Artificial Intelligence?

Here’s a brain-teaser for you… Can you guess what the equation below is used for?

No it’s not quantum physics…  It’s actually the formula the People Analytics team at Google developed to help hiring committees decide which software engineers to promote. The equation was tested and found to be reliable. But… it was never actually used. It turns out the engineers wanted to make their own decisions about who to promote, not rely on a model to do the thinking for them. So it seems even in the world of Google, where the algorithm is king, there are times when people want to make decisions for themselves and not take an easier route by relying on an clever equation to work out the answer.

When I first read about this story, it made me think about the hundreds of stories I’ve captured over the years from people talking about what engages them at work. One of the themes that always emerges is being challenged, and working on stuff that stretches you. People never say I love my job because it’s really easy, or because I didn’t have to think about it too much. This story also made me think about the role of autonomy at work. Again one of the dominant themes that comes out when I talk to people about what engages them at work is autonomy. The message is clear: let me think for myself!

We work with companies to help develop autonomy and mastery within their workforce to which results in increased engagement. If you’d like to find out more talk to us today, we’d love to hear from you.