Power skills, traditionally known as soft skills, encompass a range of interpersonal abilities that are crucial for success in the workplace, particularly for project teams. Power skills include interpersonal skills such as communication, problem-solving, collaborative leadership and strategic thinking. These skills are essential for project professionals who lead teams, engage stakeholders, and navigate challenges in project plans. They are increasingly recognized as drivers of productivity, employee engagement, and overall organizational success.
AI’s role in supporting and developing these skills within project teams is rapidly expanding. The integration of Artifical Intelligence (AI) into workforce development offers transformative potential. Based on insights from How important are Power Skill in the AI Era and PMI Pulse of Profession 2023 Report we can derive a comprehensive understanding of how AI influences these critical skills.
Communication
AI tools can significantly enhance communication within project teams by automating and optimizing information exchange and ensuring clarity and coherence in multilingual environments. For instance, AI-driven communication platforms can suggest enhancements in messaging, ensuring that communication is not only effective but also resonant with different cultural and professional backgrounds. This is increasingly important in global project teams where clear and effective communication is crucial for success.
Communication is critical for effective teamwork and project success. AI can support and enhance communication skills in several ways:
- Real-time language translation and transcription: tools like Google Translate and Microsoft Translator facilitate seamless communication in multilingual teams by providing real-time translation. Similarly, transcription services like Otter.ai transcribe meetings and conversations, ensuring clear communication and record-keeping.
- Communication Coaching tools: AI-powered platforms such as Crystal Knows analyze communication styles and provide personalized feedback and tips to improve email communication, negotiation, and interpersonal interactions. These tools help individuals adapt their communication to different context and recipients.
- Enhanced writing assistance: advanced writing assistants powered by AI, such as Grammarly or ProWritingAid, not only correct grammatical errors but also offer suggestions to improve clarity, tone and engagement, which are crucial for effective written communication.
Problem solving
AI’s impact on problem-solving is profound, particularly through data analytics and machine learning models that can predict potential issues and automate solutions. For project teams, this means AI can provide actionable insights and data-driven recommendations, enhancing the team’s ability to tackle complex projects efficiently. The ability to quickly process vast amounts of data and present usable information allows teams to focus on strategic decision-making and creative problem-solving, rather than getting bogged down by data analysis.
AI enhances problem-solving skills by providing sophisticated data analysis and decision support:
- Predictive analytics: tools like IBM Watson offer predictive analytics that can foresee potential issues in projects before they arise, allowing teams to proactively address them. This can significantly improve a team’s ability to solve complex problem efficiently.
- Optimization algorithms: AI can optimize processes and solutions using algorithms that consider numerous variables and scenarios. For instance, Google’s AI-powered tools can optimize everything from server cooling systems to flight landing patterns, showcasing how AI can solve operational and logistical problems.
- Simulation and modeling: software like AnyLogic uses AI to simulate business processes or market conditions, allowing teams to test problem-solving strategies and anticipate outcomes without real-world risks.
Fot. PixabayCollaborative Leadership
AI enhances collaborative leadership by providing tools that facilitate better teamwork and decision-making. For example, AI-driven project management tools can track project progress and team performance, providing leaders with real-time insights into team dynamics and project status. This supports leaders in making informed decisions, fostering a collaborative environment, and ensuring that team efforts are aligned with project goals.
Collaborative leadership benefits greatly from AI by enhancing team coordination and project management:
- Team performance analytics: platforms like Asana and Trello integrate AI to monitor project progress and team productivity, providing leaders with insights into individual and team performance. This helps leaders make informed decisions about resource allocation and team dynamics.
- AI-driven meeting facilitators: tools such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom use AI to enhance meeting efficiency by providing meeting summaries, action items, and follow-up tasks, which are essential for effective leadership and team management.
- Feedback and engagement tools: AI applications like Officevibe and Peakon gather continuous feedback from team members on various aspects of project and team management, enabling leaders to address concerns and foster a positive team environment proactively.
Strategic thinking
AI supports strategic thinking by offering predictive insights and scenario analysis, which help leaders plan and strategize effectively. By processing current and historical data, AI tools can forecast future trends and potential disruptions, enabling strategic thinkers to anticipate changes and devise flexible strategies. This capability is crucial in a rapidly changing business landscape, where the ability to quickly adapt and respond to new information can determine project success.
Strategic thinking involves long-term planning and decision-making, where AI can provide substantial support:
- Market analysis tools: AI-driven tools like Crayon and MarketMuse provide real-time market intelligence and competitive analysis, helping leaders develop strategies based on the latest trends and data.
- Scenario planning software: tools such as ScenarioAI utilize AI to model different business scenarios based on existing data, helping strategists visualize potential outcomes and plan accordingly.
- AI in business intelligence: platforms like Tableau and PowerBI integrate AI conditions. This supports strategic planning by providing a data-driven foundation for decision-making.
The human role in implementing power skills remains crucial and is accentuated by several dimensions of workforce development and organizational success. Drawing from insights provided in the PMI Pulse of the Profession 2023 Report and broader discussions in the field, the human element is indispensable in the following key areas: leadership and management, creative problem-solving, ethical considerations, emotional intelligence and interpersonal relationships, training and development, adaptation and change management, cultural and contextual adaptation.
Conclusion
While AI can enhance the development and application of power skills by providing analytical capabilities and automation, the human element is irreplaceable in areas that require judgment, empathy, creativity, and ethical oversight. The future of work will likely see a symbiotic relationship where AI enhances human capabilities, but human skills drive the use of AI in a direction that aligns with organizational values and societal norms. This balance ensures that technology augments the human workforce, rather than replacing it, leading to greater innovation and productivity.
Agnieszka is an energetic multi-lingual trainer, coach and consultant with over 20 years’ international experience in the project management profession. She is a very creative trainer and consultant who uses innovative skills to support clients in designing and delivering leadership skills courses. She has a long experience in working with clients from private, public and academic organisations. Her strong interpersonal and communication skills allow her to build very good relations with clients across all levels and in different languages due to her fluency in English, Spanish, Italian, Polish and conversational German and Russian. Agnieszka has delivered successful programmes across Europe, USA, Latin America and Australia. She is Business Coach (ACC ICF) and author of creative program “Leader TANGO – strengths for Life” www.leadertango.com