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Do you know the dialogue from the film “Alice in Wonderland” in which Alice asks the striped cat for directions? The cat’s answer is: “It mostly depends on where you want to go.” These words carry an important message about the future. This became clear during Elke-Maria Rosenbusch’s keynote speech at the RoundTable Future Skills: The future is not a goal, but the time in which you want to live and work successfully. To be able to trade in this future, it is also necessary to learn new skills and train skills, which should be developed at the same pace as the advances of new technologies and new ways of working, markets and ways of interacting.
The future is the sum of the decisions we make today. With a clear focus on future skills, companies not only shape their own future, but also the future of their employees and society as a whole.
The importance of future skills
Competencies are a comprehensive combination of knowledge (knowledge) and skills (ability) that enable a person to act effectively in specific task areas or contexts. This interplay of theoretical understanding and practical implementation makes it possible to successfully overcome challenges and complete tasks with competence and efficiency.
Future skills are future-oriented and future-relevant skills for successful action. They are the answer to the realization that current concepts do not offer convincing solutions to the challenges. These skills prepare us for the fact that future developments can occur unpredictably and radically. They are intended to enable people to solve complex problems in a self-organized manner and go far beyond the focus of the work by also taking social, political and global challenges into account.
These competencies can be understood in the following five dimensions:
Expertise – Know what: We know what to do because we know and can do it. Methodological competence – Know how: We know how to do something. Personal competence – Know yourself: We know ourselves. Social skills – Know the others: We (re)know the others. Transfer competence – Know how to apply your knowledge: We know how to combine and apply our skills.
Our VUCA/BANI world and future skills
In the current era, we are shaped by the challenges of VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity) and BANI (fragility, susceptibility, insecurity). This constantly changing context requires us to adapt and acquire future skills, those crucial competencies that represent the key to success:
Learning skills: Lifelong learning, always keeping the content up to date.
Change skills: The ability to shape change, overcome fears and leave the comfort zone.
Ambiguity competence: The ability to tolerate uncertainty and ambiguity, to deal flexibly with uncertainty and to make effective decisions in complex situations.
Complexity & problem-solving skills: Highest cognitive abilities, creativity in developing solutions, systemic thinking to understand connections.
Cooperation skills: Ability to work in a team, intercultural sensitivity and willingness to work with diverse groups.
Self-efficacy: Self-confidence, a positive attitude towards your own skills, resilience and perseverance in the face of challenges.
Digital competence: Understanding of digital transformation, ability to reflect, confident handling of digital media and technologies such as AI.
How do companies ensure these future skills?
Successfully implementing an effective learning culture in a company requires the conviction of everyone involved, especially senior management. This should recognize the urgency, as integrating learning into the corporate strategy not only increases competitiveness, but also increases the attractiveness of the company.
In order to bring about sustainable change, a transformation of the learning system within the company is essential. Introducing a comprehensive learning ecosystem that connects people, technologies and behaviors creates the foundation for continuous development.
A crucial step towards sustainable learning practices is competency-oriented thinking. Instead of relying on strict job descriptions, companies should focus on skills for job roles, which promotes agility and adaptability in the workforce.
Focusing on future skills is essential. Early re- and up-skilling ensures that employees can cope with changing requirements. The introduction of new learning formats, including microlearning, informal learning and peer learning, promotes effective learning on the job.
Budget-conscious learning is crucial. Curating free learning content gives employees access to valuable resources. However, it should not be forgotten that learning takes time, resources and financial resources.
A component that should not be neglected is the emotional involvement of the learners. By focusing learning content on cognitive, personal, social and emotional aspects, emotions are integrated as active players in the company, which can increase the motivation and success of learning efforts.
You can download an overview graphic on the topic of future skills here.
Future Skills is an essential part of the Agile Leadership and MiniMBA training courses at the CyberForum Academy. There you will find further information about the content and registration.