Dr. Okochi, founder and director of Okochikai Medical Corporation, helps businesses drive strategic growth. Creator of Daikandou method.
What is Daikandou? It’s an unforgettable sensation that rocks the heart. This feeling could come from a speech at a wedding, a thoughtful gift or seeing an infant taking their first steps. In business, a shift to a hospitality mindset of Daikandou is essential to avoid unemployment in the age of AI.
AI could replace about 50% of the world’s low-skilled workforce in the next five years, and by 2030, about 12 million workers in the U.S. could need to change jobs.
Not only will low-skilled jobs be replaced by AI, but highly specialized jobs such as tax accountants, CPAs, judicial scriveners, bankers and lawyers also risk being replaced by AI. Goldman Sachs economists estimate that 44% of legal services could be automated.
But will AI really put most people out of work? I don’t think so. AI has its strengths and weaknesses, and if we know this and shift how we work, we will not lose our jobs. What kind of working style should we use? AI’s strengths include logical thinking and specialized knowledge. People who work with this ability may be unemployed in the future. As a matter of fact, this ability is possessed by everyone in society who has a high deviation score, so to speak, as one article points out. Until now, they could play an active role in the world with this ability, but as AI spreads, even highly educated people are having a tough time getting jobs.
On the other hand, humans are good at sensing the hearts and minds of others (sensitivity) and have the human ability to handle a situation well. Sensing the feelings of others and paying attention to them is something only humans can do. In business, this means we can determine things such as whether a customer is displeased or happy, and use human power to change a lousy atmosphere into a good one by instantly saying the right words and taking the right action.
In this sense, to avoid AI unemployment in the future, it is essential to cultivate imagination (creativity), hospitality and management that use human sensitivity and human ability. As for imagination, AI is good at imitating existing works and making changes to them, while humans are good at creating original and moving works that strike a chord in the heart. In terms of customer service, only humans have the ability to provide extraordinary hospitality by imagining and thinking about what would make a customer truly happy. In terms of management skills, it is becoming necessary to manage from the heart, rather than from the conventional management mold.
Specifically, as imagination and customer service skills go, I do the following things to demonstrate to my staff a Daikandou hospitality mindset in the workplace: I imagine what my staff would be moved to tears by, so I go to karaoke a week in advance to learn their favorite songs and sing them as a surprise. I make thank-you videos when staff members get promotions or qualifications. I handwrite heartwarming letters. When dining out, I ask the restaurant in advance to prepare a surprise message when dessert is served to reward them for their hard work. In short, I treat my staff as if they were my family. I think about what I would do if they were my own family and I put it into practice.
As for management skills, always thank your staff for their work and dedication. I thank my team members for working for our hospital, doing their daily work and being a great help to us because they are in our organization, etc. At the same time, actively praise your staff for their good contributions—not just in the workplace but also outside of work. For example, I recently thanked someone for posting on social networking sites for the clinic and for creating illustrations on a message board at the entrance of the clinic for visitors. I also thanked a staff member for weeding and tending the garden for the clinic after work. By showing gratitude for specific things your team members are doing well, they will feel valued and needed. And when the staff’s hearts are warm, they will gladly work for the organization. People care about people who care about them. That is why it is essential from now on to shift to a hospitality mindset of Daikandou and use our hearts and minds to work on it.
The coming AI era does not mean that human beings will no longer need to work. Instead, the time has come for us to work more and more on humanistic tasks, using powers such as sensitivity that only we can possess. It has become essential to work with a mind that only humans have, something that AI does not have. Let’s shift to a hospitality mindset of Daikandou and work together to create a wonderful world where we can coexist with AI, care for each other and enjoy our work together!
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