HR should be change leaders and not just change agents in an organization that’s facing intense competition due to globalization, WTO deals and merger & acquisitions, said Mr S Sandilya, Chairman, Eicher Group.  Speaking on the changing role of HR in today’s world, while addressing a day-long seminar organized by the Confederaion of Indian Industry (CII) on ‘HR Interface: Maximising ROI,’ here on Tuesday, Mr  Sandilya said, “rather than being a fence-sitter in organistional activities, HR should play the role  of  a partner in  the business strategies. They need to interact with the vendors/customers and have newer methods of delivery – both quantitative and qualitative.

Discussions were held on the study by Mercer on “Global HR Transformation’ during the seminar. The study dealt with challenges facing human resources and what companies must do to meet these challenges. The respondents covered in the study were from Asia, Australia, Latin America, Europe, New Zealand and North America.

In the context of changing employee expectations, Mr  Sandilya  said “HR must understand cross-cultural dimensions, pay attention to retention, nurture talent and recruit for aptitude. HR mangers should create a learning organization where the employees learn, unlearn and relearn.” He said an organizational structure that has an appropriate management style would be able to empower human resource. 

Referring  to the study on ‘Global HR Transformation’, Ms Padmaja Alaganandan, Principal Consultant, Mercer Human Resource Consulting, said globalization and demographic shift are driving HR changes.

Quoting from the study, she said HR priorities are evolving and it’s all about talent now. Human capital strategy as a principal function of HR has gone up from 40% to 60% in the past two to three years. The key challenges regarding human capital are acquiring key talent, driving cultural and behavioural change, building leadership capability and retaining key talent.

The study also revealed that most organizations don’t have comprehensive plans to address HR staff skill deficits, as the drivers of HR transformations remain the same. According to the study, the five core elements to establish effective HR governance are: Structure and accountability, effective councils, philosophy and operating principles, core management and performance monitoring.

Earlier, in his welcome address, Mr B Santhanam, Chairman, CII National Committee on HR & IR and Managing Director,Saint Gobain Glass Indian Ltd., said the biggest challenge facing the CEOs is HR as it played a strategic role in the growth of an organization. He said companies must align business strategies in executing HR plans, thereby maximizing returns on investment.

In his concluding remarks, Mr Rajiv Kapoor, Convener, Organising Committees and Executive VP,  (HR), JCB India Ltd said “HR played a key role both in sustaining growth as well as sailing through recessionary phase. HR cannot afford to play a passive role and must jump into the arena where the action is and help maximise returns on investment.

Sourced From: Confederation of Indian Industry