From managing the business’ most vital resource, to empowering and enriching the employee experience, the H.R. department is on the move – and this evolution is driven by technology.
As new technological breakthroughs have impacted business, the H.R. function has felt the influence in dramatic fashion. No longer seen as the department where rules are enforced, H.R. is now the place where tradition is questioned, structures adapted and reshaped. Human Resource leaders have become an integral part of business transformation, working side by side with function heads to bring the talent aspect and find themselves not just with a seat at the table, but often driving the changes.
Many companies have moved away from Chief Human Resource Officer titles to Chief People Officer. The change reflects an attitude shift from seeing employees as ‘resources’ to be managed, to leading people as individuals, aided by data, analytics and experiences.
The most influential changes to people management and development have and continue to come from artificial intelligence (AI), analytics, big data and employee experience (EX). These new advances provide the business heads with the tools to empower their teams and directly measure return on investment. New technology means that every business has the potential to go global and to be digitalized. In practical terms, this leads to the ability to drill down on data that used effectively can help track and improve performance on an individualized basis. Tracking effectiveness by tenure lengths has been replaced by assessing engagement through personal development and contribution to business success.
In addition, recruitment has moved from qualification and experience based to a much wider analysis of cognitive strengths and measurable analysis of soft skills such as cross-cultural awareness, communication and listening skills.
Human Resources is no longer viewed as a cost center, but a place where ideas that improve profitability across the entire business are conceived and nurtured.
By Rowena McAllister