Is ‘Caring’ for Workers Taking a Back Seat?

With the focus on—and the dollars going into—AI hardware and software, it’s understandable that leaders place a high priority on getting workers with AI and tech proficiency. But some experts worry that organizations aren’t doing enough to find people with the so-called soft skills that can maximize innovation and performance.

A whopping 69% of CEOs and board directors said “AI and tech proficiency” were the most important skills for their companies to address in the next three years, according to a new Korn Ferry survey of top executives. Only 38% of top leaders said “emotional intelligence” was most important, and just 20% said “driving engagement” was. Experts worry that an overemphasis on AI skills could stack an organization with people who can work well with technology, but not necessarily with one another. "AI isn’t just about tech. It’s about transformation,” says Jane Edison Stevenson, global vice chair of Korn Ferry’s Board and CEO Services practice.

Korn Ferry asked 250 CEOs and directors globally for their opinions on the risks and opportunities facing their organizations over the next few years. When asked to list the skills most important for their companies to address, leaders could name more than one.

Emotional intelligence skills, such as resiliency, self-awareness, empathy, and adaptability were deemed particularly critical around the time of the pandemic, as leaders had to motivate and drive performance during an unprecedented crisis. As breakthroughs in artificial intelligence have accelerated, however, leaders in some industries have put a premium on other skills.

The study revealed that among industries, there are large gaps in priorities. Perhaps unsurprisingly, technology leaders put a massive emphasis on acquiring people with AI and tech proficiency, with 92% saying they are the most important skill to address in the next three years. That’s one reason many tech firms are willing to pay up for people with any kind of AI talent—regardless of their professional experience. On the flip side, only 39% of tech leaders prioritized emotional-intelligence skills and even fewer, 19%, prioritized engagement skills. But leaders in finance and consumer markets showed similar leanings, putting much heavier emphasis on AI and tech than on emotional intelligence and engagement.

Leaders are concerned that their competitors could lap them if they don’t invest in AI now, be it in hardware or skills. Plus, AI talent is in such short supply right now that there’s a bit of “AI-driven paranoia,” says David Vied, global sector leader for Korn Ferry’s Medical Devices and Diagnostics practice.

But in making big transformations successfully, experts advise that emotional intelligence skills are nearly as important as hard technical knowledge. “Being ready for AI isn’t necessarily about the technical skills, but more about how to manage ambiguity and manage upwards to enable your AI focus to be successful,” says Maria Amato, who leads Korn Ferry’s Employer Value Proposition and Total Rewards Optimization solution areas.

To be sure, leaders in some industries feel their organizations need to work as much on addressing soft skills as on AI skills. In the survey, 44% of manufacturing and industrial-company leaders said emotional-intelligence skills were most important for their companies to address in the next three years, just a shade below the 50% who cited AI and tech proficiency. In manufacturing’s case, experts attribute the high need for emotional intelligence to the fact that nearly all of the related roles are on-site, such as engineers designing systems, machinists building or making repairs, and salespeople making client calls. Nearly all involve face-to-face human interactions, says Dave Rossi, president of Korn Ferry’s Global Industrial Market business. In that environment, employees at all levels need to have reasonably high levels of emotional intelligence to work together effectively. “They don’t have the option of remote work,” Rossi says.

Learn more about Korn Ferry’s AI in the Workplace capabilities. 

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