AI, Intergenerational Dynamics, and ‘Wisdom Work’: An Interview with our Chair, Sean Connolly on Being a Good Ancestor
So much has changed in the workplace, over the past few years. Think about it: in 2020, you had never even heard the phrase ‘ChatGPT’, but now it’s a widely-used work tool (Business Insider even has a listicle titled ‘7 ways to use ChatGPT at work to make your job easier’). AI may make tasks quicker and less labour-intensive, but how does it change the value of knowledge - and wisdom - in the workplace? Are we at risk of undervaluing wisdom and overvaluing knowledge?
A few weeks ago, The Harvard Business Review published a piece titled: Why “Wisdom Work” Is the New “Knowledge Work”. Written by Chip Conley, it explores the concept of "Wisdom Work" – the importance of shared experience in the workplace as demographic shifts bring more older workers and younger digital natives together. By fostering intergenerational collaboration, Chip argues, and valuing wisdom alongside knowledge, organisations can enhance productivity and innovation in an era increasingly influenced by AI.
We spoke to our Founder and Chair, Sean Connolly, about how the workplace has changed, fundamentally, since he started out over forty years ago, as well as his perspective on what ‘wisdom’ in the workplace means, and what it means to be wise in the age of AI.
How would you define the difference between knowledge and wisdom in the workplace?
Knowledge is the codification – and sometimes documentation – of observation. Wisdom is all about context; about history, and patterns, and making connections. In other words, wisdom is the application of knowledge, through experience.
How do you think intergenerational dynamics have changed in the workplace over the past forty years?
Power structures and dynamics have changed, when I started out, people were less likely to move organisation, so most senior colleagues had a long tenure.
And there’s more diversity, generally. It’s not where we want it to be, yet. But generally speaking, people have more access to opportunity, which means we have a more educated workforce. When I went to university, I was one of the fortunate five percent of the population to have that opportunity; now it’s more like fifty. So, you’ve got a much wider group of educated individuals entering the workforce, which can only be a positive thing. And then came the early 2000s, with the dot com boom, which also radically changed how intergenerational dynamics worked. Lots of young people started setting up businesses and becoming CEOs; there was this understanding that you could become a leader without climbing a greasy pole.
And whilst these changes are good – because they promote meritocracy – there’s something slightly broader that seems to remain the same: you could refer to it as ‘The Grandmother Principle.’ Simply put, it’s this notion that civilisation is built on the intergenerational transference of knowledge, of wisdom. When I started out, over forty years ago now, there was a strong sense that those older and more experienced wanted to pass on their learning to us younger workers. And that’s not changed: in general, older people want to support younger people. As you age, you accumulate wisdom, and you pass it on. The way I see it, it’s part of your job – as a good ancestor – to pass it on.
How do you think technology, and AI, is changing all of this?
At the moment, as far as I’m aware, advanced technologies can accelerate the acquisition of knowledge (or nuggets of information), and talk about how those nuggets of information might be connected with each other. What it’s not able to do, though, is the cognition.
Humans need to do the cognition to extract the wisdom; to apply the information that the knowledge nuggets create. What we’re now calling AI – these large language models – can certainly get knowledge to your fingertips, but you still need to do something with it.
Are you worried about the future of work, and wisdom, when it comes to AI?
No. Partly because AI is just the latest of many different technological innovations that I’ve seen revolutionise the workplace in my lifetime. Partly I’m not worried because it leaves so much room for other things: how can we live a good life, what if we only need to work three or four days per week? How can we bring our full selves to the work we do?
Which is another thing that I think is integral to EG, and has been since its start: it’s about trying to help others – clients, but also colleagues – on their own journey to help themselves. It’s about being a good ancestor; about taking the wisdom we’ve acquired, on other projects, or perhaps from completely different places, and distilling it in a different team. At its very core, that’s what this work is about. That’s what this team is about: how to live a good life, how be a good ancestor. But I know I’m quite quirky about that.
More about the author
Sean was one of our founding partners back in 2000, and has led the company ever since. As well as shaping our direction, style and impact, Sean plays a key role in developing new business.
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