"iPhone 5 available”, "Dark Knight released worldwide" these messages are now being read on the same day in shops and theatres across India as well as anywhere else in the World. Welcome to the truly global India.
As per global report based upon the research of Prof Ratcliff J. , the Future Workplace in 2030 shall represent three scenarios - a) The first scenario, 'Jazz', describes a competitive global village where the workplace is a network; b) The second scenario 'Wise Counsels' depicts a secure, responsible workplace with a focus on work/life balance and the workplace as a community; and c) the 'Dantesque' which is a fragmented world that values profit over employees and views the workplace as a fortress.

The point to ponder is the complexities and different approach required by HR to manage the workforce in this truly global environment. I see the following challenges of HR in 2030:

1. Managing Transitions and Integration: By 2030 businesses would grow through entrepreneurial success, mergers and acquisitions and other inorganic models. One of the biggest HR challenge will be to support the transformational issues of succession planning, culture congruency and cascade, Value Cascade, aligning the expectation of a new joinee in such an environment. One of the key functions which shall be most sought during integrations, transitions in inorganic growth scenario shall be the Transformational HR resource.

2. Managing Talent: One of the biggest challenges for HR in 2030 will be around managing talent.

Trends: The top three trends in Talent Management will be:

a) Moving experienced employees from home market to new global market to bridge the skill gap

b) Develop and promote from within for key positions in new markets

c) Recruit locally

CEO challenge: The CEO's need to have info on ROI on human capital , productivity , employees views and needs and its impact on strategic initiative , innovation shall be the key requirement . This combined with increase of the talent related expenses shall make HR totally accountable on providing a viable talent management execution model.

Capability Building: The "Line People Manager" concept shall become a norm than an exception in 2030 workplaces. However one of the expectations of the line managers and employees shall be to build managerial capability. Another important challenge will be the dilemma of trained, trainability and training the resource. Whether to get trained resource train the resource or building a capability development path to build continuously and the decision of the timing shall be another challenge.

3. Managing Diversity:

One of the biggest challenges of 2030 shall be managing the diversity. India shall have approximately 1.2 billion people who shall be employable at the age of 25-30. Most of them were born in the 21st century and had iPad as their toys, Facebook as their identity and Xbox as their favourite game. Managing them shall be managers born in the eighties who had seen the beginning of the globalisation. This shall bring forth multitude of issues in diversity in thinking, beliefs, leadership styles, language, technology, norms etc.

With increased globalisation the reality shall be to manage global and local teams and work in multi and cross cultural set ups.

The critical question to ask is - What Transformational HR skills are needed for the future of HR? What value will Operational HR add in the scenario of LPM (Line People Manager)?

The future of 2030 is indeed very exciting and requires a fresh set of competencies.