Canadian HR Reporter

SEPTEMBER 8, 2014 CANADIAN HR REPORTER & STRATEGIC CAPABILITY NETWORK Technological advances, demographic shifts and new ways of work- ing are having a major effect on the human resources profession, according to Maria Forbes, managing director of Root, a change company in Los Angeles. "ey are affecting and shaping our future, and we have to act on how we plan on embracing some of these changes," she said. "If you are snoozing on this, you are part of a crime against your organiza- tion, I would say." "If you're passive in this, you're not helping your organization be successful," said Forbes, speaking at a recent SCNetwork event in Toronto. "It's your time." Root is working to bring to life a vision set in motion by CHRE- ATE — a global Consortium to Reimagine HR, Employment Alternatives, Talent and the Enterprise. From 2013 to 2017, more than 50 CHROs and HR leaders con- tributed to the CHREATE project in an effort to advance the future of HR, by mapping out ways the profession must evolve to meet the challenges of the next decade. rough the CHREATE proj- ect, several strategies and tools were created to address questions or challenges organizations may be facing. Progressive HR e rapid pace of change within organizations has been a chal- lenge for HR practitioners, said Forbes. While the profession has steadi- ly progressed since the 1930s, it still has much untapped potential in terms of value-add within orga- nizations, she said. "ere's a steady progression of HR," said Forbes. "We've chal- lenged ourselves as thought part- ners in the business. But where we are really falling short is on our potential, for a number of differ- ent reasons." is gap between reality and potential can also be referred to as "HR's tipping point," she said, and holds the key to the industry's evolution and continued value within business and strategy over the next 10 years. A report card survey issued by CHREATE on CHRO capabilities revealed that HR is perceived to be strong on consulting, partner- ship and workforce management, according to CEOs, but the pro- fession continues to lag in leader- ship by experimentation, trans- formation or change leadership, said Forbes. "e report card that came back is pretty ugly, at the moment," she said. "I feel like we're sort of sick of hearing that we don't have busi- ness acumen, and things like this. We in the HR community think, 'Yes, we do,' but we need to do something about it." 5 forces of change e future of work is being affect- ed by five major forces, according to Forbes. ey are: the exponential pat- tern of technological change, social and organizational recon- figuration, a connected world, an all-inclusive, global talent market, and human-machine collabora- tion, she said. Technological change: Tech- nology breakthroughs will pro- duce continuous disruption in business models, according to CHREATE's research. Most rou- tine jobs will be automated and the remaining roles will require increases in critical thinking and behavioural skills. Social, organizational recon- figuration: Organizations will become less hierarchical in order to improve the flow of ideas and speed of decision-making as work becomes more project-based. Workers will be drawn to work- places aligned with their values. Connected world: Work can now be performed anywhere, and real-time communication accel- erates ideation. "We are everywhere; our re- sources are everywhere," said Forbes. "e speed of how people are connected is so different. How do we embrace that?" Global talent market: HR practitioners will no longer be able to ignore demands from talent on how and where they prefer to work, while diversity will expand, and longevity will keep employ- ees in the workforce for greater amounts of time, she said. Human-machine collabora- tion: Advances in analytics, algo- rithms and automation will drive improvements by complementing human capabilities. "The collaboration between machine and human is happen- ing and we have to embrace that and understand that, and what it means for talent," said Forbes. ese five forces can be broken down into two main themes — the democratization of work and technological empowerment, which together provide an axis for assessment for individual or- ganizations in terms of future sce- narios and where they can expect to end up, she said. Assessing the future Learning maps can assist and define the content of ongoing conversation between HR and business leaders, said Forbes, to help drive strategic discussion in terms of how HR is viewed in role and function. "is is not an HR issue," she said. "is is a business issue that HR has a key role in, in terms of driving the change." "The findings really draw us to (the conclusion that) we are involved in the business strategy like we never have been before. People and talent have been part of the agenda, but this is a criti- cal component to the success of organizations." e future of organizations, including determining direc- tion of corporate strategy and possible constraints, is a C-suite discussion that human resources absolutely needs to be a part of — and not just as a facilitator, said Forbes. "at conversation has to hap- pen with your businesses. (Your leaders) are the ones that are going to push what's important. They're close to the markets. You need to be a part of that conversation." "We all know these trends are happening, but whether you get off your bum and do something about it, it's not going to be on your own — it's going to be with the business," she said. "Stop hanging onto what you did before. Be awake and aware of how people need to engage across the whole demographic." "HR has a significant place," said Forbes. "Don't ask for permission to speak. Speak with an informed voice and show your capability." Credit: GaudiLab (Shutterstock) Reimagining HR CHREATE group maps out possible evolutions of profession BY MARCEL VANDER WIER "Stop hanging on to what you did before. Be awake and aware of how people need to engage across the whole demographic. Don't ask for permission to speak."

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