October 7, 2016: Friday news roundup
As this week winds down, our thoughts are with those affected by Hurricane Matthew. Still lots of other news and ideas to talk about, however. Stay safe and check out these articles about implicit bias, hiring from within, and what our CEO thinks about robots in the workplace.
We’re all a little biased, even if we don’t know it
It’s a good thing that people are starting to recognize unconscious bias in the workplace, in the classroom, in law enforcement, and in virtually every other facet of our lives. But do we really understand what the term means? As researchers and psychologists explain here, having implicit bias is not the same as being racist or sexist, and that oversimplification actually hinders our ability to overcome our biases.
How writing to-do lists helps your brain (whether or not you finish them)
I cannot function without my to-do lists (plural!), but it turns out not everyone naturally embraces this form of self-organization. Frankly, I don’t know how those people keep their lives together… This article steps through the ways to-do lists help you remember things, see the big picture while tracking the details, and manage your deliverables more efficiently.
Why companies overlook great internal candidates
Udemy believes talent is fluid, and we often move great people into different roles where their skills are needed and where they want to grow. According to this Harvard Business Review piece, lots of employees would appreciate this flexibility from their employers too. Workers want to be recognized not just for what they’ve done in the past, “but what they are capable of doing.” Plus, it would help employers close the skills gap if they considered candidates right under their noses.
The new tech talent you need to succeed in digital
This headline calls out tech talent, but the article isn’t just about programmers. As new technologies enter the workplace, companies become “much more dependent on the collective skills and strengths of a multidisciplinary agile team rather than on the heroics or talents of any one individual.” So, along with those full-stack architects and DevOps engineers, think about experience designers, scrum masters, and product owners to round out the team.
How humans will learn to coexist with bots
Udemy CEO Dennis Yang shared his own point of view on workplace automation and AI in this piece. As he says, robots are already a big part of our lives today, and their role will continue to grow—eliminating jobs in some cases and transforming others. But these technology advances will also create new jobs, and that’s where the opportunities lie for people who upskill for the 21st century. On a related note, Dennis was also part of a feature, The business of ME, on how technology is enabling greater personalization of products and experiences like learning.