Corrections_Today_May_June_2023_Vol.85_No.3

COMMUNICATIONS & PUBLICATIONS

BOOKSHELF

Ten years ago, I did not use the term data analytics in teaching. I remember using the term data analyst and hiring one in our investigatory section at work to make judgments and draw conclusions about trends and costs. Today, the term data analytics has become ubiquitous to having criminal justice professionals understand that data has taken over the world. We talked about someone who viewed data as an analyst to make judgments about trends and cost. Now there are five recognized types of data analytics, and more and more staff use them all: descriptive, diagnostic, predictive, prescriptive and cognitive analytics. Without going into detail, this is where Marr’s Future Skills , come into play. He takes 20 skills and competencies everyone needs to succeed in our digital world providing some context. He does so in understandable language which will allow anyone base knowledge and indications on how to use this growing information. The titles of the chapters demonstrate the skills Marr says we should all have an understanding: Digital Literacy, Data Literacy, Technical Skills, Digital Threat Awareness, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, Emotional Intelligence and Empathy, Creativity, Collaboration and Working in Teams, Interpersonal Communication, Working in Gigs, Adaptability and Flexibility, Cultural Intelligence and Diversity Consciousness, Ethical Awareness, Leadership Skills, Brand of “You” and Networking, Time Management, Curiosity and Continual Learning, Embracing and Celebrating

Change and Looking After Yourself. It became obvious quickly that while these chapters were written independently, they sequently provide an understanding of how leaders will need to provide direction and guidance. While the words are familiar, a significant portion of the meaning has changed. We need to have workplaces that do more than celebrate our many differences, we need workplaces that truly reflect the diversity of our societies. Take leadership skills, they are based on collaboration and not necessarily hierarchical authority. Now, how will that work in an industry which is built on a chain of command mentality? According to Barr positional leadership will still exist, but the position may change based upon the task to be accomplished. There are a few of the 20 chapters I wish to draw to the reader’s attention. The first is collaboration and working in teams. Many believe these two terms are synonymous, which is not exactly true; being a team player means you still have your defined tasks and contribute to the overall objective, but collaboration requires people not only to work together but to think together, making decisions together and sharing

Future Skills, The 20 Skills and Competencies Everyone Needs to Succeed in a Digital World Written by Bernard Marr, Wiley, First Edition (2022), 272 pp.

REVIEWED BY Art Beeler. Beeler is a consultant and professor from North Carolina who spent 30 years at the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Almost 50 years ago, I was beginning my collegiate career. I knew I was not especially proficient in math skills, and at that time, I hoped to become a lawyer. I had not even heard of a digital world, and my data processing course consisted of writing a small program using punch holes to have the computer do something I cannot even remember. Well about 15 years later, I owned my first 286 computer, and remember Bill Gates supposedly saying, all anyone would need is 640K of memory. The importance of computers and how they are used has continued to grow.

68 — May/June 2023 Corrections Today