Revolutionise Your HR Strategy

A recent McKinsey report suggested that the ongoing industrial revolution demands a complete overhaul in how businesses operate. From this, you can draw a clear line as to how this will impact HR, and how it must shift from the tactical to the strategic, if organisations are to undertake this revamp.

The McKinsey article outlines eight key shifts that must be embraced by the HR function (paraphrased below from a recent Forbes article):

1. From Process to Project Focus: Move away from routine admin tasks to strategic, project-based work that drives business success.
2. From Control to Empowerment: Give employees more autonomy and access to information, using digital tools to boost effectiveness.
3. Expertise Availability: Break down organisational silos and make expertise accessible across the company through digital platforms.
4. Process Reengineering: Continuously rethink and improve HR processes for better efficiency.
5. Decoupled Control Centres: Adopt flexible management structures to support a distributed/remote/hybrid workforce.
6. “Industry 4 U” rather than Industry 4.0: Create inspiring and ergonomic work environments that boost employee well-being and productivity.
7. Capability Building: Rapidly upskill employees to keep pace with technological advancements.
8. Ecosystem Orchestration: Rethink how HR integrates innovation into the organisation’s value chain.

The Forbes article emphasises that these shifts are essential for HR to thrive in today’s digital landscape. HR professionals could be freed up by automating routine tasks with the help of AI or outsourcing administrative-heavy tasks. The downside is that this would require fundamental changes to most HR’s business models.

If you are an executive leader and would like to discuss how restructuring your HR model could benefit your organisation, please reach out to me via barry@johnsonrecruitment.com.au or call on 0427 406 325. Alternatively, I would love to hear how your organisation, or sector as a whole, is handling this “industrial revolution”.