Hard work: sleeping on the job and picking up a paper clip

I read a fascinating  article today about what a humanoid robot would have to do in an office environment. It neatly shows (with video) how simple movements are actually extremely complex. It's going to be a long time before a robot could do what we do constantly, without even thinking about the micro-motor controls involved. 

There's also an item on 'Sleeping on the job: the cultures of sleep and napping around the world'. Apparently, in Japan taking a nap at your desk or during a meeting is a sign of hard work. So now you know how to respond to your boss when you doze off during the next budget review. But seriously, the benefits of taking a nap during the day, especially for creativity, are proven in many studies.

These articles come from Insight, the magazine published by Mark Eltringham. I highly recommend subscribing to the curated content of Insight for topical items on People/Places/Tech in the workplace. Incidentally, mark will be coming to the Innovation Network's Spring Workshop 'Work 2030 - it may not be what you think'. 

Favourite resources from a KM researcher and facilitator

The Innovation Network is a non-profit practitioners" network of large, predominantly blue-chip, organisations that share innovation and organisational learning practice.

As one of three facilitators for the network, my role is to look at how various emergent and innovative technologies are changing the way that work is done. This research is presented to the network in the form of masterclasses, roundtables, webinars and quarterly workshops. These are some of the sources I use: 

• Essentials - The Future of Work: This is one of the weekly newsletters from Faveeo.com, which uses an AI-driven curation tool to find and follow the most trusted and valuable sources. I like the convenience of having an intelligent bot do the heavy lifting for me, with the results presented in a structured and well-designed newsletter. It covers blockchain, digital transformation, smart contracts, smart assets, industry 4.0, security and more.

• Essentials - AI & ML: Another Faveeo newsletter, this covers AI and machine learning news, automation, robotics, AI in business, and data science. Other Faveeo newsletters include Future of Mobility, Future of Money, Future of News & Journalism, Future of Energy and Future of Food.

• National Geographic - The future of medicine: I've been a paid subscriber to National Geographic magazine for over 30 years. It covers an enormous spectrum of topics but if there is a common theme it is human endeavour and innovation, which neatly fits in with my work for Warwick Business School. This article describes 12 innovations that will revolutionise the future of medicine, from bionics to virtual reality consultations.

• CognitionX: This (free) subscription daily curated news service covers all things AI. It's a useful resource for keeping updated on technology, services and products in this fast-moving domain. It provides filters for topics, industry sectors, products, technologies and use-cases. It's part of my "must read" list at the start of each day.

For fun:

• Josh Bernoff's writing: His blog has a slightly irreverent title but I enjoy the no-nonsense style of blogger and author Josh Bernoff at Without Bullshit. Josh and Charlene Li co-authored the best-selling book "Groundswell". Josh is a fairly acerbic critic of poor writing style, particularly corporate communications and marketing messages that use passive voice and jargon. His blog includes some useful tips to improve customer communication and detect fake news. 

An article in Jinfo I found particularly interesting:

• Given my current interest and research into all things AI, I was drawn to the article by James Mullan on "How technology is transforming the legal sector". Though the title refers specifically to legal, the article was broader, looking at the role of the information professional for identifying the most appropriate information and tasks to apply to AI tools, and training users on how to effectively utilise these tools. I wonder how many information professionals recognise the important role they can play in the successful adoption of AI?

I hope you find some of these resources useful to you in your search for knowledge. The world of work is changing....very quickly! 

Steve Dale

KIN Facilitator