„If you are reading this article, it’s probably because you are interested in agile and how it is impacting the organization.
The reason why we are writing this article is to demonstrate how agile can impact the organization when it is done hand in hand with HR. Read further, you’ll see that we find common interest.
A survey carried out by BCG* showed that around 85% of companies have gone through one or several transformations over the last decade. When surveyed, they acknowledged that 75% of those transformations failed to improve business performance, either short-term or long-term.
„How can you convince your employees that transformation is a real thing when you keep managing them in the same old way?“
Very early in deciding to go for a transformation program, whether it is digital or not, many leaders realize how important it is to convince and explain to their employees why and how it is going to happen. As much useful as it is to put transformation on a successful track, it is still not enough. But how can you sincerely convince your employees that transformation is a real thing when you keep managing them in the same old way? When you keep offering the same career paths, the same training offer, the same talent programs, the same recruitment processes? When you keep promoting experts instead of managers? When you keep promoting the same type of employees?
Well, the truth is: you can’t convince them this way. And worse, you may lose your best employees by missing an opportunity to tackle the following issues:
1. HR people have to be involved from day 1 in the transformation process… … Not only as a support function, but also as a key function that has to be transformed. To put it in other way: HR should be transformed to become transforming. HR function is the first contact between the organization and candidates applying, new hires, new managers, talents, employees on parental leave, etc. if HR is not impacted by transformation, then how should the whole story be credible?
2. HR is not an administrative function.
HR is the fuel of the company and as such should have the role and the tools to act as such. How can you expect an engine to work without fuel? Business needs a strong HR, a partner with whom to talk every day. By being positioned differently, HR becomes actor of transformation and increases the possibility for transformation to be successful. HR should be the emotional intelligence of the organization.
3. HR needs to define new KPIs to measure if actions are efficient or not.
New HR, new KPIs. Just like marketing needs to measure the impact of its actions for customers, HR needs to be able to measure if its actions are impacting the employees. No need for a thousand, but two or three can provide relevant information that you are on the right direction or if you need to review your setup.
4. HR should not design a process, a tool or a solution without putting the user first.
And there are hundreds of methods to help do that. HR needs to be trained to these methods and needs to practice them in daily life. What is the need of the users? What are the pain points? What are the emotions of users when using HR services? How to develop prototypes to see if the solution is the right answer?
Odona is specialized in supporting HR to become an agent of transformation for the company. If you want to know more about any of these points or receive support from our consultants, please contact us through our contact form.
(Ref: https://www.bcg.com/publications/2015/people-organization-leaders-guide-to-always-on-transformation.aspx)