Will technology replace HR? The past two years have not just demonstrated but actively accelerated the critical need for HR to have technological acumen
key stakeholders, and build personal credibility.
The critical need for technological acumen
By Clinton Wingrove
C OVER
STORY
B
ack in 2020, I wrote about the challenges that HR faced in keeping pace with technology. I had restated my long-held belief that contemporary HR must have five skill sets not formerly associated with their function. Business acumen Understanding how each and every HR process impacts the organisation’s bottom-line (financial or social responsibility etc) so that they can prioritise strategic initiatives, including digitisation projects.
Technological acumen
Understanding the power of contemporary technology so that they can lead digitisation initiatives and not have them driven by IT or Procurement.
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Analytical acumen
Understanding how to ensure the collection and availability of quality HR data (comprehensive, valid, reliable, differentiating, useful, and defensible).
Courage
Demonstrating the courage to challenge the status quo, resist flawed requests, fight for what will work and what is right, call-out and standup to bias.
Personal effectiveness
Demonstrating the ability to command airtime, influence
The past 2 years have demonstrated, accelerated, and highlighted the critical need for HR to have technological acumen. HR technology is often referred to as though it is a single offering and many vendors want us to believe that, arguing that best-of-breed applications are inferior to their ERP applications. However, contemporary HR technology offers numerous forms of power that we can deploy and easily integrate, including but not limited to: 1. Transaction or process management e.g., improving the efficiency and effectiveness of recruiting, payroll, on-boarding, filing and retrieval, etc.; 2. Communications e.g., video conferencing, teamworking, collaborating, networking, ticketing;
