HR, technology & the future

9/14/13

This week in the SHRM communities most of the discussions have been focused on the use of social media at work. Everyone agrees that it is a very useful tool for connecting people to one another. Some of us face issues at work where the exchange of information between groups could be improved by a cloud based platform. It would help the employees step outside of their bubble, learn from each other, even gain insight on their respective roles, and find purpose and value in their work. It can contribute to an employee's signature experience. As companies try to consider the best approach to implementing social media in their work culture, the challenge is to define and adopt a version that would best fit into that culture.

One of my questions to the SHRM communities was how does an organization ensure that HR professionals receives the proper training or the necessary guidance on how to choose the best technology for their business?

Here are some thoughts on this question. As HR continues to establish itself as a strategic partner, its role will become more integrated into the business of its organization. It is, and will be called to manage a workforce that needs to develop new skills set constantly. They will be required to play more of a pro-active role 1) in recruiting, by using analytics to identify and attract the best talents, 2) in helping employees develop their career path by designing "incentives, market-based mechanisms and information sharing tools" (De Leon, LaVelle & Cantrell, 2013, p. 8). Based on such premises, successful organizations must treat HR professionals as part of that workforce that will be required to be continuous learners. They must ensure that HR is included in the just-in-time workforce capability; which is defined as a "fluid workforce that learns new skills as an embedded part of everyday work while sharing their skills transparently with others" (De Leon et al, 2013, p. 8).

De Leon et al, (2013) predict that skills will continue to be scarce in the turbulent business environment. HR organizations must be able to develop and source the skills "just in time," as needed


De Leon, D., Lavelle, K., Cantrell, S., (2013). Trends reshaping the future of HR: Tapping skills anywhere, anytime. Accenture. Retrieved from http://www.accenture.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/PDF/Accenture-Trends-Reshaping-Future-HR-Skills.pdf