Associations known for being slow to adopt changes need to quickly align their work skills, structure, and culture with the demands of an ever-evolving, technologically-advancing world.
This was concluded during the webinar on the Future of Work organised by the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives (PCAAE), aligning with the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Future of Jobs Report 2023.
Amy Hissrich, the American Society of Association Executives’ (ASAE) vice president of international affairs, presented the WEF 2023 report, which identified that 44 per cent of workers’ core skills are expected to change over the next five years. These top skills include analytical and creative thinking, technological competence, empathy, and active listening.
“It may probably change more and faster given what we’re already seeing with AI and big data,” said Hissrich.
PCAAE founder and CEO Octavio Peralta added: “Association leaders need to upskill and reskill ‘hard skills’ in cognitive areas like technology literacy –such as AI and big data – analytical and systems thinking, and ‘soft skills’ like empathy and stakeholder relationship.”
“In the end, any work-related change in the future needs to strike a right balance of heart and head, i.e., the humane side and technical side of governing and managing an association,” Peralta elaborated.
Observing that the skills learned from associations are usually related to the trade of those associations, GainingEdge’s senior manager for Asia, Jane Vong Holmes, suggested that it would be beneficial if associations also offered life skills and training outside the scope of their trade. This would support older members who are retiring as they start a new phase of life, and help fill any skills gaps they may have.
Thomas Reiser, the executive director of the International Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, agreed, and reiterated that associations should not be solely driven by financial gain. Instead, an association’s core purpose lies in advancing a cause, creating meaning, and contributing to the betterment of their profession and the world at large.
