ACS attended the Dublin Chamber of Commerce event which was an early morning talk by Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of People and Organisations at The Open University, Dr Peter Bloom.
Are we in the dawn of a new era?
Technology is rapidly changing both our work and lives.
Many experts are predicting that we are rapidly headed toward a ‘fourth industrial revolution’.
In this talk, Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of People and Organisations at The Open University,
Dr Peter Bloom shared insights into the new innovative Research into Employment, Empowerment and Futures group (REEF)– the first of its kind in the world to focus on the future of empowerment in the age of robotics.
Peter asked how can the rapid technological advances in computing, robotics and communications that are revolutionising work and life, be empowering, rather than dis-empowering, for people and organisations?
He explored what are the ways in which practitioners can use technology for social empowerment and how we can create a smarter workforce.
Background to REEF
The Open University Business School (OUBS) has a new research group that is partnering with The People Space,
the Research into Employment, Empowerment and Futures group (REEF).
REEF will draw on the Department for People and Organisations’ scholarly expertise on themes of identity, leadership, power, human relations and learning to empower policy makers, organisational leaders, social practitioners and people from across contexts to work together to co-create innovative solutions for meeting these coming opportunities and challenges.
The crucial question Peter asked and explored in his session is just one of the issues that will be tackled in the new group, which seeks to explore and shape the future direction of empowerment, work and society.