The funny thing about robot leadership
Published in: The European Business Review - November 2020
Written by
Jamie Lee Gloor, Lauren Howe, David De Cremer and Kai Chi (Sam) Yam
Summary
What we found: Recent advancements in robotics are increasingly equipping machines with social skills, even complex abilities such as humor. We describe how robots equipped with soft skills could take on leadership tasks in the future.
Why it matters: Experts often presume leadership tasks are ‘safe’ from automation, as well as other jobs that require more advanced social and emotional skills. But this is changing rapidly, offering new possibilities for incorporating technology at work.
What next: Rather than trying to ‘save’ leadership from automation, we should consider how socially skilled robots might take on some tasks to allow overburdened leaders to better focus their time.