People from human resources (HR) world must have been dealing with a lot due to the recent COVID-19 outbreak. Demographic changes, skills shortage in certain areas, and emerging technologies are impacting on HR and indicating how its services should be delivered. Pandemic focuses on the mind and complicates the landscape under which HR leaders operate.
In a paper entitled ‘Reinventing work-A sequel to the Rise of the Human Series’ by Robert Bolton, he sets out the imperative for reinvention and discusses a few areas that HR leaders need to address, such as workforce shaping. This means ‘Achieving the Digital Mind-set for HR’. He highlights the trends of organisations that are likely to have a digital mind-set and of those less likely to. The benefits are huge! Employee and customer centric organizations are often outperforming others.
Four themes to achieving digital mind-set of an HR:
Connecting end-to-end
First, understand the overall value chain and redesign accordingly. While redesigning, consider required results with customer experience as the essential driver. Be flexible about delivery model ideas from other external sources.
Powered HR is a result focused business function transformation approach. It combines leading practices for HR operations, tried and tested processes and delivery models, and market leading technology solutions for the HR market.
In other words, powered HR is a natural solution that enables the connection of the function end-to-end, and the function within the end-to-end business. For instance, specific HR functions require data to become effective for other parts of the business wherein predefined HR processes set out which data is required. Pre-configured powered HR technologies and workflows can help make it happen. Given that accurate compensation payment improves the employee experience, an accurate reward management process is essential.
People as an Innovator
Use design thinking techniques. Redesign jobs around processes to add automation, cognitive augmentation, product/service innovation, redesigned roles for humans and machines.
Practice covering six critical ‘layers’ that are designed to drive an effective transformation outcome, such as functional processes, people and roles, service delivery models, technology, performance insights and data governance. In short, it validates your future way of working and act as the foundation for your transformed function.
Growth mind-set
Try adopting an experimental mind-set that involves workers in the design. Ensure flexibility through design so that the roles and people can evolve. Plan for enhancing your skills early and instil a ‘learning to learn’ mind-set.
The powered HR target operating model promotes an experimental mind-set during the early phases of a transformation, envisioning and validation. This approach permits the project to comprehend the potential impact on process by using technology to make changes in the processes.
Courage to Challenge
Create autonomy and freedom for workforce to act as a leader and ensure priorities and progress are shared up sideways. Also, promote interdependence between team members.
Culture, confidence, and tools would encourage the workforce to challenge the norm. For many firm clients, a powered enterprise led transformation can be a culture change. Clients can benefit from being able to adapt to change on an ongoing basis, and to continue evolving. The tools also foster collaborative working and encourage change. These help to promote visible interdependence within the team.
Finally, the improvement to access meaningful data and analytics enables decisions to be information led. This could give the entire workforce ability to tap into what is occurring real-time and substantiate their observations with evidence.
Conclusion
For human resources (HR), powered human resources can help your function to create and maintain a digital mind-set. In return, it can provide you the platform for reinventing work by reshaping your workforce. Focus on the employee and customer experience, dealing with disruption can help you generate higher revenues and profits.