As automation replaces everyday tasks, the work that people do is changing at an alarmingly rapid pace where “the life-cycle of skills” can be measured in “quarters vs. years” (Saxberg, 2019). The World Economic Forum (2020) predicts that “almost half of the core skills required across all roles will change” in the near future. This problem is not limited to the business sector: it is an issue affecting all sectors of the economy, including government, healthcare, finance, automotive, consumer, aerospace, mining, and information and communication technologies (World Economic Forum, 2018). Workers must be able to navigate this changing field by performing well today while continually developing new skills for the work of tomorrow.
Just as workers must recognize that the skills which helped them to succeed are no longer valuable, organizations must also transform their approaches to skill-building and workforce development. These approaches must:
- Encourage knowledge sharing and less formal training
- support workers learning new skills quickly and on-demand
- encourage workers to share their discoveries and enhanced capabilities with others
- allow workers to self-curate and share learning content
Today’s workforce already has tools which they can use to develop informal training materials to share with their peers. In fact, many of these workers create and share videos on You-Tube to teach strangers how to install windows or fix their refrigerators. If people are able to create and share knowledge in the real world, why not on the job?
While the technology makes it easier to develop and share, it is not enough. Without the cultural underpinnings, this grassroots sharing would happen in isolated pockets. The author provides insights gained from the development of a platform which supports employee-curated/created learning content. These insights inform approaches to operationalize a culture of learning and sharing in the workforce of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.