Agile skill set for the digital working world

"We are on the brink of one of the greatest upheavals in human history. (...) The digital transformation surpasses all previous developments in terms of speed, reach, and systemic impact," write Matzler, Ballom et al in their book "Digital Disruption" (2016, p. 13). Cloud technologies, artificial intelligence, 3D printing, sensors, and robotics will lead to completely new products and services in many industries. Jobs will disappear on a large scale. Within the OECD, it is estimated that 57% of all jobs will become obsolete due to digitization (Frey 2015). When it comes to the question of how many jobs will actually disappear, opinions differ - in my view, with good reason. Some futurists see the upcoming development positively and argue with analogies from the past. (For example, the declining agricultural primary sector transforming into the growing service sector). Others already believe they know exactly which jobs will be lost to what extent. Of course, new jobs will emerge in the digital transformation – but for whom and in what form? Increasing volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA) render what was once good and expensive obsolete. They lead to rational-based strategies becoming inadequate. The VUCA world of today demands new coping strategies. In times when cause-and-effect relationships were known to us, we could rely on information and experiences to make good decisions. This no longer works today. Therefore, we try to construct realities that go beyond what is obvious with the help of creative methods. Looking back on past experiences is no longer sufficient. Reason alone is no longer an adequate means to make decisions or find solutions. As the following illustration shows, increasing complexity demands ever new strategies and visions. The new meta-strategy to cope with the high degree of complexity and uncertainty, according to many experts, is agility. It is assumed that the prevailing uncertainty requires high adaptability to constantly changing conditions and assumptions. Adaptability is required in terms of both context and content (what I do) as well as in terms of the way of working (how I do it). Furthermore, agility is not to be understood exclusively as reactive or proactive – adaptation in this regard is also required depending on the situation. Under these circumstances, leadership and cross-generational teamwork can no longer be based on the simple "top-down" principle, and teams will increasingly have to self-organize in order to proactively adapt to constantly changing requirements. Agile teams that repeatedly reconfigure and organize themselves could indeed be a possible response to VUCA. However, they primarily need one thing: INNER STABILITY! And this stability reveals itself as SELF-COMPETENCE. Therefore, anyone who wants to become agile and high-performing needs a self-competent SELF equipped with the necessary competencies (see figure below). According to my model, these personal competencies are: intrinsic motivation, self-awareness, self-regulation, implementation competence, and decision-making ability. These key competencies "Key Skills" distinguish the self-competent, agile working individual (HOMO AGILIS). However, to remain stable in the VUCA context of the digital age and to be able to work successfully and agilely in teams, additional (social) competencies are required. These skills are necessary for a HOMO AGILIS to remain in the digital age. (HOMO DIGITALIS) These social competencies include communication skills, conflict resolution skills, and trustworthiness. They significantly influence interaction in an agile context and are essential prerequisites to be able to operate successfully and find fulfillment in the profession even in the long term in VUCA times. Young generations (Y and Z born after 1990) are coming... and represent what is understood as agile today. Accordingly, these generations find it much easier to live agility in their professional lives. They do not need to adapt. On the contrary: They are the ones who decisively shape this way of working and living. They want agility because it supports them in their pursuit of happiness and fulfillment. Employers are adapting to the demands of young people and, like representatives of the younger generations, are acting in a self-optimized manner. Companies need the competence, knowledge, skills, creativity, innovation potential, and loyalty of these young people to be economically successful. They rely on the performance of these young people. Thus, agility is not the ultimate goal, but a means to an end – the purpose of being economically successful.