HUMAN RESOURCES DRIVE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
There’s one main department behind the transformation process that affects companies, remodelling approaches and introducing new tools: Human Resources.
In this context, HR plays the role of guide and enabler of the overall transformation, having the responsibility of harmonising both the needs of a business with those of people. The transformation pervades all aspects of daily life, not only changing ways of life, but learning, working and reporting. The challenge has been picked up by organisations that have indicated digital innovation management as one of their main objectives for the current year. The transformation, however, isn’t so simple.
THE DIGITAL WORKFORCE
Often in businesses, “digital” roles are often scarce and, more often than not, dialogue between management and lines of business can be difficult. Being able to connect and communicate between the two worlds is exactly where the HR Department comes in: they must be able to sense change, in terms of professionalism and skills, required by other companies linked to digital evolution. Competitiveness and the survival of the same organisations will depend on their ability to attract new digital profiles in the upcoming years, in addition to enhancing and motivating present talent, finding the most appropriate way of governance, and putting the last pieces of the puzzle together.
A NEW DIMENSION FOR INTERNAL COMMUNICATION
The HR Department should have constant communication with business and be an active part of every business conversation, providing useful feedback to managers and workers and supporting them in their daily activities. Thanks to social media and social collaboration tools, HR Management can take on the role of content editor, together with Internal Communication, to promote collaboration and the exchange of ideas. The speed that information is transmitted is actually one of the main aspects of competitiveness that a company looks at the most. There are many opportunities to be seized: supporting the organisation in building a networking culture, collaboration, innovation and more flexible ways of work, training and development platforms to combine e-learning with social networks to encourage learning.
DIGITAL HR
The transformation also has an affect on the HR Department’s skills, as they need to firstly innovate themselves by taking on the new digital trends, while simultaneously taking on the role of those responsible for managing change. More than 90% of HR Departments in Italy have already launched plans to support their organisations through the process, mostly through open innovation projects started up with universities, research centres and start-ups (data taken from the Osservatorio HR Innovation Practice, 2017).
Implementing digital solutions for managing the HR Department leads to a process review, an important opportunity to simplify solutions while making them more efficient in responding to peoples’ and organisations’ requirements. In order to generate greater benefits, digital tools must always be used, therefore making it important for new practices immediately become an integral part of everyday life, not only of those of the HR Department, but for all workers: this is a digital culture spread to an entire organisation.