[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.0.9″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.0.9″][et_pb_column _builder_version=”4.0.9″ type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.9″ hover_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
If you speak to <\/span>knowledgeable people\u00a0<\/span>in the manufacturing industry, they will tell you we’ve entered the <\/span>4<\/span>th\u00a0<\/span>industrial revolution\u00a0<\/span>\u2013 the age of automated systems and AI; the age that George Orwell <\/span>predicted<\/span>, <\/span>heralding\u00a0<\/span>the <\/span>arrival of\u00a0<\/span>a virtual\u00a0<\/span>\u2018big brother\u2019 in the workplace. <\/span>For years\u00a0<\/span>science fiction films have <\/span>predicated\u00a0<\/span>this <\/span>future:<\/span>the arrival of the machine<\/span>;\u00a0<\/span>the <\/span>subjugation of\u00a0<\/span>human<\/span>s<\/span>;\u00a0<\/span>and more importantly, <\/span>the exit of <\/span>human emotion<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>But just how <\/span>likely\u00a0<\/span>is this<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>and how\u00a0<\/span>can we, as humans,\u00a0<\/span>avoid\u00a0<\/span>falling into\u00a0<\/span>th<\/span>is s<\/span>cience fiction pitfall?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I<\/span>nteresting<\/span>ly,\u00a0<\/span>the foreboding\u00a0<\/span>of this era comes\u00a0<\/span>as part and parcel of\u00a0<\/span>the <\/span>rapid globalisation\u00a0<\/span>of tech companies worldwide, an\u00a0<\/span>example of which is <\/span>Apple<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s entry into the trillion<\/span>–<\/span>dollar clu<\/span>b<\/span>. This<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>combined\u00a0<\/span>with the <\/span>massive increase\u00a0<\/span>of<\/span>, and concerns about, smartphone technology and\u00a0<\/span>social media<\/span>, has led us into a\u00a0<\/span>24<\/span>–<\/span>hour society\u00a0<\/span>that not everyone is comfortable with<\/span>. A<\/span>s is always the case, these\u00a0<\/span>technological and social\u00a0<\/span>advancement<\/span>s have both advantages and disadvantages,\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>a major <\/span>disadvantage, certainly for healthcare practitioners,\u00a0<\/span>appears\u00a0<\/span>to be our Mental Health<\/span>. Indeed, <\/span>Bupa <\/span>recently stated<\/span>: \u201c<\/span>Issues like body image insecurity and feeling anxious aren\u2019t new, but it seems social media may be a way of pouring gas on the fire<\/span>\u201d<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In the UK alone, prescriptions of anti-depressants rose 108.5% between 2006 and 2016, whilst it is estimated that 1 in 6 people are now affected by poor mental health, according to the B<\/span>BC<\/span>. So, it would be foolish to believe that Mental Health issues are not on the rise, particularly with the BBC releasing programmes on Mental Health, like the one involving the future King of England talking about Mental Health concerns with Professional footballers, managers and coaches, <\/span>namely <\/span>\u201cA Royal Team Talk\u201d. It\u2019s clear then that society as a whole is also awakening to this global epidemic.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n So, as the pathways of Industry 4.0 and <\/span>the Mental Health epidemic collide, what can w<\/span>e learn from the many science fiction\u00a0<\/span>films <\/span>predicting\u00a0<\/span>this future? <\/span>It\u2019s known\u00a0<\/span>that becoming a data-led and\/or data-driven organisation can have a major effect on the bottom <\/span>line and\u00a0<\/span>stop the <\/span>HiPP<\/span>O\u00a0<\/span>effect (Highest Paid Persons Opinion)<\/span>, b<\/span>ut what sort of data do we currently collect\u00a0<\/span>to drive change<\/span>? <\/span>Business-centric <\/span>data <\/span>tends to\u00a0<\/span>be <\/span>based <\/span>around processes <\/span>rather than the people <\/span>that are part of\u00a0<\/span>those processes<\/span>, whether that is a product<\/span>ion\u00a0<\/span>line,\u00a0<\/span>a supply chain, or footfall through a shopping mall. <\/span>You only have to look at six-sigma analysis to understand this.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n However<\/span>, if you speak to any CEO, they will tell you that the success of any organisation is built on the people that work there. Recent thinking has led us away from being simply customer-centric, to being employee-centric, on the premise that if our employees are happy, they will in turn treat our customers well and make our customers happier to deal with us. So, this begs the question \u2013 why do none of the statistics we collect consider our internal human processes, such as emotions and mental health, and the impact this potentially has on our business outcomes?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If you talk to \u2018employee-centric\u2019 companies, they\u2019ll say that they are all about culture, values, a<\/span>nd a<\/span>\u2018meaning\u2019 to the work environment. And what\u2019s wrong with that? In fact, new graduates now state that they prefer a meaningful job and a fulfilling career over being well-off. Companies talk about \u2018empowering the knowledge-based worker\u2019 and that, if employees are kept happy, then they will deliver more than expected. But how can companies achieve this without meaningful data about how happy their employees truly are? If this is the key measure, why is there no data to underpin it? Wouldn\u2019t it be useful if we could understand the impact a business decision has on the emotions and mental health of our employees, and in turn understand how this will affect our core business outcomes? It might actually affect decision-making or, in some cases, lead to decisions being reversed.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If this\u00a0<\/span>knowledge\u00a0<\/span>has such a <\/span>massive <\/span>effect and\u00a0<\/span>can effectively cloud judgement around our <\/span>long-term <\/span>business vision, surely, we shou<\/span>ld be doing something about it?\u00a0<\/span>Management Theorist <\/span>Simon <\/span>Sinek\u00a0<\/span>talks extensively about different leadership techniques, <\/span>like <\/span>how a man<\/span>a<\/span>ger will make you feel \u2018safe\u2019, and that <\/span>our\u00a0<\/span>decisions are based on\u00a0<\/span>more than just\u00a0<\/span>data, but <\/span>on <\/span>feelings as well. <\/span>Apple u<\/span>se this effectively all the time, to market to human emotions. In fact, looking back, so have Coca Cola, <\/span>Samsung, Mercedes, <\/span>Amazon<\/span>\u2026.,<\/span>the list is endless. All of t<\/span>hese companies <\/span>look\u00a0<\/span>at human emotions <\/span>as represented by\u00a0<\/span>data all the time<\/span>, but\u00a0<\/span>this is\u00a0<\/span>about the\u00a0<\/span>tracking\u00a0<\/span>and understanding\u00a0<\/span>of the public\u00a0<\/span>view, customers and prospects<\/span>– <\/span>people they do not know – <\/span>not employees.\u00a0<\/span>Obviously,\u00a0<\/span>we <\/span>must\u00a0<\/span>be wary of developing a\u00a0<\/span>workforce version of Cambridge <\/span>Analytica<\/span>, but <\/span>surely,\u00a0<\/span>we can begin to use data to understand the role <\/span>that <\/span>our\u00a0<\/span>employees\u2019\u00a0<\/span>emotions have on our\u00a0<\/span>bottom-line, which should, in turn, <\/span>inform\u00a0<\/span>our\u00a0<\/span>boardroom decisions. <\/span>Should we not be trying to\u00a0<\/span>understand the current \u2018feel\u2019 of the organisation, and utilise this\u00a0<\/span>positively\u00a0<\/span>in the <\/span>boardroom<\/span>, instead of trying to remove it completely<\/span>?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n At the end of the day<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>if we<\/span>\u2019<\/span>re so against <\/span>the vision of\u00a0<\/span>a bunch of robots with Aus<\/span>trian accents running our board<\/span>rooms, we need to find ways to <\/span>combine data about human emotions with classic business data, <\/span>and begin to move towards a far more efficient, <\/span>\u2018<\/span>real-world<\/span>\u2019<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>all-encompassing-d<\/span>ata-centric organisation<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.0.9″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.0.9″][et_pb_column _builder_version=”4.0.9″ type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.9″ hover_enabled=”0″] If you speak to knowledgeable people\u00a0in the manufacturing industry, they will tell you we’ve entered the 4th\u00a0industrial revolution\u00a0\u2013 the age of automated systems and AI; the age that George Orwell predicted, heralding\u00a0the arrival of\u00a0a virtual\u00a0\u2018big brother\u2019 in the workplace. For years\u00a0science fiction films have predicated\u00a0this future:the arrival […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2044,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[226],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-2043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-leadership"],"yoast_head":"\n