Roan in Singapore talks about three ways of looking at how people achieve higher productivity:
– Through using new technology/tools, and replacing people who previously did routine work.
– Through process innovation, where people develop new ways of doing things better-faster-cheaper.
– Through making better decisions through quality conversations between people. That is, make the right decision first time, execute well, and stay focused.

He goes on to argue:

“Of the three points above, only no. 2 and 3 can be associated with job security. This means people who can: (1) constantly think how to improve work processes; (2) and collaborate with others to make better decisions – will be productive and in demand, because they are doing creative work that can’t be made obsolete by new technology. Indeed, Daniel Pink has argued brilliantly in his book: ‘A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule The Future‘ that there will be an increase of demand for people who can do creative work.“

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Read more: How to Align Productivity with Job Security