Andy Spence
HR Transformation Director
Glass Bead Consulting
What area of the HR function will be most impacted by emerging technologies, and why?
The way we match work with workers, including traditional hiring is the area of the HR function that will be impacted most by the use of AI and blockchain technologies. As HR responds to the digital age, we will replace the tired resume/CV with digital career profiles. New technology will enable verification of identity and work credentials to quicker and more transparent payment mechanisms. This will enable more efficient peer-to-peer work matching platforms which will help the job market for certain categories of workers.
What’s the single most dramatic shift you see happening in the HR tech space today?
The most dramatic shift to HR technology is how we manage our career data. Currently we freely give our career data to help us find work, and this data is then sold to recruiters. This has created an inefficient market with high costs for employees or employers. A new infrastructure for work is being built where individuals own and control their verified career credentials. This will change how we find workers, suitable work, manage our careers and our organisations–and of course changes most of our current HR Tech infrastructure.
In acquiring and implementing new technologies, what’s the one or two most common mistakes HR organizations make?
Buying new technology has become so much easier with cloud-based technology, this has given us many opportunities including greater agility and lower risk. However, we have lost some old school rigour along the way. Any new technology, or indeed organizational change, needs to start with the right questions. Rather than ‘How do we implement AI/blockchain in our organisation?’ we need to ask ‘How can we make our business better and what tools will we need?’ and ‘What is the evidence that this change will achieve our goals?’
