Abhijit Bhaduri’s Blog
I write about careers, skills and the world of work. The cartoons and sketches are mine.
5 signs that the good times may be over soon
Here are three parameters to gauge whether a job can be done by robots:The job is driven by a clear set of rules and scenarios. That’s how robots are programmed.Efficiency and productivity are the main measures of the job.The role of soft skills — collaboration, influencing, negotiation etc — is limited.Do the same rules apply to an industry? How does your industry measure up?
2017 a year of possibilities
The first day of the week or the month or the year is new start. The world has not agreed on any one common calendar. Therein lies the opportunity. Every religion offers a different day of the week as a fresh beginning. Think of 2017 as the year of the “&”. The ampersand (&) is a symbol of possibilities. You can start on a Monday & on any other day. You can start on the first of January & then again on any other day.
Would a robot boss be more effective?
Ray believes that if only human emotions would be left out of the workplace, it would make it possible to run the place most efficiently. He is investing the brute power of his financial empire to make this dream a reality. People would be rated based on a million data points. The decision would be a foregone conclusion. But because people have difficulty (at least for now) to take orders from a machine, the role of the manager would be to simply convey the decision the machine has taken. How meaningful would that be for employees?
Dangal
The father is obsessed with vicariously representing India at an international event (not Olympics) and will not let anything come in the way. He gives them a crew cut and makes them wear shorts and wrestle their male cousin. When his neighbors in the village mock him, he just digs his heel in. This is the bit that Aamir Khan does well. He depicts grit and determination that can inspire anyone. In a state which has battled with female feticide and low levels of women’s literacy, Dangal breaks the stereotypes and does it well.
5 signs your job maybe at risk
Anyone, anywhere, anytime is the new approach to work. Work can be sliced, diced and distributed across the globe based on skill and cost. Work can be done by people any time, across time zones. The workspace is anywhere. That also means that jobs are no longer what they used to be. They don't come with a lifetime warranty any more.
Why AI Will Not Replace Teachers In The Classroom(Yet)
While I don’t see AI replacing teachers anytime soon, it can certainly be used to enable students and teachers to get more out of the educational experience.To begin with, automating rule-based and routine tasks — including grading of tests and assignments — can help improve productivity in the classroom. Such tasks tend to be tedious and time-consuming. Automating them would leave teachers free to focus on assisting students who are struggling, providing human interaction and hands-on experiences for them. AI can be used effectively to respond to queries from students — a bot will be infinitely more patient than any teacher in repeating answers and examples
How to run your career like a "Moonshot" Project?
Alphabet is home to a dozen innovative companies. Look at the company that is simply called X, which runs “moonshot” projects. Google X chooses to focus on the future as it chooses what problems to solve. In keeping their innovation projects in-house, they use their massive cash reserves to focus on problems that would not get venture capital funds or those that have very long time horizons.
Is acqui-hiring right for your firm?
Firms that are targets of acqui-hiring are often a great talent pool of people who have niche technical skills. It is the fastest way of hiring several people with cutting-edge skills. It gives you access to the pool of customers of the acquired company. In some cases, acqui-hiring is a great way to remove competition for the firm that is buying out the smaller firm. Cash-strapped founders who do not have deep pockets often have no choice but to sell their firm to the bidders and make an exit. But is it right for you?
Book Review: Talent Is Overrated
How do you get to Carnegie Hall?”The answer: Practice, practice, practice.If you have not heard that one then you have certainly been told as a child, “Practice makes a man (or woman) perfect.”What if I told you that both the sayings are wrong? Maybe I should say that they misguide you to believe that if you practice, there is no reason for you not to be at the top of your vocation. The reality is that practice does not help you achieve perfection — “deliberate practice” does.
Robots or migrants - you choose
To be able to survive, these migrants have to keep moving. When the war for independence began in 1983, South Sudan had as many as 80,000 elephants; today the figure has plummeted to about 2,000. The sedentary species risk dying. In comparison, the antelope population has remained stable. They are always on the move. Migrants survive because they move out of their comfort zones.
The "Assisted Economy"
Our cultural traditions have always had a place for a sidekick. Our folk theater has had a jamura who acts as a sidekick to the main performer or madaari. Without the jamura, the madaari’s show is incomplete. From royalty to musicians, there is always place for a sidekick. That may be an opportunity for India as tech becomes Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva in the pantheon of jobs.
Business Line reviews The Digital Tsunami
It’s useful not just for top management and HR practitioners, but for employees too, as it gives you tips on how to navigate the future office.
Posters don't shape culture - leaders do
Before the founding team makes their first hire, they must ask what behaviors the candidate must display and assess against them. Assessing for values impacts the culture of the organization. Strategy is on paper, whereas culture determines how things get done.
Star CEOs: Do They Still Matter?
Personal power is a barrier to be able to empathize. Today’s leaders need to be rubbing shoulders with their teams, talking to consumers and being accessible in real time. They can no longer stand at the top of the pyramid and survey their empire. Maybe it is time to ask if the cult of the star CEO is still relevant. Read on...
Weak Signals
The digital shifts will see this getting played out once again. Until the other day, driver-less cars seemed like a page out of a science fiction novel. What made the news even more unbelievable was that the car was being built by a company known for its search engine. Baidu and Google are no longer the only ones making driver-less cars. Singapore, Helsinki and Perth have tested driver-less cars, buses and taxis. Uber is in the game. Yutong is running trials in China. It is no longer a weak signal. It is a digital tsunami that is going to disrupt drivers, auto manufacturers and insurers and many more. The disruption is just beginning.
Stop Celebrating Jugaad
The creative people treat constraints as triggers for innovation. Today there is a name for this. It is called frugal innovation or jugaad. Maybe it is time to stop celebrating jugaad and focus on being original creators of innovative products and services. What do you think?
Only Humans Need Apply
Millions of educated knowledge workers—writers, paralegals, assistants, medical technicians—are threatened by accelerating advances in artificial intelligence. Shall we give up the race with machines?