The current threats from climate change and latterly, the coronavirus pandemic, endanger humankind’s existence but they also offer the chance for a much-needed metamorphosis of humanity, fuelled by coaching and Artificial Intelligence (AI), argues Lise Lewis
Something inside each of us has to shift – and soon. Global warming combined with other challenges such as the new coronavirus, threaten life on earth. Society is being asked to transform to respond to
the short-term threat of a potentially lethal virus and the longer-term impact of the climate crisis.
What can we do as coaches to harness the collective human capability necessary to overcome the challenges of these catastrophic times? How do we support ourselves, and our clients, on this precarious journey? How do we use our interconnectedness not only to conquer the virus, but to sustain any positive effects the pandemic may already have had on climate change? How might AI help us do it?
Let’s avoid hearing: “Where were all the coaches when climate change and coronavirus threatened humanity?”
A permanent change?
We know that deforestation, soil erosion and air pollution, among others, have far-reaching social consequences. Without action, the world’s average surface temperature is likely to surpass 3ºC this century. We need coordinated solutions to reduce our carbon emissions and eliminate the threats from climate change.
Escalating the threat to humanity however, is coronavirus. Although the pandemic has reduced carbon emissions due to a global reduction in oil consumption, this will be temporary unless widespread action is taken – already there are signs of increasing levels as people in some regions leave social isolation.
Arguably, never before has so much of the world’s population been affected by the same thing at the same time.Yet out of adversity, new beginnings can be created, and the seeds are already being sown. These include reduced carbon emissions, and being better prepared for rapid response and collaboration in future pandemics. On a personal level, people are connecting differently – through WhatsApp neighbourhood groups, by sharing photos on Instagram, volunteering, supporting the NHS, delivering meals and collecting shopping for those housebound, for example.
For those who aren’t working or are working much less, social isolation offers the chance to increase family time, resurrect lapsed activities such as household repairs or discarded knitting and to keep fit through online videos.
For many, there’s the chance to stop the ‘busyness’, taking advantage of the reflective space to arrive at new realisations – that life as we know it is laying the groundwork for the ‘new different’ of the future. And to think about what’s really important: the world we want our children to inherit.
The challenge is how we sustain these mindset and behavioural changes over time and reinforce new lifestyle habits, post-Covid-19. The answer may lie partly in harnessing what coaching and technology can bring to the table.
Stability and resilience
First, let’s look at what coaching can offer to support clients seeking stability and clarity, both of which are needed before social transformation can be brought about.
Here are some of the issues that clients may be consciously or unconsciously living with in these times:
- Fear and anxiety about reduced income, loss of loved ones, changes to lifestyle, living with the unknown, worry about future generations are among the root causes of the blame and guilt that is dominant right now.
- Coping with self-isolation through separation from family and friends and increased levels of boredom when learning to live with only the essentials; a powerful combination for creating a sense of apathy through insufficient human connection.
- Scrutiny of personal values revealing perceived inadequacies in self when compared with the selfless contributions of NHS staff who are on the ‘precipice of exhaustion’.
- Forced adjustment of moving from the individualistic preoccupation with personal needs to the collectivist concern for others.
- Realisation of how interdependent we are, with world pollution creating climate alerts, coronavirus spreading with international travel, supply chains breaking down and the flouting of the ‘social distancing’ rule.
A ‘skills fit’ coaching response to the current crisis could include:
- Feeling and expressing compassion for self and clients to nurture emotional wellbeing, reduce anxiety, strengthen immune systems and build resilience
- Offering pro bono sessions, including within the NHS
- Acknowledging that people with fewer privileges most likely are more in need of support that most of those reading this article
- Exploring feelings and thoughts driving limiting behaviours and moving towards functionality
- Encouraging mindfulness practice to preserve alertness to social and environmental change
- Integrating sustainability, environmental regeneration and preservation in leadership coaching
- Using supervision for protecting the wellbeing of coaches
Now let’s look at how we might also harness the potential of technology.
Tech and social change
While there are concerns in some quarters about the potential abuse of technology post-Covid-19 and given, for example, the increase in surveillance worldwide, several theories of social evolution, for example, Devezas (2005), identify technological innovations as the most important determinants in bringing about societal change.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is already here, playing a role in bringing about the next industrial revolution. How can we as coaches leverage for social change, the AI already existing in the workplace and beyond?
The adoption of AI applications is already growing exponentially, with significant breakthroughs in reducing the impact of climate change and promoting caring for humanity, including dealing with the current pandemic. We don’t yet fully understand the complexity of how ecosystems work but we do know that machine learning is good at crunching big data so we can learn more about our impact on the planet by, for example, collecting and analysing the data.
Taulli (2020) talks of dealing with coronavirus by predicting hotspots and using AI to forecast how the virus will spread based on environmental conditions, healthcare access, the way it is transmitted and pattern-forming to inform the build of a new vaccine.
Meanwhile, a World Health Organisation (WHO, March 2020) report cited AI and big data as a key part of China’s response to the virus, and Facebook is working with Harvard University’s School of Public Health and Taiwan’s National Tsing Hua University researchers to share anonymised data about people’s movements and high-resolution population density maps to help forecast the spread of the virus.
In terms of climate change, Greenman (2019), for example, focuses on applying algorithms to masses of data that generates information on climate change and how to target and manage our climate actions, including monitoring pollutants to encourage accountability and reducing our carbon footprint by changing consumption patterns.
In the workplace, the 5th Industrial Revolution (5IR) is predicted to be when humans and machines integrate fully in the workplace. How can we make this work for society at large? Chinese tech giant Tencent’s research (2019), for example, highlights that workers displaced by AI are re-joining the workplace as researchers, and asks, “how can you make the world ‘better’ rather than just ‘more efficient’ or ‘more productive?’ ” (Lindsay & Hudson, 2019).
AI is infiltrating many aspects of our lives, and the coaching community is not immune. AI will replace routine roles – and career changes are inevitable. Lawyers, medical doctors and accountants, for example, who currently undertake years of training, can be replaced by AI, often with a stronger capability. Coaches relying on simple frameworks such as GROW are already being replaced by apps.
The more widespread use of video conferencing that Covid-19 has forced is an experimental beginning for many. However, video conferencing is not standing still, with new features such as voice commands similar to speaking with Alexa set to replace the code entry commonly used to start a meeting, and voice-to-text transcription able to take notes during video meetings.
Individuals and teams seeking ‘on demand’ coaching will be reluctant to wait for a diary slot. Coach bots are available at any time – even with the inflexibility of pre-programmed algorithms, they offer fast and practical access to simple goal setting.
Real-time virtual training can replace workshop attendance as a flexible and eco-friendly alternative with a helpful AI chatbot on line as a ‘virtual assistant’. The current pandemic is forcing development of this configuration and is likely to extend beyond coronavirus as homeworking becomes more generally accepted and encouraged.
These examples illustrate how fast technology is evolving. Digital natives, those born after the widespread adoption of digital technology, have grown up with the internet, computers, tablets, mobiles and apps, and accept technological advancement as routine. Coaches born before this time – digital immigrants – may find the rapid pace of change daunting.
AI advancements can be harnessed by coaches integrating the role of social change agents into their practice. Ways to do this include the following:
Using our knowledge of AI’s capability and the contribution it makes in service of humankind as an entry point into philanthropic discussions with clients, exploring the topic of social change. Such discussions may also serve as an entry point for clients to acknowledge any deterioration in their mental health. Encouraging clients to be more socially and environmentally aware can be explored through the medium of technological advances.
Highlighting what other organisations are contributing. Microsoft, for example, is using AI to track the movements of snow leopards to find ways to protect their survival. This may encourage clients to contribute to an ecological interest aligned with their own business or that they would like to be seen as caring about.
Every sector will be impacted by AI at some stage and being curious with clients about how it may impact their industry or organisation may reveal unconscious concerns for them personally or raise awareness about the potential impact of AI on their workforce and wellbeing.
Collaborate – connect
Even though as humans we are adept at working with complexity, we know that collaboration brings better results, as seen with increased team working. Our value as coaches has never been more important; it’s how we engage these skills. The rising popularity of webinars delivered by professional bodies and networks are symptomatic of practitioners seeking collegial support and guidance on how best to use skills. We are all adapting to new ways of being and working.
As social isolation requires new ways of communicating, we’re relying more than ever before on technology to connect with others. A screen can’t replace in-person human contact but it’s our best substitute. It may even become more indicative post-pandemic of the ‘new norm’ as we continue to question justifications for business travel, conferences and excessive consumerism. Video conferencing is likely to remain centre stage as an influencer for reduced consumption as we seek alternatives to travel.
A ‘skills fit’ snapshot projection for AI-augmented coaching could include:
- Adapting to virtual delivery with a personal avatar to reduce global climate erosion and lethal viruses
- Keeping abreast of AI developments and their impact for coaching and clients; coaching apps – on demand coaching – cobots
- Patiently encouraging reluctant clients to work more in the virtual space, and role modelling this
- Identifying what you offer that a chatbot doesn’t. Although AI’s strengths are unquestionable, we humans are still ahead in the ability to feel and show compassion, facilitate creative solutions and use intuition within human interaction. AI can ‘hear’ and transcribe that but humans notice what isn’t being said: a deeper listening skill. Of course, some clients may prefer the anonymity of a programmed algorithm
- Avoiding assumptions about generational preferences for working with AI
- Integrating ‘care’ breaks: virtual working is tiring physically and mentally
- Helping homeworkers access more in-person human contact when we come out the ‘other side’.
Questions to reflect on
When considering how we might augment coaching with AI, and potentially thus help bring about social change, we might reflect on the following questions to help determine our practice profile:
- How agile are we in reacting to the changing needs of clients?
- What do we know about current and future client preferences for working with AI and their level of capability?
- How willing are we to work with AI and what skills can we acquire now?
If we also attend to playing our part in bringing about social change, supported by greater use of technology, questions to consider include:
- What is our responsibility for encouraging social change in others?
- How can we integrate updates on social change into practice development?
- Are we prepared to include a statement of values explaining our personal approach to social responsibility into the profile shared with prospective clients?
- What is our coaching offering for these surreal times that will help and inspire hope for the future?
- If we accept that humanity has to be different, how can we act as role models?
Moving forward
Obviously, AI needs to be in service of society, not the reverse, and we need supporting legislation and regulation to make sure this happens, as well as increased investment in upskilling humans in areas of AI shortfall.
The big question is what needs to happen now and how can we as coaches encourage sustainability of the urgency for social change that recovers for future generations the damage to the planet?
References and further info
- T C Devezas, ‘Evolutionary theory of technological change: State-of-the-art and new approaches’, in Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 72(9), 1137-1152, 2005
- S Greenman, How can AI help tackle climate change?, 6 December 2019. Article sourced at: https://bit.ly/2y96kAf
- J Lindsay and A Hudson, ‘What is the fifth industrial revolution and how will it change the world?’, in The Future of Everything, Metro Lifestyle,10 June 2019
- T Taulli, ‘Coronavirus: Can AI (Artificial Intelligence) Make A Difference?’, Forbes, 2 February, 2020
- Tencent Holdings Ltd, China, The State of AI 2019: Divergence, MMC Ventures. Report sourced at: https://bit.ly/2KDYtNY
- J Wakefield, Coronavirus: How can AI help fight the pandemic, BBC News report, 12 March 2020