Shape Up or Ship Out! - 7 Key Polarities HR Needs to Manage Amidst Shifting HR Dynamics in the world of IoT, AI & Robotics ...

While the technological changes were playing themselves out in the Industry 4.0 context, Pandemic has accelerated it. It is no longer a luxury! Day by day massive strides are being made and we are getting ruled by fast-changing technologies, driven by AI, Internet of Things (IoT), Chat Bots, Machine Learning (ML), Robotics etc.

HR is no exception. Technology is rapidly changing the world of work and making it inevitable for HR to undergo hitherto unimagined transformational change.

Almost the entire spectrum of the transactional spectrum will get digitized and HR folks will need to develop new-age skills. HR Business Partner role will reduce in significance, as the operational work will be done by AI-driven service centres & chatbots. At the same time, demand for Specialist Role will increase many-fold.

While playing a critical role in helping businesses navigate through the change, HR will also need to ensure the future-proofing of people by imparting requisite skills amongst its workforce.

For HR to play a significant role, it needs to transform itself radically. The key conundrum at the forefront of the CHRO's mindset is -

HOW TO RIDE POLARITIES AMIDST TECHNOLOGICAL SHIFTS ?

[For the uninitiated, Polarity is all about Managing 2 opposites spectrum i.e. At one end you want your LEADER to be FUTURISTIC & VISIONARY and at the other spectrum you want him to deliver on quarterly expectations. Another example is - You want Leaders to be Socially Visible, but not Criticised.

7 Key polarities that HR Leaders will need to Navigate are as follows - 

Human Touch - Managing Lay offs 

HR will work on more human engagement perspectives, at the same time deploying these technologies which will render many roles redundant.

Human Insights - Big Data Analytics 

HR will be called to provide meaningful insights, at the same time feedback driven by Big Data or AI, will be readily available to business managers

Collaboration - Remote Working 

HR will be called to ensure collaboration and act as a conscious keeper of sustainability in the society, at the same time business will move into digital or remote ways of working

Trust - Technology Surveillance 

HR will drive building more trust between the organisation and employees, at the same time technology will monitor & control every micro movement of employees. Software already available in the market, which deliver such monitoring results.

Enhanced Employee Touch - Technology Deployment

HR will need to create appropriate employee touch and 'feel events', as more of AR & VR technology is deployed in employee orientation & learning.

Values - Algorithms 

Most importantly HR will need to work at creating algorithms for AI & ML, which are entrenched in values of the organization and society we live in.

Fostering Open & Transparent Dialogue 

As Organization leverage AI to help identify Leadership talent, HR will foster openness and transparent dialogue about criteria which helped AI to do that.

[Views expressed are personal]

The Article was originally published on LinkedIn and jointly written by Raj Gupta & Atul Chugh.

About the Authors -

Raj Gupta, Author of Multiple Books & Award-Winning HR Leader with 25+ Years of Experience

Atul Chugh - Human Resources Professional with 30 years of rich experience and SME in HR OD Processes and Tools.