Canadian HR Strategy

30/CANADIAN HR STRATEGY COLUMNS E very year, university students from across Canada gath- er for Focus 2040. Put on by the Strategic Capability Network, the event hears students' take on how the working world will evolve over the next 25 years. Lots of interesting scenarios come from this crystal ball gazing and one point is clear — what is emerging will be transformative for the workplace. CHROs should already play a key role in protecting organi- zations from risk and ensuring the necessary human capital is there to support business objectives. On the risk management side, there will always be a broad array of issues. "Say on pay," for example, will garner even greater attention and more ag- gressive shareholder, and hedge fund, activism will place ad- ditional strains on boards and executive teams. But, looking ahead, it's on the human capital side where CHROs have an opportunity to make a greater strategic contri- bution to success. Two of the most significant trends are: • TECHNOLOGY CONVERGENCE: The third platform of computing (cloud, analytics, mobile, social). • THE CHANGING WORKPLACE: The rapid shift towards a workforce composition that is mobile, remote, diverse and contingent — with greater employee expectations of meaningful work lead- ing to personal fulfillment. Mobile accessibility to vital information will be easy and im- mediate. Terms like "strategic alliances," "behavioural account- ing," "biometrics" and "digital currencies" will be commonplace. Applications, such as Uber, that can disrupt industries will be abundant and have the potential of turning functional groups upside down. For example, data analytics are being extensively applied to a broad range of functional areas such as marketing, finance and HR; and social media applications are rapidly finding their way into marketing, customer service, communications and HR. The trends will accelerate rapidly and CHROs should view technology in a way similar to how we consider people as talent today — as a way of "getting work done." Robotics, artificial intelligence and drones will be leveraged, as will other technologies, so finding the right balance between technology and person-to-person contact will be key. The winnning organizations will be those that rapidly identify and respond to changing market conditions — a capability derived through enterprise technology convergence and a fluid work- force with competencies fully aligned with business needs. Achieving that convergence will be easier said than done. Many pieces have to fall in place — silos will need to co-oper- ate, mobile devices will need to be governed, cyber-security is- sues will need to be managed, social media will need to be fully leveraged and big data analytics will need to be fully exploited. Similarly, it will be about managing a largely contingent workforce with a "free agent" mentality — workers will be spread around the world, working remotely and highly diverse. Jobs, and even job families, could become redundant as new areas of expertise become essential. The good news is HR, with its cross-enterprise perspective and broad functional capabilities, is positioned as a key strate- gic player in shaping organizational success. With deep knowl- edge of the business strategy and technological building blocks used to achieve it, CHROs will enable forward momentum by: • identifying and facilitating opportunities for cross-silo tech- nology and workforce co-ordination and integration •identifying and developing the specific competencies needed to lead and manage technology convergence, as well as an aligned and agile workforce • building and maintaining the technology infrastructure needed to recruit and manage a contingent workforce • supporting a robust governance framework that includes clarity around data ownership and a social media policy which, at the same time, addresses security and privacy concerns regarding the use of personal devices. Getting the most of your talent, from executive development to enhancing employee engagement, will continue to offer a tremendous upside for creative, business savvy CHROs. Data mining and predictive analytics will be essential elements of the CHRO's tool kit, along with strategic thinking and thought- ful discussion at an executive level, as the HR function takes a more prominent role in advancing organizational strategies. Ian Hendry is vice-president of HR and administration at Interac and president of the Strategic Capability Network (www.scnetwork. ca). Ray Johnston is president of RD Johnston Associates and provides senior-level business and strategic planning services. Ian Hendry Ray Johnston BIG HR CHANGES COMING BY 2040

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