So it’s early morning in our kitchen and via his phone Chris gives the command to his dog-bot, who’s in the kennel outside, to round up the sheep. Meanwhile he grabs a cup of coffee before getting ready for the day’s work ahead.
Will this be the shepherd’s way of working in the future?
Let’s face it we now trust computers to fly planes, interpret test results and even carry out precision surgery, so surely replacing a sheep-dog must be on the horizon?
In the shepherd’s world giving commands to a dog-bot to gather sheep might seem bizarre with many hurdles to overcome. In my mind, there would be no emotional connection. Yet he would expect dog-bot to be more efficient, conscious of the substantial financial investment, than an ‘old-school’ 4-legged friend – and with less input from a frazzled shepherd. But would he trust it as much?
Connecting with the team via Zoom, Teams, Slack etc are all the norm now. Yet it’s the ‘in real life’ interaction with others which allows us to truly build relationships and trust. Screen to screen conversations lack much of the body language and thus emotional intelligence on which we subconsciously rely.
As with dog-bot our expectations can be unrealistic. We desire high performance in a tough new environment and less empathy, due to the separation, with our team-mate’s feelings or circumstances.
There’s a real danger that we will overlook the human need to have some real connection, to build that sense of belonging and work together towards the greater good.
Technology will continue to impact on the way we live and work, in many cases for the better. In my mind, the leaders who will really shine will be those who grab the best aspects of it and combine it with human connection.
