Article: Skill upgrade: Adaptability to automation is key to succeed at work 

Talent Acquisition

Skill upgrade: Adaptability to automation is key to succeed at work 

Qualifications and skills are not the only criteria, but the ability and willingness of a candidate to absorb the company’s new age mechanisms are equally important.
Skill upgrade: Adaptability to automation is key to succeed at work 

The exponential growth of technology has drastically transformed the landscape of India Inc., both in its functioning and understanding of the external environment. This transformation—in people and the IT environment—has made it essential for enterprises to either create or adapt to these constant changes, or perish.  In this digital age, technology and innovation have led to cutthroat competition among players. During the talent acquisition process, qualifications and skills are not the only criteria, but the ability and willingness of a candidate to absorb the company’s new age mechanisms are equally important.

Over the past couple of decades the international players in the industry have significantly influenced the Indian IT scenarios by bringing in new methods to automate processes. Soon the domestic IT giants came into the picture and joined hands with enterprises with expertise to develop automation tools meant to be used both in house and by the clients. 

With such quantum change in the modality of functioning, the need of the hour is to put the country’s manpower to effective use. Skill upgradation should be of the utmost priority. As more companies resort to automation, it has become important that the workforce itself becomes more competent. Organizations are now implementing more productivity driven models in order to maximize revenue and as a result the use of human capital is becoming specialized and focused.

The payment industry, in the recent past, has not shied away from adopting and outsourcing various automation techniques to beef up efficiency and reduce workforce.  Some may argue that automation kills jobs, but the truth is that it leads to the development of more skilled human resources with better potential and helps reduce disguised unemployment in the economy. Automation has also helped in amplifying the potential of the workforce, allowing a company to eradicate repetitive tasks. Mechanization in manufacturing as well as service industries has aided in creating new roles that demand domain expertise to manage.  The high attrition rates of the IT companies also help build a strong case to take the automation route.

The mechanization of industries, which began in the early 90’s, was often looked upon as an unfamiliar nemesis that would eventually lead to the fall of the human workforce. But today, innovations and concepts like Internet of Things (IoT) are testament to the fact that IT and automated processes will play a major role in most of what we do, whether in or outside of our offices.

The Indian IT industry is worth $146 billion and is expected to grow between 12-14 % in 2015-16. To match this growth rate, the industry has invested in advanced platforms, infrastructure and technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) which is used in application maintenance, infrastructure management and product testing. AI, real time analytics, mobility, cloud and automation solutions are interlinked with each other and along with other core applications form an essential a part of our daily work.

With the number young people joining the working population increasing every year, India Inc. needs to be equipped and prepared for the same. The hiring process from the inception should focus on acquiring highly trained talents that will be able adapt to a dynamic automated system. In the Indian framework, it is critical to strike the perfect balance between automation and workforce mobilization in order to extract optimum results. Companies should manage their resources efficiently by continuously working towards the skills development of their current employees and providing sound knowledge of global best practices. 

The road ahead for the Indian industry is not as easy as it would seem as an HR manager will be responsible to maintain that balance. It will be a litmus test as systems get more and more automated and the workforce required must have the technical knowhow to adapt to an ever dynamic environment. The ability to strike the right balance within the modern workplace with emphasis on skilled workforce will truly script the future of India Inc.

 

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Topics: Talent Acquisition, Skilling, #TAWeek

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