How to Make my Leaders HR Transformation Ready_

1. Technology was always the future of business, and while organisations were incorporating it within their culture, the pandemic accelerated digitisation. When used well, digital transformation can catapult businesses to heights of success, even in challenging times. Digital transformation can mean different things to organisations. However, regardless of its type and scale, successful transformations occur when senior leadership and top management are heard, understood, and onboarded from the beginning. Leadership and Its Role in HR Transformation A successful digital HR transformation in an organisation must be driven by the leadership team and senior management. The support and trust of the C-suite of executives are vital as these individuals become the champions of change and ‘lead by change’. One of the prerequisites for a successful digital HR transformation is having a dedicated digital HR team with a digital HR leader to spearhead and drive the process. A Digital HR leader bridges the gap between digital experiences

2. using technology and employee experiences to ensure positive business outcomes. Talking of leadership and its role in HR Transformation, HR leaders play a pivotal role in the process. Leadership readiness for any future strategy like digital HR transformation starts with the HR and other business leaders identifying the required leadership skills with strategic thinking, adaptability, creative thinking, cognitive abilities and empathy being critical ones. HR leaders must be able to identify and build these competencies and frame a blueprint to sustain leaders and build others for leadership roles in the future. This ‘leadership blueprint’ must also consider the cultural and other external and internal challenges. The role of a digital HR leader is critical in the transformation process and often includes the following: ● Be aware of the latest technological trends and determine which processes require automation and digitisation ● Determine the digital strategy and provide a detailed blueprint for the digital transformation ● Leveraging the use of tools to improve the employee experience ● Be a consulting HR partner who understands employee and business needs ● Efficient stakeholder management by bringing senior leadership, solution providers and business leaders onboard earlier on How to Make Leaders HR Transformation Ready? Here’s how organisations can make their leaders digital transformation ready:

3. ● Include them from the start Leadership support is vital for any organisational change, including digital HR transformation. So, to ensure you have adequate support from the senior leadership executives, they must be included in the process right from the start. Organisations that have implemented HR transformation successfully ensured collaboration and more of a partnership from their leaders by listening to their ideas and strategic insights, answering questions and securing buy-in from the top management level. ● Upskill and re-skill For a digital HR transformation in your organisation, your leadership and senior management must have adequate skill and expertise in the digital way of life. But did you know that just 10% of board members surveyed by a large consulting firm had professional technology experience? To ensure your workforce is digital transformation ready, learning should be an organisation’s way of life. You must make upskilling and re-skilling easily accessible to the top executives through mobile-based learning, micro-learning and MOOCs. Cultivating a learning culture also changes the mindset of employees, who further drive the process. ● Realignment of talent As the future of work is changing, the current and future leaders must be able to keep up with its pace. While it is vital to align leaders with the upcoming transformation, there may be plenty of opportunities for the realignment of talent. Adaptable leaders will usually be the driving force and advocates of the

4. HR transformation and will help bring about the changes in their respective verticals and within their teams. ● Create and strengthen the talent pipeline A job curated for HR leaders and senior management is creating and strengthening the talent pipeline across the organisation. Future leadership readiness is often thinking long-term and planning ahead, involving coaching and mentoring, thinking about employee growth and development, productivity enhancement, and determining new ways of working and career pathing, among others. To prepare leaders for HR transformation, there is a dire need to create and strengthen the talent pipeline at every level. ● Encourage innovation Innovation is indispensable for an organisation today and must be strongly engraved in the company’s culture as it is vital if you wish to keep up with the change. Leadership Development Programs with a strong theme of innovation stimulate leaders to experiment and ensure they are transformation ready. These development programs also help build a culture of trust and innovation and encourage collaboration within the leadership team. ● Alignment of talent processes When your organisation is HR transformation ready, and you have most of the elements in place, the talent processes must be well-aligned with the revamped leadership outlook. HR leaders must work to make workflows and processes leadership-focused. Key Takeaway!

5. HR leaders play a critical role in the digital transformation process and help prepare leaders and senior management executives for the change. From thinking deeply about talent to creating the best employee experience, strengthening leadership and building capacity for change, HR leaders are pivotal for an organisation’s digital transformation.