Latest news with #ParetoPrinciple
New Indian Express
19 hours ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
Future of work: Human-agent teams built to scale
Organisations and Gen Z are now talking about 'working smarter and sharper' and not just working harder. Thanks to artificial intelligence (AI), employees are making use of AI to work smarter. Microsoft in its special report titled 'Breaking down the infinite workday' says frontier firms are putting the Pareto Principle into practice, thereby focusing on the 20% of work that delivers 80% of the outcomes. 'AI makes this not only possible but scalable. By deploying AI and agents to streamline low-value tasks—status meetings, routine reports, admin churn—leaders can reclaim time for what moves the business: deep work, fast decisions, and focused execution,' it says. In organisations, there are various teams that take care of different functions such as engineering, finance, sales etc. The report says, 'But with expertise available on demand through AI and agents, rigid structures add unnecessary friction. Take a product launch: content lives in marketing, data in analytics, budget in finance, and messaging with comms. A simple update like a price adjustment can take days and multiple meetings. It's time to move from the org chart to the Work Chart—an agile, outcome-driven model in which lean teams form around a goal and use AI to fill skill gaps and move fast.'
New Indian Express
17-05-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Radical or problematic? Rutger Bregman's book, Moral Ambition, Drive A Change, gives the handle to those with privilege
'Of all things wasted in our throwaway times, the greatest is wasted talent. There are millions of people around the world who could help make the world a better place, but they do not.' Dutch historian and author Rutger Bregman's latest book, Moral Ambition (Bloomsbury), starts with these lines, and throughout, it tries to answer many questions related to the betterment of this world. 'The book is an amalgamation of the idealism of an activist and the ambition of an entrepreneur. It offers a fresh perspective to people who are facing challenges like sticking to a meaningless job and are willing to quit it to find a purpose. It is also an antidote to talent-wasting,' says Bregman. Make a difference As the book addresses key issues like waste of human talent, unemployment, lack of meaningful jobs, a pertinent question: 'How to drive change?' Bregman believes the answer lies in finding the right people at the right time. 'It is important to be part of a small group with morally ambitious people. They can see the larger picture and drive a sea change in this world. I have co-founded a school called Moral Ambition, which tries to bring many of these groups together to work on issues like poverty reduction, educational inequalities, and many others,' adds Bregman. About being a part of meaningful associations, the book refers to the Pareto Principle, a theory by Italian economist and sociologist Vilfredo Pareto, which states that a small percentage (20 percent) of inputs refer to a large section of outputs (80 percent). 'It is important to be a part of that 20 percent. Although they are a minority in numbers, they can drive big change,' notes Bregman. Where's the money? Sticking to a useless job may be boring; however, it adds financial stability. Where will people find the strength to quit that and look for a change? In simpler terms, where is the money to drive change? When Bregman was asked this question, he pointed to the concept of privilege and posits a problematic theory. According to him, it is the privileged who are capable of driving change. 'This book is particularly meant for those who come with certain privileges. Those who have got good education, who have time to read a book, and who have some capital, need to drive the change,' he says. 'During the pandemic, we saw how farmers and several other unskilled workers went on strike. Their financial gains were at stake, however, that did not compel them to take courageous steps. Now, it is our moral responsibility to make the world a better place for them by taking risks,' he says.
