
- Oral (face to face, video conference, seminars, bid defense, team cascade)
- Digital space (social media, LinkedIn, blogs, vlogs)
- Communication tools (Video calls, audio conference, podcasts)
- Internal and external stakeholder communication
Desired outcomes of communication:
- Trust
- Value
- Meet needs

Communications Management
(Cognitive)

Communication Process (Cognitive)
Flow Diagram
Medium
Sender
(Encodes)
Receiver
(Decodes)
Feedback
Message
Filter
Filter
Filters: Messages are often ‘coloured’, ‘influenced’ by the sender & receiver’s personal frames of reference.
Physical level: Pitch, Volume, Ambient noises I Social/Cognitive level: Belief systems, Emotions I Become aware of your own filters

SAVE Skills - Communication (Cognitive)
Speed
Rate at which we speak
Rule of thumb: When speaking to
audience, the speaker must speak slower
than his/her normal way of speaking.
Articulation
Clarity of pronunciation
Effective communicator able to
pronounce clearly.
Volume
Loudness of speech
Rule of thumb: When speaking to audience,
the speaker must speak louder than his/her
normal way of speaking.
Emphasis
Stress laid on a certain word
Effective communicator is able to
emphasise the most relevant word in a
sentence.
SAVE
acronym

7 C’s of Communication (Cognitive)
7 C’s Brief
CLEAR Make objective clear
Avoid complex words & phrases
CONCISE Keep it clear and to the point
Avoid filter words & sentences
CONCRETE Be specific not vague
Use facts & figures to support your message
CORRECT Try to avoid typos.
Use correct facts & figures.
Use the right level of language.
COHERENT Does your message make sense?
Ensure it flows logically.
Avoid covering too much.
COMPLETE Does your message contain everything it needs to?
Include a call for action.
COURTEOUS Being polite builds goodwill.
Ensure message is tactful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBT6u0FyKnc

Communication skills relevant to Final year students (Cognitive)
• Employability skills
• Global business language – English
• Reading and Comprehension
• Active Listening
• Presentation skills
• Corporate communication
• Workplace communication
• Interpersonal skills
• Cross cultural communication
• Non-English foreign language – Relevant to you
• Effective Listening
https://www.amity.edu/gurugram/naac/1.3.2%20value_added_courses_manual/1.3.2%20value_added_courses_manual/communication%
20skills%20-%20syllabus%202018%20(manual).pdf

EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS:
• Types of interview: F-to-F, Panel, Group, Telephonic, Video, Off-site, interviews
• Styles of interview: Pre-screening, Behavioural, Case, Structured, Unstructured, Situational, Stress, Cross-cultural.
• Behavioural Interview: Is based on the premise that the best way to predict future behaviour is to determine and
evaluate past behaviour.
• Some behaviour and characteristics employers may attempt to measure include:
Communication, Teamwork, Proactivity, Planning & Organization, Self-motivation, Problem-solving, Leadership, Stress
tolerance and flexibility.
• The acronym ‘STAR’ provides a guide to formulating answers for behavioural questions:
S – Describe the Situation in which you were involved.
T – Describe the Task to be performed
A – What was your Approach to the problem?
R – What were the Results of your action?

EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS:
• Resume (CV) and cover letter:
A good resume writing is an art and requires skill. I advice, take up a course on resume and cover letter writing.
E.g. Writing Winning Resumes and Cover Letters – on Coursera
https://www.coursera.org/learn/resume-writing
• Business etiquette:
Thoughtful consideration of the interests and feelings of others.
Being able to minimise misunderstandings.
Building relationships with other people.
Better communication – to provide basic social comfort and feeling of security.
The concept of social media etiquette has become a crucial part of business.
Business etiquette differs from region to region and from country to country.
• Office tools:
Learn/take certification on MS – word, excel, powerpoint

ACTIVE LISTENING SKILLS:
Involves listening with all senses
Giving full attention to the speaker
Conveying interest to the speaker through verbal and non-verbal clues
Verbal clues: Positive reinforcement, Remembering, Questioning, Reflection, Clarification, Paraphrasing
Non-verbal clues: Smile, Eye contact, Posture, Mirroring, Being present in the moment
Value based: Non-judgmental, Seek first to understand and then to be understood (Empathy),
https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/active-listening.html
PRESENTATION and PUBLIC SPEAKING SKILLS:
Practice by participating in academic conferences – Poster, Paper
Take classes for juniors – 1st year/UG
Toast Masters

WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION:
Group dynamics and group discussion
Communication tools – email, teleconference, video conference
Professional skills – meetings, negotiations
CORPORATE COMMUNICATION:
Writing skills – emails, project reports
Presentation skills – team/client review meetings
Cross Functional – Integrated marketing Project Management, Human Resource and Financial communication

Communication Management (Cognitive)
Communication Management Process Process Group
Identify Stakeholders Initiation
Plan Communications Planning
Distribute Information Execution
Manage Stakeholder Expectations Execution
Report performance Monitoring & Controlling

Stakeholder Management (Cognitive)
Identify all stakeholders
Determine all their requirements
Determine their expectations
Determine their interests
Determine their level of influence
Plan communications
Communicate
Manage their expectations & influence

Interest – Influence/Power Matrix (Cognitive)
1 – Low Interest – Low Power:
Monitor; The status may change to High
Interest/Power as the Project Proceeds
2 – Low Power – High Interest:
[SME] Involve in Risk Planning
3 – Low Interest – High Power:
[Sponsor/Sr. Mgmt.] Ensure requirements are
clearly understood; send regular reports
4 – High Interest – High Power:
[Immediate Sponsor Contact] Ensure – regular
meetings/forums of information exchange so they
know the requirements are met and we know that
the requirements have not changed
Keep Satisfied Manage Closely
Monitor Keep Informed
Level
of
Power
Level of Interest

Communication Types (Cognitive)
Communication type When used
Formal written
Complex problems, PM plan,
project charter, memos, etc.
Formal verbal Presentation
Informal written Email, handwritten notes, IM
Informal verbal Meetings, conversations
Virtual
Meetings
Mail/
E-mail
Face-Face
Interactions
Communication
Fax Telephone

Communication Methods (Cognitive)
Distribute
Information
Manage Stakeholder
Expectations
Report Performance
Communication Methods
Select the one best suited to purpose of communication
Interactive
Most efficient way to gain consensus between parties
Push
Can reach large audience, but comprehension is uncertain
Pull
Suitable for data that supports performance of specific task(s)

Meetings (Cognitive)
Schedule meetings in advance
Meet the team regularly – but not
too often
Have a purpose for each meeting
Let people know of their responsibilities
in advance
Agenda - Create – Distribute - Adhere
Bring the right people together
Chair and lead the meeting –
set ground rules
Assign action items and define
completion time
Document & publish meeting minutes
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Communication Blockers (Cognitive)
Noisy Surroundings
Usage of Technical Jargon
Making Negative Statements
Hostility
Language
Culture

Mental Flexibility (Cognitive)
21st-century world of work is described as VUCA
VUCA: Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity
To navigate effectively through VUCA world, MIND of a person
will be a key asset.
The qualities of a good mind are:
 Growth mindset (read Dr. Carol
Dweck book – Mindset)
 Life-long learner
 Creative
 Imaginative
 Multiple perspectives
 Adaptability
 Positive outlook
 Optimistic
 Resilience
 Perseverance

Interpersonal Skills Habit 4, 5 & 6
Based on 7 Habits of Highly Effectively People by Stephen Covey
7 Habits
Interdependence
Independence
Independence
Public
Victory
Private
Victory
Sharpen the Saw
Synergize
Think Win-Win
Seek first to understand,
then to be understood
Put First Things First
Be Proactive Begin with the End in Mind
7
6
4
5
3
1 2

Paradigms of Interdependence (Interpersonal)
P Problems are PC Opportunities
P/PC Balance (Golden eggs) are the effectiveness, synergy,
results created by open communication and
positive interactions with others.
Algorithmic thinking
+ Understanding the individual
+ Attending to the little things
+ Keeping commitments
+ Clarifying expectations
+ Showing personal integrity
Apologize when you make a withdrawal
-

Habit – 4 Think Win/Win (Interpersonal)
6 paradigm of human interactions
Win/Win
Win/Lose
Lose/Win
Lose/Lose
Win
Win/Win
or no deal
Habit of interpersonal leadership 5 dimensions:
 Character
 Maturity (balance between courage & consideration)
 Abundance mentality
 Relationships
 Agreements (well-defined, systems, processes, performance)
Win/Win
 Mutually beneficial agreements or solutions
 Not your way or my way, it’s a better way
 If I win, you lose.
 Authoritarian leadership
 Unhealthy competition, low trust
 I lose, you win
 Permissive/indulgence leadership
 Clash of egos
 Securing one’s own ends, leaving others to secure theirs
 When no beneficial solution – agree to disagree
agreeably – No deal
Habit
A break from
traditional wisdom
Toward 7
habits principle
Habit 4
Win-lose.
One-sided benefit.
Win-win.
Mutual benefit.
Win-Lose Win-Win
Lose-Lose Lose-Win
High
Courage
Low
Low High
Consideration

Principle of effective interpersonal communication
Habit – 5 Seek First to Understand
Then to Be Understood (Interpersonal)
Communication
 Reading
 Writing
 Speaking
 Listening
Empathic Listening
Diagnose before you prescribed
Avoid autobiographical understanding
Understanding & perception
Seek to be understood:
Ethos(character); Pathos(relationship); Logos(logic of presentation)
WE
ME
YOU
Habit
A break from
traditional wisdom
Toward 7
habits principle
Habit 5
Fight, flight, or compromise
when faced with conflict.
Differences are values and are
opportunities for synergy.

Habit – 6 Synergize (Interpersonal)
Principles of creative cooperation
 Catalytic
 Empowering
 Unifying relationships
Be mindful of negative synergy
Valuing the differences
Levels of Communication
High
Trust
Low High
Cooperation
Low
Defensive (Win/Lose
or Lose/Win)
Respectful
(Compromise)
Synergistic
(Win/Win)
Habit
A break from
traditional wisdom
Toward 7
habits principle
Habit 6
Differences are threats.
Independence is the highest
value. Unity means sameness
Differences are values and are
opportunities for synergy.
Restraining Forces Driving Forces
Sociologist Kurt Lewin’s “Force Field Analysis”
Driving forces: Positive,
Reasonable, Logical,
Conscious, Economic
Restraining forces:
Negative, Emotional,
Illogical, Unconscious

WHO-Recommended 10 Life Skills (Self-Leadership)
Life skills have been defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as “abilities for adaptive and positive behavior that enable
individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life.”
1. Self-awareness 6. Empathy
2. Critical thinking 7. Creative thinking
3. Decision making 8. Problem solving
4. Effective communication 9. Interpersonal relationship
5. Coping with stress 10. Coping with emotions

Self-Awareness & Self-Management (Self-Leadership)
Self-Awareness Includes:
 Recognition of “self,” our character, our strengths
and weaknesses, desires and dislikes.
 Developing self-awareness can help us to recognize
when we are stressed or feel under pressure.
 It is often a prerequisite to effective communication and
interpersonal relations, as well as for developing empathy with
others.

(Self-Leadership)
For better relationships and for a more fulfilling life,
both in workplace and at home
By understanding how we relate to others, we can
make adjustment in our behavior
By understanding what upsets us, we can build
in self-control
By understanding our weaknesses, we can learn how
to manage them and reach our goal despite them

(Self-Leadership)
It's difficult to be objective when we think about ourselves, and how others
actually see us can be quite different from what we think they see.
Two major factors causing illusion
about our self understanding are:
Attribution Error
 We judge others based on their personality traits,
but we attribute ourselves to the given situation.
Spotlight Effect
 We perceive ourselves as being under a spotlight

(Self-Leadership)
There are ways in which people can develop
self-awareness on their own:
 SWOT analysis
 Psychometric test
 Trying out new experiences
 Have a coach/mentor
 Journal writing

Entrepreneurship (Self-Leadership)
Entrepreneurial mindset:
 Courage, risk-taking
 Driving change & innovation
 Energy, passion & optimism
 Breaking orthodoxies
Entrepreneurial skillsets:
 Understanding of the business/domain
 Basic finance skills
 Networking
 Recognizing patterns
Intrapreneurship refers to a system that allows an
employee to act like an entrepreneur within a company
or other organization. Intrapreneurs are self-motivated,
proactive, and action-oriented people who take the
initiative to pursue an innovative product or service.

Goal Achievement (Self-Leadership)
Aspiration
Achievement orientation
Grit and persistence
(Book Grit by Dr. Angela Duckworth)
Self-development mindset
(We are a story in progress)
Self-responsibility
(Ownership)
Decisiveness
(Taking decision and living with the outcome of the decision)

Digital Skill
Digital Literacy
Know about computers, Internet
Digital Learning
Usage of MOOCs for online learning
Digital Collaboration
Email, intranet, social, phone/video conferencing, IM, remote access – email, program, online editing,
online files, shared network drive
Digital Ethics
A study of how to manage oneself ethically, professionally and in a clinically sound manner via online &
digital mediums

Digital Skill
Programming Literacy
Every business now requires technology. Technology means hardware and the software to make it run and all
of this requires instructions and that requires coding.
It is essential that business leaders and top executives be technically literate as well.
Programming is about logical thinking and using that creatively to create a set of instructions. Once you get the
hang of that, it makes it easier to code. In fact, if people are taught the ability to think logically at a young age and
create programming instructions, it becomes a habit with them. Programming is more to do with your mind than
anything else.
There’s no age to learn coding or programming, however. Like any other skill such as learning a new language,
swimming, or cycling, it can be learnt at any age. It also doesn’t require years of experience for a person to turn into
an expert coder.

Digital Skill
Data Analytics Statistics
Data analytics is the science of analyzing raw data in order to
make conclusions about that information.
Any type of information can be subjected to data analytics
techniques to get insight (trends, metrics) that would
otherwise be lost in the mass of information. This information
can then be used for optimization.
Statistics is the science concerned with developing and
studying methods for collecting, analyzing, interpreting,
and presenting empirical data. Statistics is a highly
interdisciplinary field; its application in biopharmaceuticals
is called biostatistics.
Types of data analytics:
 Descriptive
 Diagnostics
 Predictive
 Prescriptive
Two types of statistical methods:
 Descriptive
 Inferential

Digital Skill
Computational Thinking (CT) is a problem-solving
process that includes a number of characteristics
and dispositions.
CT involves a number of skills, including formulating
problems in a way that enables us to use a computer and
other tools to help solve them and logically organizing
and analyzing data.
The four cornerstones of CT:
 Decomposition
 Pattern recognition
 Abstraction
 Algorithms
Algorithmic thinking is a derivative of computer science and
coding. This approach automates the problem-solving process
by creating a series of systematic logical steps that process a
defined set of inputs and produce a defined set of outputs
based on these.

References
Defining the skills citizens will need
in the future world of work 25th
June 2021 article, Mc Kinsey
7 Habits of Highly Effective People
– Stephen Covey
PMI – PMBOK (Project Management Institute)
https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/future-of-work
https://www.pmi.org.in/

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