For technology leaders, the main management question is no longer whether AI will change roles, but how fast the operating model can change with it. The articleโs core signal is that capability strategy now has to treat adaptability, critical thinking and collaboration as business assets, not soft extras. That matters because AI can lift technical throughput while exposing weaknesses in leadership, coordination and decision-making across the organisation.
This shifts the talent agenda from recruitment to redesign. CIOs and transformation leaders should ask which work can be automated, which work must be augmented, and which roles need new human-machine handoffs. The trade-off is clear: pushing AI adoption without rethinking job design can raise output in one part of the enterprise while increasing confusion, resistance or dependency elsewhere. Workforce planning, therefore, needs explicit decisions on reskilling priority, role criticality and how performance will be measured in AI-supported teams.
The ecosystem point is equally important for governance. The strongest talent outcomes depend on shared action across business leaders, HR, education partners and public institutions, but that collaboration often breaks down when accountability is vague. Senior leaders should define who owns skills strategy, who funds learning, and how external partnerships translate into internal capability. The practical next question is not simply โwhat skills do we need?โ but โwho is responsible for building them, sustaining them and proving they are improving outcomes?โ
For portfolio and programme leaders, the implication is to fund talent adaptation as a transformation workstream, not a side initiative. That means linking learning investment to adoption, productivity and retention metrics, while being honest about time lags. A useful test is whether the organisation can show evidence of faster redeployment, stronger cross-functional collaboration and better AI use in decision-making over the next 12 to 18 months.
Soft skills and integrated ecosystems are crucial for success in this age of disruption.
In this era of “permacrisis” and constant disruption, adaptability and resilience are vital traits that require collaboration and an increasing focus on human-centric skills. Thatโs the messaging to come out of the 2025 Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI), an annualย
report that highlights the latest talent trends and offers insights into the current global talent landscape.
For this episode of โThe INSEAD Perspective: Spotlight on Asiaโ podcast series, Sameer Hasija, Dean of Asia at INSEAD, analyses the results and implications ofย
the 11th edition of the GTCI through an APAC lens
ย alongsideย two of its authors: L. Felipe Monteiro, Academic Director of the GTCI and Senior Affiliate Professor of Strategy, and Paul Evans, Emeritus Professor of Organisational Behaviour.
Perhaps the most notable theme from the 2025 report is the shifting value of human capabilities, whereย soft human-centric skills are becoming just as vital as hard digital or technical skills. As AI handles increasingly complex technical tasks, Monteiro and Evans suggest thatย “generalist adaptive skills” โ including leadership, innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship โ will increasingly take centre stage.
With AI, we are going to be thinking more and more about what are the human-centric skills. Things like critical thinking, the soft skills and, above all, the ability to adapt. – Felipe Monteiro
Reflecting on the high ranking of certain countries such as Singapore, Switzerland and the Nordic nations, Evans points to the strength of theirย integrated ecosystems, where government, business, educational institutions and labour organisations work together to solve problems using a forward-looking approach. He warns that without this deep ecosystem collaboration and a long-term vision, even technologically advanced nations may struggle to implement the systemic changes required to thrive in todayโs disrupted global economy.
I’ve got this profound belief that ecosystem collaboration is going to become more and more important. But there are signs, worrying signs, that in a lot of countries, it’s breaking down. – Paul Evans
That potential danger is highlighted in a concerning trend identified in the report, where severalย upper-middle-income countries, such as Malaysia, Brazil and Mexico, appear to have reached aย “talent plateau” or โtrap”. Despite making good headway in the earlier stages of their development, these countries have seen their progress stall as they find themselves squeezed between high-innovating top-tier countries and lower-income countries with cost advantages.
Levels of optimism for the future were mixed among the three speakers. However, they agreed that greater collaboration, an increased emphasis on lifelong education and the ability of individuals to learn and adjust on the job will be vital if countries and companies hope to successfully navigate the uncertain waters of the next five years โ and beyond.
Edited by:
Nick Measures
About the author(s)
is Dean of Executive Education and Asia Campus as well as a Professor of Technology and Operations Management at INSEAD.
Original Postaul-l-evans" shape="rect">Paul A. L. Evans
is an Emeritus Professor of Organisational Behaviour at INSEAD. He was Founding Academic Director of the Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) (2013-18), in partnership with Adecco, HCLI Singapore and Tata Communications; and today he is the Ambassador for the GTCI.
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https://knowledge.insead.edu/career/how-talent-can-thrive-ai-driven-world
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