Digital transformation is changing the world we live in and the exponential growth of technology has a massive impact on how HR get to handle teams in various capacities in businesses. Even as individuals are constantly embracing technology, HR is entrusted with the continuous responsibility to stimulate innovation and accelerate change in the workplace. This ,therefore, warrants the seamless integration of digital capabilities in the way we work, forcing us to adopt to digital technologies and tools to ensure cohesiveness and seamless management of teams, especially with hybrid/remote working becoming a norm. There are a lot of dynamics that changed in the management and expectations of teams that can be effectively achieved through digitalization as the traditional competitive edge disappears.
The digital transformation
Traditionally HR functions would entail face to face communication, transactional processes and lots of paperwork. However, with the digital evolution of these processes, most tasks have been automated by technology-based systems.
The role of HR professionals has therefore evolved as they focus more on employee experience through recruitment tools like the ATS, automated resume screening, evaluations and on boarding processes to enhance candidate experience. Employee performance and engagement are analyzed using performance management tools which highlight areas of growth and develop personalized training and development plans for the team.
By leveraging Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), the algorithms help analyze large amounts of employee data to predict patterns and design analytics practices to make more informed data-driven decisions with greater reliability, contributing to stakeholder value through human capability.
However, much AI has the ability to automate repetitive tasks, streamline processes and offer digital assistance in several HR functions. It’s essential to look at AI tools as productivity assistants. The accuracy of AI models depends on the quality of data input which creates a system of intelligence with a focus on internal processes leading to better predictions that makes in-house machine learning models preferable as compared to off- shelf models that might be developed with a bias depending on the market niche and the data input.
HR automation is not only limited to automation and efficiency; it entails unleashing the full potential of the workforce.
To foster innovation in the workplace it’s important to reward innovation initiatives from the team and allow their exposure to different technologies to stay abreast with industry and marketplace trends. Creating a safe environment that values creativity and encourages continuous learning allows employees to learn the relevant tools which contribute to an organizational competitive edge. It’s equally important to encourage adaptability, collaboration and a growth mindset from the teams.
Transforming organizational culture to fully embrace digital intelligence can be quite a hustle. Slowly sparking conversations with stakeholders, boards and management and setting out clear expectations and impact of achieving digitalization helps drive the re-culturing conversation. Culture is what is tolerated and rewarded in the organization, and for digitalization to be accepted, it has to be a clear process with strategic goals and objectives. HR should cultivate a culture of accountability in experimenting with digital tools and offering guidance on what to learn and improve on.
It is critical to collaborate with tech teams to pick on user friendly tools that would favor individuals with technical and non- technical backgrounds. Human Centered design (HCD) has to be at the forefront of leveraging innovation in organizations. Design thinking is more or less about empathy for the end user and ensuring inclusion for every member of the team. It entails adapting to the needs of the users of the processes, and generating ideas and solutions that are objective oriented. Continuous iteration and feedback are at the center of human Centered design.
Conclusion
Employees may be threatened by tech and AI tools or get hesitant to adapt (adapt) to change. However, in such instances, communicate with clarity so that every employee is aboard with the company goals, conduct relevant trainings, workshops and webinars to equip the team with relevant knowledge, recruit talent with the relevant skills and expertise, and finally, take a strategic holistic approach in ensuring no member of the team is left behind.
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