Bernarduci: Change Is Happening More Rapidly, and It’s Not Going To Slow Down

I want you to think about how quickly we transitioned from working in the office in 2020 to working from home. One day we were working from offices, and then the next day we weren’t because of a pandemic. Change rarely happens that quickly, but I think we all need to prepare for change to start happening more rapidly.

As we have transitioned out of the emergency phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve had this persistent intuition that the rate of change will increase and continue to affect the global workforce and human resources-related functions. The HR industry has experienced lots of changes since 2020, when COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, including: flexible and remote work, the great resignation, the advancement of artificial intelligence, high employee attrition rates, increased costs for recruitment and retention issues and the rise of demotivated and disengaged staff. 

Technology Became No. 1 Cause of Change in 2023

In recent years, I have become even more intrigued by the rate of change. 

According to a January 2024 article by Accenture, “the rate of change has risen sharply since 2019 — 183% over the past four years and 33% in the past year alone.” 

What stands out to me from the Accenture article is that technology became the No. 1 cause of change in 2023. I expect technology to continue to be the cause of change through 2024 and beyond due to advancements in AI and organizations finding ways to use AI technology (e.g., ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini) more effectively and efficiently. 

I find it hard to see a future where AI is not part of our professional or personal lives. AI has incredible potential and value if leveraged and used appropriately. I know AI has risks and challenges related to IP ownership, data security, privacy and accuracy, bias and discrimination and job replacement. But I think experts will develop solutions to combat those risks and challenges. 

Many organizations seem to think the potential value of AI outweighs its risks and challenges. A study MIT Technology Review released in 2023 found that 46% of the organizations surveyed for the study were planning to increase spending by more than 25% on modernizing data infrastructure and adopting AI-related technology. 

Preparing for Change

I expect AI will change how we work and interact in our professional and personal lives. We can attempt to avoid it, but it is coming. 

Change will always happen, but the pace of change is becoming more rapid. As a result, we must ask ourselves, “How can we adapt and assimilate to this rapid pace of change?” My advice is don’t be fearful of changes like AI. Find ways to embrace change. One way to embrace or prepare for change is to learn new skills or improve your existing skills. Doing those things can help you advance your career and make you even more valuable than you are now to your employer.