Human digitization

In the HR sphere, there is a transformation of the role from a support service in charge of work discipline, training and motivation, to a business partner that directly affects the company's profitability through the management of human resources.

How is this transformation implemented and what are the new tasks that HR takes on?

If we look at the HR function from its beginnings in the first larger organizations and corporate systems, we see that this function is constantly changing.

What is encouraging is that in the last 50 years or so, since its more formal existence, the importance of the HR function has evolved from its primary functionalities, related only to administrative activities, human resources planning, to the modern understanding of the HR function as an essential and strategic function within of every system, be it micro, small or medium and large enterprises.

The task of the HR function is to be a compass and landmark for the company's management when it comes to its most important resources and potential, namely their employees.

HR today implies an understanding and capacity of its function to animate the management of the company, as well as the employees, towards the same goal, and therefore a common benefit. This implies an elevation of the authority and importance of the HR function, both in the eyes of the employer and the employees themselves.

Such an understanding opens the door to a true understanding of the HR function as a partner function, which implies objectivity, expertise, understanding of business, empathy towards people, as well as an understanding of contemporary trends, both local market trends and those from wider regional or global trends.

When we talk about leaders, we must mention charisma, the energy by which leaders are recognizable. What are the experiences of online leadership and is it a sustainable concept?

Today, leadership is a very broad concept and definition, and often subject to the self-understanding of each organization according to its internal culture or needs, so sometimes it is ungrateful to venture into more precise definitions.

The corona situation has led to physical distance and a reduced presence of hierarchy within the physical space, which implicitly leads to difficulties in organization and the way of working in companies where leadership is understood more in the direction of authority and control of employees.

In cases where leadership is understood as a term "role model", a pattern according to which that person should behave, or a system of values ​​in which integrity, teamwork, transparency and trust are present, the "online leader" can perform his function without any problems effectively.

The leader's charisma, or the values ​​he carries, does not limit the so-called "new normal" in which the majority of businesses are in online mode of operation. In my opinion, leadership means the quality of the relationship based on the previously mentioned set of values, according to which a leader or manager develops a relationship with his organization and his immediate employees, and therefore the newly created regime of functioning does not diminish his leadership potential.

What does the optimal balance of digitization and "Human Centric" approach mean?

If we understand human centric as an approach that puts the employee at the center of an organization's observation, as well as what is good and optimal for the employee, then digitization should be used to make it easier for people to function in a system, certainly not to make it more difficult.

In order to achieve this balance, the work of HR functions with all structures in the company is necessary. The larger and more complex the system, the more demanding it is to set up the digitization process in such a way that it is optimal and beneficial to everyone.

Has digitization changed the criteria on the basis of which we evaluate TOP talents?

I believe that digitalization has influenced to some extent the fact that we rely less on direct contact, meeting and feeling in the evaluations of top candidates, thus reducing the "personal bias" in the evaluation. As a result, the focus is increasingly on impersonal criteria, professional assessment centers and other assessment tools, as well as professional providers.

I would add that our region is still traditional compared to some other markets or regions of the world, so I believe that such digital, less personal interaction will be limited here at least for a while. Both approaches have their advantages and disadvantages, and depend on the specifics of the industry, as well as the position of C-level positions.

How do you see the future of the recruitment process?

The main change in the recruitment process will be the speed and concreteness of the recruitment process in communication with potential candidates, in order to manage the complexity of the market in which there will be a shaky balance between supply and demand of the labor market.

A large number of different studies talk about the future gap between the quality and profiled available workforce and the need on the market.

Therefore, it is expected that the process of recruitment and selection of candidates will be transformed into the animation of candidates, in order to ensure the necessary staff. Although our local market is not yet at such a stage in its entirety, but in part, such a development of things is very noticeable in some industries that