HR goes Digital

HR goes Digital

Much has been said and written about the digital economy, but what is it about exactly? This is one of the most transformational times in human history: the way we work will change dramatically and the required skills will be different. Whereas in the past changes happened gradually, this change is exponential. The changes are also combinatorial, amplifying each other: quantum computing fuels big data, the internet of things fuels artificial intelligence and machine learning, which fuels robotics. However, everything that cannot be digitized or automated will become extremely valuable. Human traits such as creativity, imagination, intuition, emotion, ethics will be the NeXT transactionable goods. The goal is to go beyond technology and data to reach human insights and WISDOM. Consider the example of an ERP consultant: while in the past consultancy firms looked for technical specialists, the role should and will be transformed into that of a Business Consultant leveraging on technology to drive organizational change. The consultants do have technical skills, correct, but they also have process experience which can be transferred from one company to another. From that view, having a deep insight into the tool is not as important as adding strategic value to management. Consider the following graph known as Martec’s Law: while technology changes at an exponential rate, organizations change at a logarithmic rate. The gap between these two curves must be covered by the Business Consultant, who provides advice as to how to embrace change and which technologies are best for the specific organization to adopt.

The same view can be applied to most positions that are technology driven. In the past, HR would go for candidates that had the specific technical knowledge regarding the tool that will be used for the position. But how can they look now for people with skill-sets in Big Data, the Internet of Things or Artificial Intelligence? In the article: “85% Of Jobs That Will Exist In 2030 Haven’t Been Invented Yet: Dell” we learn that: "The pace of change will be so rapid that people will learn 'in the moment' using new technologies such as augmented reality and virtual reality. The ability to gain new knowledge will be more valuable than the knowledge itself. In other words, get ready for a lifetime of skills training and retraining, in real time”.

The “have you done it before?” question that is asked during interviews to tech specialists seems a little too 20^th Century, as the 21^st century gives room to ever changing careers shifts where staying ahead of the curve is key not to become obsolete. In the past, training was in charge of supervisors or managers. Hiring people with the concrete experience in the tool would serve as an accelerator of the learning curve; meaning: the supervisor would not have to use so much time of their time in training. But today, online courses are very accessible, changing the game once more. An IT engineer, for example, can easily be switched towards a new technology with the proper training. The focus then should not be on looking for people with the specific knowledge, but rather on finding candidates with the fundamental knowledge which through training can be transformed into the skill-set the organization is looking for.

https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/07/14/85-of-jobs-that-will-exist-in-2030-haven-t-been-invented-yet-d_a_23030098/