rajgupta

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.

"Only three things happen naturally in organisations : friction, confusion & underperformance. Everything else requires Leadership" Peter Drucker.

World has moved from Era of Independence to Era of Dependence and now finally progressing towards Era of Interdependence with WTO and other mutual cooperation frameworks existing among different nations of the world. In today’s fast paced world it is imperative for the organisation's to build a strong mechanisms for demystifying value culture as it shape behaviours, and behaviours shape outcomes.

What Are Organisational Work Values?

Workplace values are subset of your beliefs and ideas or in other words, the guiding principles that are most important to you about the way that you work. There are 4 key component of Organisational & work values as outlined below :

[1] Organisational values comprise core values, which are principles that guide a company's actions and practices.

[2] Work values are conceptions of an individual of a desirable work activity.

[3] Work values are the conceptions of what is 'preferable' from among the alternative modes of conduct or end-states' with respect to one's work. In other words, these are individually held conceptions of what is desirable with respect to the individual's work activity.

[4] Work values are expected to be an integral part of the nation's ethos; as such, they need to be internalised by members of the society through socialisation, via various institutional channels, so that they become an aspect of individual personalities. A strong Value culture in organisations builds business advantage that helps generate and maintain top-level performance. This is an obvious, intuitive statement that all business leaders understand and discuss. Yet, while many try to create a high-performing culture, few succeed. Why? Is it really that difficult? Not really. The key to culture is understanding that the Organisations and work values are highly significant in shaping behaviours as the formal mechanisms.

As per Work Force Study and Wall Street Journal Ranking, The following values are very important for Global Organisations as per their order of preference:

Open Communication
Nature of the Work
Control Over work content
Job Security
Stimulating Work
Fringe Benefits
Flexible work Schedule
Advancement opportunity
Salary / Wages
Size of Organization

Given the importance of getting corporate culture right, many organisations invest heavily in shaping their cultures and enriching various values but how many organisations derive maximum value from this investment? Does the money spent on developing and communicating mission statements and corporate values really change employee behaviour? Or, are there hidden, more powerful forces at work that make this investment ineffective? And if the investment in shaping culture does bring about change, is it promoting behaviours that support performance and strategy delivery, or is it inadvertently encouraging sabotage behaviours?

Armed with an understanding of how Value Index is formed, the path to aligning culture, strategy and Values becomes clear. Leaders can invest with confidence—demystifying the concept of values and bringing the full weight of their workforce behind improving organisational performance.

[Views expressed are personal]

The Article was originally published on LinkedIn

This article has been written jointly by Raj Gupta & Dr. Arun Sachar, as a part of series of 7 Articles on Organisation Climate in Post COVID Scenario. Refer to Link below for other article from the series. They also collaborated to write the Book Titled - Go & Get Your Success - A Kaleidoscope of Leadership Models that Unshackles Usual Patterns.

About the Authors -

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

Dr. Arun Sachar, An Educationist & Management Consultant with 30 years of experience with Top multinationals and premium academic institutions. Author of Many books & research articles.

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