“It is crucial to recognize, reward, and celebrate accomplishments” by Rosabeth Kanter.

In a dynamic world with consistent disruption, human capital issues must be considered as enterprise issues to be shaped through HR, however addressed throughout the C-Suite. Some people see disruption as a challenge; but we at Learn Transformation see it as an opportunity. To take the lead, the future of HR demands big shifts in mind-set, capabilities, roles & digital enablers with revive at the core. As technology fiercely rephrase the rules for success in business, it should be obvious by now that the traditional HR function must be redefined for the 21^st century. Wise organizations boldly chasing strategic change are sensibly positioned to be among the disruptors instead the disrupted, establishing modern HR functions that contribute evaluative new vision & business value.

HR transformation is the process of implementing change to the manner in which the organisation as a whole delivers HR & making an organization future ready.

For the HR function, it is the most opportune time to re-evaluate its service delivery model. Common reasons for organisations to begin on HR transformation include attaining business goals such as improving capacity to recruit & retain the right people and aligning HR more closely with business strategy.

Learn Transformation’s Framework for HR Transformation

Key shifts & trends are modifying the way HR must deliver to lead higher value for the business & improve the customer experience. HR can lead in this world of disruption.

• Capacity: Save some time for HR function to concentrate on the moments that truly matter to the business & the organization as a whole.

• Ability: Enabling HR to deliver upon those moments that matter with the right solutions in the right circumstances at the right time.

• Community: Developing connections across providers, silos, geographies & customers to make one HR organization.

• Reliability: Give HR the license the support of the business to influence & involve on the main issues & initiatives.

Building A Digital HR Organization

Now almost every company is going through a digital transformation. Artificial intelligence, Cloud & mobile computing, and increasing automation have generated the potential to transform nearly every aspect of a business. We see how digital has modified media, transportation, retail & education. Now it’s HR’s turn.

HR leaders inclusive of Diane Gherson at IBM & Susan Peters at General Electric, are modifying HR to deliver an employee experience that is human centered, utilizes the latest digital technologies, and is personalized, compelling & memorable. Another example is, Zulily, an e-commerce company selling toys, clothing & home products, invites candidates applying for a job on its social media team to submit an Instagram post that best represents themselves & what they would bring to the team.

1. Use an Agile Approach to Recruit & Develop Employees–

 An agile approach is generally used in software development to operate with speed & manage changeability. This method is now being used to recruit & develop employees. Agile is not only being applied to recruiting but also to learning & development. Apply an agile approach to corporate learning which makes it easy for employees to find, rate, tag & consume learning. Then they will see their job as learning curators rather than content creators. Companies like Adidas, IBM, Visa, MasterCard & General Electric are adopting new intelligent HR digital platforms to create a Netflix-like experience for corporate learners.

2. Apply a Consumer Marketing Lens to HR- 

HR departments are applying a range of consumer marketing tools, such as hackathons, design thinking & sentiment analysis to create a riveting employee experience. For instance, IBM uses design thinking & their own sentiment analysis tool, called Social Pulse, to expose vision in redefining performance management. Cisco uses the concept of hackathons, from the IT world, to create new HR products such as the YouBelong@Cisco app to support new hires & their managers in navigating the first weeks at Cisco, and Ask Alex: Your Personal Intelligent Compass, a voice command app providing quick & personalized information on a range of HR questions such as expense reports, vacation policy & health related questions.

3. Pilot Chatbots in HR- 

Marketers are already using bots or artificial intelligence computer program designed to imitate a conversation through written or spoken text—to deliver personalized conversational experiences online. During 2016, we saw a rush of interest in chatbots with the generation of digital co-workers, meaning a piece of software that works alongside you at your job & participates in the regular activities of your company as an active & engaged member of the team.

Increasingly, it will be hard to distinguish what is done by a machine & what is being done by a person. We see an opportunity here for a forward-looking HR team to understand the circumstances of how automation will affect the future of work. Pilot one of the chatbots in HR to see how these digital co-workers can advise & improve HR transformation.

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4. Focus on Team Development, Not just Individual Development– 

While HR departments have commonly focused on individual employees—recruiting them, developing them & evaluating their performance—we are seeing the arrival of a new ability, one of developing team intelligence, or the practice of understanding what makes great teams deliver exceptional results. Ashley Goodall, Senior Vice President of Leadership & Team Intelligence at Cisco says that, they noticed great achievements are delivered through teams, not just through individuals working alone. So the aim is to put the lens of team dynamics on the whole HR process. 

Manage Transition

As an organization works through a new program, some unpredicted circumstances could menace to hinder this new transition along with legacy programs. It could be short funding, too quick growth, a change of culture or of talent, or a move in leadership & the respect, process & policies that go along with them. What requires to be done to ensure everything goes according to plan?

The process of Manage Transition requires the implementation of change through systematic planning, organizing & execution of change to reach the advantageous future state without impacting the continuity of business during the process of change. The manage transition process starts much before the real change occurs & the members of the senior management play the role of transition managers who support the change agent in the complete process of change. During the whole process of transition, effective communication with all the key stakeholders directly or indirectly involved in the process performs a key role.

Manage Transition is a part of the change management process that deals particularly with the transition of employees working in the department or business unit that is being outsourced to the service provider. Every transition is unique & there is no unique formula for success, but we do find constant patterns.

Here are some points you can consider amplifying the positives of the transition:

1. Admit that something is ending: Acknowledging the conclusion of the present phase helps us prepare for what is appearing, which is much more effectual than pretending that it’s not happening.

2. Honor the transition: Depart from the status quo can be a challenge, give some time to the process. Celebrate or grieve the change as appropriate; sometimes it’s both.

3. Be appreciative for the lessons from the ending of the present chapter: Even when we are grieving the ending, find the positives in the situation & be obliged. We will be better equipped to move forward when we can learn from what is going away.

4. Explore the brand-new possibilities: List the fresh opportunities that can come about. Particularly if the change was uncertain, give yourself some time before jumping into the next thing during the process of business transformation.

5. Envision the new phase: Put imagination, words & action into what is developing – visualize what you wish & hold the intention that it evolves to be even better than you can picture. Your intention is powerful & you can influence the results by your conscious thoughts & action.

Bridges’ Transition Model

It’s essential to understand how people are feeling as change proceeds, so that you can mentor them through it & in the end – they can accept it & support it. 

Bridges’ Transition Model facilitates you do this. William Bridges generated the Transition Model & posted in his 1991 book “Managing Transitions”. The solidity of the model is that it concentrates on transition, not change. The difference between these is minute but essential. Change is the shift in the outside situation. Change is something that happens to people & Change can happen very swiftly. Transition, on the opposite side, is internal: it is what occurs in people’s minds as they undergo change. A transition is the reorientation people need to make in response to the change. Transition usually can take time.

The model displays 3 phases of transition that people undergo after they revel in change. These are:

1. Ending, Losing & Letting Go– When you first show them with change, people enter this initial stage of transition. This stage is often marked with friction & emotional disruption, because people are being forced to release something that they are pleasant with. People may experience emotions like: contradiction, sadness, fear, frustration, anger, perplexity, uncertainty, a sense of loss. They have to accept that something is ending before they can start to accept the new idea.

This stage may involve several reactions:

• Disconnection: This is the HR transformation phase during which people tend to disconnect themselves from the situation & mourn for whatever was left behind in the past.

• Depersonalization: This may be expressed by the people in the form of identity clash as a result of the unreliabilities included in the process.

• Dissatisfaction: This is the stage during which people generally don’t find any conviction due to the identity clash,

If you don’t hail the emotions that people are going through, you’ll probably experience resistance throughout the complete change process.

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How to guide people through Ending Phase?

It’s essential to accept people’s resistance & understand their emotions. Give some time to accept the change & let go and try to interact everyone about what they’re feeling. Make sure that you listen energetically & communicate frankly about what’s going to happen.

Highlight how people will be capable to use their skills, experience & knowledge once you’ve executed the change. Explain them, how will you provide training & resources to them to work efficiently in the new VUCA environment.

People mostly fear what they don’t understand, so the more you can explain them about a positive future, the probably they are to move on to the next stage.

2. The Neutral Phase- People impacted by the change are often demented, uncertain & restless, in this stage. Depending on how well you manage the change, they may also experience a higher workload as they get used to new systems & new ways of working. This stage can be thought of as the bridge between the old & the new.

Here, people may undergo-

• Dissolution: This is the stage during which some people accept that the old processes no longer exist & they have to deal with the changes. While, it is hard for few to get accompanying the transition which they generally express in the form of resistance or shyness.

• Disorientation: It is the manage transition stage of neutrality where the old processes no longer exist, & the new is yet to happen. Besides these, this stage can also be one of great creativity, innovation & modernization. This is a great time to motivate people to try new ways of thinking or working.

How to guide people through Neutral Phase?

Your guidance is enormously vital as employees undergo this neutral phase. This can be an unbearable time, because it can seem unproductive. People may experience a bit lost, offer them with a strong feel of direction. Remind them of team goals & motivate them to talk about what they’re feeling.

Provide feedback regularly to employees on how they’re performing, particularly with respect to change. It’s also essential to define short-term goals during this phase, so that people can experience some quick wins. Boost employees’ morale & continue to remind people of how they can contribute to the success of the change.

3. The New Beginning- This is the phase of Recovering & starting once again. This is a time of acceptance & energy. People have started to welcome the change initiative. They’re developing the skills they need to work productively in the new way. People will probably experience high energy, renewed commitment to the group, openness to learning, eventually leading towards a better organization transformation.

• Inner Amendment: After discovering the realities, the individuals adopt new plans & objectives, establish new priorities or goals for the future & try to understand their new roles.

• Investment: During this phase, individuals focus on reinvesting their energies to new methods & processes.

How to Guide People Through Phase 3?

As people start to adopt the change, it’s important that you help them endure it. Use techniques like Management by Objectives to associate people’s personal goals to the long-term goals of the organization.

Take time to celebrate the change you’ve all gone through & reward your team  for all their hard work. However, don’t become too complacent – remember that not everyone will reach this stage at the same time.

Final Word

Digitization is more than ever required to drive continuous improvement in business processes. One such transformation that needs to be considered is the HR transformation. This is because it is the fastest-growing segment in the global economy and is expected to contribute significantly to the company’s growth. Human resource professionals have moved away from negotiating terms and conditions of employment to working with business partners who deliver value-based solutions.

Frequently Asked Questions