In the last few years, the phrase “Digital Transformation” has become universal owing to its large-scale acceptance and implementation in various fields.The metamorphosis of a conventional business based on human operated processes into a technology driven all functions – may be summarised as one such instance. Further, incorporating the intricacies of HR functionality through digital shift opens the avenues of novel, efficacious, and beneficial modes apt for the incipient importunity rendering promptness, 24/7 universal admittance, pace and veracity.
Influencers of HR Digital Transformation
Over the last few decades, the business world has witnessed rapid dynamic transmutation owing to transformation of some leading companies. For instance, Facebook which started initially as a social network platform has transformed into a largest media company and the paradox being it does not create any indigenous content. The customer experience has also witnessed a revolutionary approach. Smartphones, besides providing the ease of communication also offers a plethora of other user-friendly functionalities such banking on fingertips, remotely regulating the various appliances at home, instant notifying the world about present location, ordering products from distant places, and getting it delivered at preferred location which ultimately enhances the digital experience.As opined by experts that HR digital transformations plays a dual role of process and outcome signifying the fact that it no longer remains a radical change but represents an evolutionary phenomenon.Besides digitization, the progression in business with technology at its center also encompasses a drift in the perception and ethos of an organization.
Hindrances in the path of HR Digital Transformation
Technology is undoubtedly the crucial aviator for rendering HR digital transformations. However, it has also to kept in mind that for anyorganization, investment in technology is worth only if alienated properly and conclusively utilized to deliver expected results. Besides defiance to changes, an organization also bears the following hindrances in the journey of HR digital transformation:
- Inadequacy in determining the unclouded objective to be accomplished through the transformation.
- Dearth of budget/resources to implement the transformation
- Scarcity of skill and competency in leading the transformations
- Paucity of dexterity in ascending new digital solutions
- Pandemic has brought in the continual employee management and engagement from remote settings in certain organization which poses challenges in management of communications and data security.
- Social media challenges have forced organization to ponder upon the employee best practices and management policies in managing the employer brands.
Enablers of HR Digital Transformation
For any organisation undergoing HR digital transformation must consider the following enablers necessary for its successful implementation:
- Elucidate the clear objective to be realised by systematisation of the transformation which further caters in ascertaining real outcome-oriented benefits to the end users that can be measured and enhance business value by casting a positive financial impact
- Determinate the actual executor of the transformations whose roles and responsibilities are interweaved with the transformation so that the execution is smooth and error free
- Assurance of adequate resources for ensuring timely and perfect execution
- Demarcation of execution timeline and achievement of associated milestones in the journey of transformation
- Segregation of processes and functions terminable with the transformation in a well-defined sequence
- Complete involvement of the stakeholders from the inception to the end results
- Equip the employees well to handle the transition and prepare a backup plan for withstanding the failure, if any
- Constitute the perception of digitalization with a clear message that Digital transformation is not equivalent or restricted to automation but goes beyond in creating an all-in workforce approach, with augmented business dexterity, more exhaustive and effectual usage of comprehending services, edging and upskilling a more diverse workforce.
Visualization of future workforce with digital competencies
The future workforce shall comprise a mix of different generation viz Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y (Millennials) and Gen Z representing a surge in the unanticipated workers and the formulation of a universal pool of expertise.These diversities shall enhance the entanglement of HR which necessitates the imbibement of following digital competencies:
- Adoption of technology as facilitator
- Acceptance of severance caused by change of varied nature and pace for better understanding of predictability caused by introduction of new incomprehensible variables
- Capitalization of information technology in unleashing the concealed utility
- Accomplishing command over iteration to ensure convenient ascend of transition propelled by miniscule steps and cumulations
- Handling congregation intelligently to ensure that their agility benefits the organization and vice-versa.
- Maintenance of equilibrium between usage of science and data in congruence with the human element – the decisive factor
Proper assimilation of the digital competencies shall aid employees and employers in harnessing the digital future for betterment of all.
Contemporary vs Future work culture
In the dynamic business world, Human resource expectation of the organizations have surpassed its growth. At this critical juncture, attractions and retention of the best talent shall decide the way forward and hence compels for reconceptualization and reconstruction of the work culture. Modernization in the approach shall help in sailing through the uncertainty of real times with better clarity across the organization, persuasive collusion across aggregation and extermination of manual assignment and monotonous processes.
Some of the HR areas with probable vivid future changes may be summarized as:
- Accretion and embracing talent
In the present context recruitment and attainment of apt talent seems to be arduous for any organization due to existence of talent war, branding of employers and operational management issues. The future however paves the way for an accelerated and extensive recruitment system centered about applicant’s experience with relationship management technology augmented by the inputs from Artificial Intelligence that will support the recruitment cycle throughout – starting from onboarding, continuous computation of the abilities ensuring success of future roles till retirement.
- Unceasing administration of performances:
The current scenario indulges in giving out ratings, assimilating continuous feedback, providing SMART goals with robust data, calibrating team performances, redesignating the decision-making techniques with the available digital capabilities. The future blends development plans which are pre populous with the 24/7 personality assessments cinched to role and anniversary performance assessment coupled with resources for challenging conversations, thorough engagement features, team management instruments etc. all unified under routine work.
- Ascent of workforce centered logic
Till recent past, organizations have elevated HR data warehouses to cutting edge analytics characterized by reporting dashboards and predictive models. The future goes beyond and inculcates innovations and comprehensible natural language system interlaced with analytics to interpret patterns in unexplored features such as communications, performance etc which may ultimately help in anticipating employee’s behaviour,correlate behaviour and performance with successions and forecast potential safety issues and security ruptures.
The future work culture envisages transposition from cloud to mobile accompanied by outburst in analytics and artificial intelligence, and the evolution of video societal recruitment and wearables in the workplace.
Conclusion:
The transformation is expected to render long term positive effect by integrating the work culture with employee engagement and technologies thereby eradicating the communication hurdles and revamping employee experience by augmenting competence and modernization. Unique digital experience shall propel the transformation by adopting technology in routine works and making it a part and parcel of daily schedule. It is the best time for HR to entwine the digital metamorphosis, precede transformations and engage employees in garnering the privileges.
It is pertinent to mention that Digital Transformation in HR is not constricted in silos i.e about HR team and processes only but incorporates a wide range transposition which is linked to the entire organization as one entity. It is crucial to note that no scientific advancement viz automation, Artificial Intelligence, or digitization etc can take off the ‘Art’ of HR functionaries’ roles as Counsellor, Coach, the Strategic business partner and Change agent. In the coming days, HR teams have tostrike an equilibrium between the “Science” &“Art” of HR in their venture in creating future workplaces.
