An interview with Professor Dr. Maren Lay, Steinbeis Entrepreneur at theSteinbeis Consulting Center IPAL – Institute for People Analytics & Leadership
Digital technology and artificial intelligence have entered every area of our lives, and are also bringing far-reaching changes to the workplace and the world of HR development. But where there is change there is also uncertainty. How can HR development help employees and the companies they work for to benefit from these new technologies? To answer this question, TRANSFER spoke to Professor Dr. Maren Lay, a Steinbeis Entrepreneur at the Steinbeis Consulting Center IPAL – Institute for People Analytics & Leadership and Professor for Personnel and Organizational Development at Heilbronn University. By shaping artificial intelligence so that it remains comprehensible to humans and creates trust, she hopes we can promote acceptance of digital technology and enable human-centric, responsible digitalization. She firmly believes that by nurturing trust we also sow the seeds of genuine development.
Professor Lay, digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI) have entered every area of our lives and are bringing about significant changes in the workplace. Some people view this as more of a threat than an opportunity. What do you see as the main reasons for this?
Nowadays, digital technology and AI make all kinds of things possible, but they also raise many questions and cause a lot of uncertainty. People who feel a bit apprehensive about using AI are by no means alone. Studies investigating attitudes towards AI reveal that many people are skeptical about our technological future.
I think that three main factors are at play here. The first is the speed and lack of transparency with which these technologies are being introduced. AI is developing incredibly fast – sometimes too fast to follow, in fact. And this often leaves people wondering what AI can already do now and what it might be able to do in the future. This uncertainty is exacerbated if the benefits aren’t immediately obvious. And when people suddenly feel unsure about whether they can keep up with developments in their work, it’s only natural that their first reaction should be skeptical.
The second factor is skill obsolescence. Suddenly, some of the knowledge and capabilities that many people have built up over the years no longer seem to be in demand like they used to be. That’s obviously a real concern for them, because they quickly end up wondering whether they’ll soon be surplus to requirements. This is a deeply personal matter that’s closely tied to an individual’s identity.
The third factor is the loss of control people experience when they no longer know which rules to play by. If you feel like you’re in a game but nobody has properly explained the rules to you, you’re bound to be a bit wary. Who’s refereeing the game? And what are the ethical and legal guidelines? The lack of clarity about things like this leaves many people feeling excluded instead of feeling like part of the change.
These concerns are perfectly understandable and deserve to be taken seriously. The introduction of a new technology doesn’t in itself mean that people will be willing to change – they need to feel included and safe. The key to this is trust – trust in oneself, in one’s organization, and in the purpose of the changes.
These are exactly the questions that we’re addressing in our research project “Citizen Trust in AI Innovations” (CITAI), which uses living labs to investigate how people experience and interact with AI. It is clear that trust doesn’t occur by chance. Instead, it is something that grows if technology is comprehensible, if participation is enabled, and if people feel visible and included. This is key to them acquiring new skills and turning their uncertainty into creativity.
How can enterprises promote trust and acceptance of digital technology and AI, especially among their employees? And what role can HR development play in this?
Trust arises first and foremost when people genuinely feel that a new tool helps them by reducing their workload and supporting them, but without replacing them. Positive experiences like this are often the best way of winning them over. But this calls for transparency, participation and genuine learning spaces. Employees need to understand why a technology is being brought in, what exactly will change for them and how they will benefit from it.
You shouldn’t underestimate the fact that trust is something people consciously decide on. Sometimes you just need to take the plunge and say “Okay, I’m going to give this new thing a chance, even if I haven’t fully wrapped my head around it yet.” People who react with curiosity rather than defensively retain their agency – and that’s hugely important, especially in change processes.
Personally, I also find it useful to think back to the past. Where would we be today if we’d never had pocket calculators? If we’d never had books, TVs or satnavs? All of these innovations initially met with fierce criticism because people were afraid they’d cause us to lose certain capabilities. But we now know that they actually make life easier for us, and in doing so create space for new things. In principle, we can also see artificial intelligence like this – not as a threat, but as an enhancement. Of course. we can and should still be critical – but a constructive attitude will help us to make the most of the opportunities instead of closing ourselves off to them.
I think that HR development has a key role to play here. It can help employees to gain a professional understanding of new technologies and use them safely and securely. And more important still, it can promote the right attitudes: open-mindedness, receptiveness to new things, and confidence in one’s ability to keep growing. HR development can also strengthen skills that are especially sought-after at the moment, like coping with uncertainty. Another particularly important role of HR development is to promote a corporate culture where errors aren’t seen as a failure but as an opportunity to learn. This is key to ensuring that employees can embrace change confidently and boldly.
One of the areas that your Steinbeis Enterprise focuses on is change management in HR and organizational development. What are the biggest barriers, in your experience?
The different barriers are heavily context-dependent. That said, one thing I see time and again is that people can be too quick to perceive resistance as outright refusal. Usually, however, there are other reasons for it, such as uncertainty, feeling like you’re not understood, doubts about whether the change is really worth it, or fears about losing your job. Sometimes people just want a bit of guidance and to feel safe and valued. That’s why, in change management, it’s so important to really listen and to try and decode the messages behind the resistance rather than directly combatting the resistance itself.
Another pitfall is that changes are often introduced too quickly, too widely and too confusingly. All employees want to know is what’s actually going to change, what will stay the same, and how it will affect their daily work. A lot of people think of change as a project with a beginning and an end, when in fact it’s more like a long-term development – an attitude and culture that takes time to come about and also sometimes needs to let you pause for breath.
Another recurring theme is that the expectations placed on managers both by others and by themselves are extremely high. The image of managers as superheroes who can fend off whatever’s thrown at them and always have the right plan up their sleeve belongs in the past. Instead, they need to be authentic and willing to sometimes say “I don’t have the answer yet, but we can find a solution together.” Or “I’m prepared to ask for support when I need it.” Managers don’t have to do everything on their own – external consultants can help them gain new perspectives, address difficult issues and bring change about more easily and effectively overall.
I’ve found future experience groups to be extremely valuable in this context. In these groups, we work together to come up with different future scenarios – a bit like when a satnav shows you different routes. This helps to make the future more concrete and tangible and gives enterprises a better understanding of how things will change in terms of their business models, customers, roles and employee skills. It makes uncertainty about the future less daunting and change more manageable.
Looking ahead, how does HR development need to change in order to keep helping businesses to succeed in the future?
HR development needs to have a better understanding of people’s everyday work, adopt a more personalized approach and be bolder – otherwise it will be well-meaning but ineffective. It has become clear to me through my work that three main things will determine whether or not HR development makes a real difference in the future.
The first is that we need to stop doing the same thing for everyone and instead move towards individual learning paths. Everyone learns differently, in terms of speed, depth and approach, so standardized methods simply aren’t up to the job. We need learning strategies that are adapted to individual needs, such as microlearning, learning on demand and personal learning goals. And most important of all, we need a culture where learning isn’t perceived as something you have to do on top of your work, but as an integral part of it.
Second, we need to specifically develop future skills like digital literacy, critical thinking and emotional intelligence. This calls for learning methods that make a real difference: simulation-based learning, interdisciplinary projects, honest feedback – and spaces where people can experiment, reflect and grow.
And thirdly, we need to reimagine management as the enabler of development. What I see in my work is that real change occurs when managers place their trust in people, provide guidance and set an example by engaging in learning processes themselves. The role of managers as supervisors is no longer appropriate in complex contexts. Instead, we need managers who enable change by communicating transparently and giving people the courage and psychological confidence to embrace it.
Contact
Prof. Dr. Maren Lay (interviewee)
Steinbeis Entrepreneur
Steinbeis Consulting Center IPAL – Institute for People Analytics & Leadership (Stuttgart)