There will be unforeseen forces that will significantly affect how companies operate over the next decade. Financial fluctuations, scientific breakthroughs and political events may greatly influence how executives plan their strategies and how workers approach their jobs. Yet, it is clear that managing the complexities and paradoxes inherent in the evolving global organization will be critical for corporate leaders.

For organizations, that are set towards making a steady transition effectively from 2010 to 2020, the human resource team will facilitate and enable the firms to achieve the following:

Training and diversification between regions: In developed markets, continue the accent on accelerated leadership training among young workers while continuing to develop older managers. In India and other emergent economies, focus on evolved management practices and behavioral tenacity is noted. Diversify talent on every measure, including nationality and experience in other industries or functions. Seek employees who have a combination of local knowledge, global outlook and intuitive sense of the corporate culture.

Decision-making: Adopt an approach that allows for a dynamic balance of power between local operations and headquarters, and that fosters co-operation among local offices.

Flexibility: Consider technology that facilitates communication across borders, rationalizes the flow of information, interconnects local offices with each other (as well as with headquarters) and creates a feeling of community among the global workforce.

Workforce: As the workforce becomes increasingly contract-based, consider how to resolve cultural friction between full-time and contingent staff. Track the entire workforce’s satisfaction levels, monitor their career progress, and try to meet their expectations for challenge and recognition.

Organization: HR will be an important link between corporate headquarters, where the global workforce strategy is devised, and overseas operations, where managers will face the most pressing recruitment and people management issues.

My parting thought: Human nature is such that you have a co-ordination problem even when you have two people. When we started Canara HSBC, we had 7- 8 people in one room. Now we have 800+ people across the length and breadth of India. The key issue is getting people to work together to leverage our scale and tackle the opportunities and challenges.

On what HR should do less: Eradicate bureaucracy, eliminate communication barriers amidst ranks, clear away opaque hierarchical matrix and never make the mistake of assuming that technology can replace the "human touch".