Moving is the only constant in life, as the saying goes, and this is more true than ever for workers with long-term knowledge. We are living in a time of radical changes, from the promises and armaments of artificial intelligence (AI) to the technology sector cutting jobs and learning to navigate new jobs.

It seems natural that people feel the need to improve their skills in the face of certain uncertainties. We interviewed 669 full-time knowledge workers based in the USA to obtain insights into which skills they consider most relevant for the current moment and for the future of work. We discovered that the majority planner (97%) agrees that learning a new skill can help them take on their jobs “before recess” – and 89% plans to do it this year.

But the perspectives on which competencies to prioritize are decidedly more divided, wanting in terms of differences between age groups, wanting in terms of two types of competencies that are not on the list (or currently in the background) in general. A more detailed analysis reveals new insights into how today's workers approach the best of competencies in this unique moment — and highlights critical interpersonal competencies that deserve more attention.

The future of work depends on transversal competences – especially these

Technical skills, such as project management or knowledge of specific tools, are very important factors in evaluating the preparation for the work of a person. However, these do not tell the whole story and interpersonal skills such as communication, organization and time management are often equally important.

It is more difficult to measure, as interpersonal skills can separate a good member from an excellent team. Furthermore, these competencies make us uniquely human – an increasingly valuable characteristic as more companies turn to AI.

But which interpersonal competencies do the professionals of knowledge classify as more important? Curiously, your answers vary when asked to choose by themselves in comparison with your team or manager.

Not that it says respect for its current functions, the knowledge workers say that the three most important interpersonal competencies that they need are:

• Troubleshooting (36%)
• Leadership (30%)
• Communication (28%)

However, we identify different priority areas for your teams and managers. Knowledge workers cite time management (26%) as the main interpersonal skill for teams, followed by communication (25%) and team work (23%). For managers, communication (28%) occupies first place, followed by leadership (27%) and by a triple link (21%) between organization, active information and time management.

Communication was the only interpersonal skill classified among the three first, highlighting its central role in our work experiences at all levels.

But could it be that knowledge workers see collaboration as a skill?

Embora o los trabalhadores do conhecimento desem más de conversas casuais no escritório para estabelecer conexões pessoais na era pre-pandemic, para os trabalhadores hybridis e remote de noje collaboration é o novo bebedouro. But could it be that knowledge workers consider collaboration as a competition to learn and develop over time?

Our discoveries suggest that knowledge workers underestimate the power of collaboration as a skill to be cultivated. In comparison with other cross-sector competencies, we will rank collaboration in 10th place in terms of importance for themselves and not for their teams – and in 12th place for managers. But why?

Given its importance in non-occurring workplaces, it is logical that workers vejam collaboration as an inherent attribute to strong teams and good partners, instead of a competition to improve. But, like all relationships, collaboration and teamwork requires work. This is the most important thing that ever happened to the promotion of silent asynchronous work like, when and where we collaborate.

When viewing collaboration through this lens of implementing new tools, systems and ways of working, it becomes both a learned and practiced interpersonal skill and time management or adaptability.

Collaboration can build (or break) relationships

Embora a collaboration possa not be a priority competition, the data suggest that the knowledge workers still recognize that the cliffs are high. In cases where a collaboration runs poorly, for example (46%) two respondents affirm that it has negatively impacted the relationships with co-workers that were previously established.

This number jumps to 52% for age Y and an impressive 61% for age Z, in comparison with much lower numbers for age X (35%) and baby boomers (28%). This suggests, once again, that collaboration is a competence learned over time — and as younger generations may need some support as they develop this capacity.

The continuous changes in the way we work may also be affecting the way – and how – we collaborate. We found that desktop workers are less likely to rely on their own collaboration skills such as strong (85%), compared to 94% for remote and hybrid workers.

As for the main barriers to collaboration, 38% requires knowledgeable workers to find the right people, while 35% supports the challenges of coordinating work schedules. 

A collaborative advantage before the move

Collaboration continues to be a fundamental principle of successful teams, which can be seen as an interpersonal skill to cultivate or simply as an existing aspect of the dynamics of the workplace. Implementing more effective tools and communication systems, such as those used for asynchronous work, can also remove barriers to collaboration and streamline work flows for distributed teams.

We cannot control the external pressures of the economy or AI. More aware that it is more important for workers that knowledge of the future can contribute greatly to helping teams prepare their strategies for the future and, ultimately, the way we work.

Content originally published in: Miro Blog

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