Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER FEBRUARY 2019 6 NEWS "To foresee the end game is difficult in some cases with technology, because it is continually evolving." Wait-and-see approach to technology 'risky stance' in disruptive times: Report Two-thirds of HR executives say profession undergoing digital transformation BY SARAH DOBSON WHILE change is inevitable when it comes to digital transfor- mation, HR leaders have conflict- ing attitudes and approaches in dealing with the change, accord- ing to a report from KPMG. ere's a gap between action and inertia, with forward-looking HR leaders harnessing the re- sources and insights that will re- define the traditional HR model and its contributions — that means strategic plans and newer technologies such as analytics, digital labour and artificial intel- ligence (AI). On the other hand, there's a larger segment of less-confident HR leaders taking a wait-and- see approach. But that's a "risky stance" because those making limited strides could see today's technology disrupt them out of existence, according to e Fu- ture of HR 2019: In the Know or in the No, based on a survey of 1,200 global HR executives. e adoption of AI and newer tech is still in the early stages in Canada, according to Soula Cour- las, partner and national leader for people and change services at KPMG in Canada. "We've seen this with analyt- ics and the whole drive towards data analytics. at is something we've been talking about for years — it takes some time. I think it's the conservative nature or within the DNA of our country and also within the function — sometimes it takes some time to see the value of it, before diving wholeheartedly into its application," she said. "Sometimes it's a bit of 'We don't know what we don't know,' and to foresee the end game is difficult in some cases with tech, because it is continually evolving." Coping with and embracing change means facilitating collab- oration between employees and technology, exploiting the capa- bilities of data and analytics tools for informed decision-making and predictive insights, and hav- ing new skills critical to success, along with meeting the needs of a multigenerational workforce, ac- cording to the report. As the pace of change quick- ens, not only does HR need to transform itself, but it needs to help organizations transform as well, said Eric Beaudoin, direc- tor of future of HR, people and change adviser services at KPMG in Montreal. "More and more, the C-suite is realizing how important their tal- ent, their people are, and investing in it, and they're turning to HR to help them through that change, that evolution, thinking about what they're going to look like in the future, what capabilities they need. And that demands a lot of time." At the same time, HR needs to look at itself and see how it can better use technology, he said. "And AI may be scary because some people will think 'It's going to take my job.' But… it's just going to be enhancing your job, bring- ing you to actually be able to do high-impact, high-strategic work that will enable your organiza- tion to fully realize the talent that they have internally and be able to stay at the top of the pyramid of Maslow where the organization will be able to fully expand, reap the full potential of the talent." Lack of confidence Two-thirds of HR executives be- lieve HR has undergone or is un- dergoing a digital transformation. But only 40 per cent have a digital workplan in place at the enterprise or HR level, found the survey. And while 70 per cent of HR executives recognize the need for workforce transformation, only about one-third (37 per cent) are very confident about HR's ability to transform itself and the work- force, while 24 per cent are less or not confident. The speed with which HR adopts digital advances can de- pend on whether it's operat- ing from a more transactional, traditional place, or a strategic po- sition, said Courlas. "If they don't have a seat at the table or don't have the same re- ception of their value at the high- est levels, its gets a bit more dif- ficult to advance from a technol- ogy perspective unless it becomes a way to minimize the function," she said. " Traditionally, leadership might see HR as a necessary evil rather than a real, true differen- tiator and a value-add, so if it's more on the necessary evil (side), those organizations may be a bit more behind the eight ball or be- hind the curve when advancing in technology." Often, HR is seen as the gate- keeper or protector of talent, so it can become risk-adverse and those technologies can be daunt- ing because HR doesn't want to mess with some of those fun- damentals, such as payroll, said Beaudoin. "People can be scared by that." Sometimes, HR is seen as lack- ing vision in terms of where it wants to be, he said. IT'S > pg. 11

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