The convergence of talent, technology and shifting psychographics has brought HR at the crossroads and driven them to lead the transformation agenda for the business. To understand this changing landscape, the HR Transformation Study digs deeper into the state of HR and HR Service Delivery model.  The results highlighted capability, engagement, and productivity as the top talent priorities for the APAC region. 

Source: HR Transformation Study

62 percent respondents had chosen Leadership and development as talent priority for coming three to five years, while retention and engagement and workforce planning were selected by 55 percent and 48 percent respectively. Technology- one of the critical elements, was observed to have a strong undercurrent, as 39 percent of the respondents chose ‘Technology Adoption’ as their talent priority. However, only 40 percent of those who were surveyed had confidence in their Program Design as program execution scored below 40 percent and the parameter ‘Leverages technology to meet the needs of the Workforce’ lied below one third while measuring the participant confidence on program execution. 

Here are some of the key findings from the survey: 

1. Deployments of Opti-channels were gaining momentum, creating a sense of certainty around greater self-service options across APAC. 
   
   
2. A shift in learning was witnessed to byte sized and video-based learning as mobile dominated the channel. And it would further accelerate with Augmented Reality coming into play. 
   
   
3. Continuous listening was identified as the essential element for delivering an excellent employee experience.
   
   
4. Organizations which had already addressed their HR Services Maturity and Technology Strategy were looking ahead to focus on "what's next," with the following things on their agenda:
   
   
   • Create and consistently update HR Systems Strategy
     
     
   • Making analytics a way of life backed by a will to act on insights
     
     
   • Implementing Enterprise Integration Strategy
     
     
   • Building a culture of Change Management
     
     
   • Adopting Mobile-enabled processes
     
     
   • Consider the role of Wearables 
     
     
5. With these evolving trends and the focus shifting on automation and advanced technology, over 35 percent of the respondents shared that they plan on making new investments over the coming 12-24 months.  As more than a quarter of the respondents were dissatisfied with their current platforms, here are some of the most pressing challenges on technology reported by them:
    
   • User Adoption
     
     
   • Integration (data and modules)
     
     
   • Change Management 
     
     
   • Cost
     
     
6. To align with the transformation and enhance the HR effectiveness organizations cross categories shared the top issues that they want to address in the next 12-24 months:
   
   
   • Upskilling HR competencies 
     
     
   • Re-evaluating HR priorities with respect to workforce issues 
     
     
   • Better integrate talent management processes
     
     
   • Implementation and utilization of technology and people analytics 
     
     
     
     Source: HR Transformation Study
     
     
7. The transformation and increased focus on technology and analytics would increase the focus on the following roles:
   
   
   • Business Consultants: To identify and implement value by articulating the key business questions that will drive value for performance, rewards, talent, and industry, with a focus on change management.
     
     
   • Data Scientists: Create predictive algorithms and analytical models that can deliver valuable insights. Typically, develop hypotheses in partnerships with business consultants.
     
     
   • Data Engineers (IT): Collect, manage, clean and store data (proprietary and public).
     
     
   • Storytellers: Present the data in different ways visually to tell the right story for the specific audience.
     
     
   • Program/Project Managers: Utilize strong project/program management and client relationship management—on time, on budget and above client expectations.
     
     

This study has so far enabled the change leaders to be more advanced on their HR Transformation journey.  Now, as we enter another year, it’s imperative to understand the current state of HR as well. Join Alight Solutions as it initiates a survey to gather latest insights in this space. 

Click here to participate and share your responses and practices and allow the entire HR community to steer through the transformation journey.