BUSMGT711 Chap.9 Technological and Societal Change at Work
Technological and Societal Change at Work
Week 9 examines how artificial intelligence and demographic change are reshaping the future of work and what that means for managing people. The chapter covers the progression of AI from mechanical to analytical, intuitive and empathetic intelligence, potential gains and risks of AI in human resource management, including privacy and culture, and the social impact of automation.
It then turns to six generations at work, an ageing workforce, myths about older workers, retention practices and the move from diversity to inclusion, all useful for a forward-looking final reflection.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Four intelligences and the order in which AI replaces tasks
- 02
Gains from AI in human resource management and the risks of monitoring
- 03
Privacy duties and the role of data protection regulation
- 04
Social impact of automation across regions and income levels
- 05
Six generations in one workforce and their birth-year ranges
- 06
Ageing workforces, myths about older workers and retention practices
- 07
Moving from diversity to inclusion and leading a multi-generational workforce
Worked example · free
Evaluating a manager's plan to use AI for staff monitoring
- +1State the potential gain: AI combined with clear rules and employee data can surface problems in real time and support team productivity.
- +1State the risk: when AI is used as a mechanism for monitoring and control, it can damage organisational culture and raises privacy obligations under data protection rules.
- +1Judge and recommend: the plan leans on surveillance rather than support, so a better design automates repetitive tasks and keeps people data use transparent and limited.
Key terms
- Four intelligences
- Mechanical, analytical, intuitive and empathetic abilities that service tasks draw on, which AI replaces from the lowest upwards.
- Hollowing out
- The loss of middle-income jobs when automation removes routine work while lower- and higher-skilled roles remain.
- Multi-generational workforce
- A workforce combining several generations, from Traditionalists to Generation Alpha, with different expectations of work.
- Inclusion
- Practices that ensure diverse employees' views genuinely shape decisions, supported by leadership, mentoring, bias-free processes and promotion.
Technological and Societal Change at Work FAQ
Is Week 9 content assessed in the mid-term test?
The mid-term test draws on Weeks 1 to 6, so Week 9 material sits outside it. It remains valuable for the final team presentation, especially its concluding reflection and the individual questions, where linking your team's experience to diversity, inclusion or technology shows a broader understanding of how managing people is changing.
How will AI change the work of managers?
The lecture describes AI replacing tasks from mechanical and analytical intelligence first, then intuitive and empathetic intelligence over time. Managers gain time as routine work is automated, but face new duties: protecting privacy, avoiding monitoring that erodes culture and developing junior staff whose traditional learning tasks are disappearing.
Why does organisational diversity matter?
Diverse organisations can make better decisions, see problems from more angles, increase creativity and innovation, reach global markets through multicultural staff and improve their image, while meeting legal requirements to eliminate discrimination. The benefits depend on inclusion, meaning practices that make every member's perspective count in actual decisions.
What myths about older workers does the course challenge?
The slides list beliefs that older workers cannot learn new skills, will leave soon after training, are less productive, flexible or creative, and cost more in benefits and accidents. The recommended response is flexible arrangements, training in technology, engaging job design, mentoring to reduce bias among younger colleagues, and recognition and respect.
Assessment move
Start by sketching the four-intelligence staircase and writing, beside each step, one task from your own working life that AI could plausibly take over and why. This turns an abstract progression into examples you can speak about. Next, list the gains and risks of AI in managing people in two columns and pair each gain with the risk it creates, so your answers always evaluate rather than advocate.
For the societal half, memorise the six generations with their birth-year ranges and note one expectation the lecture associates with each, then reflect honestly on how generational or cultural differences showed up in your simulation team. Prepare a short answer on which inclusion practice your team or workplace most needed, naming a concrete moment, the practice from the lecture list, and the benefit it would unlock.
Write down the myths about older workers and practise rebutting two of them with the retention practices the slides recommend.
Because this week is outside the mid-term test, budget your time accordingly before 6 November, then return to it while preparing the final presentation, where a forward-looking concluding reflection that connects your team's lessons to the future of work can lift the depth of the whole group's analysis.
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