This comment was left by an HR Bartender reader some time ago. I must admit that it took me a while for the answer to sink in. That’s a positive sign.
This is an extremely deep topic, and that’s great! These are questions HR departments should ask themselves. How can we keep delivering value? How can we keep our relevance? Because technology is changing how we purchase and consume products and services, it’s a question that organizations need to ask themselves. It makes perfect sense that the rest of the company does the same.
It is not my favorite thing to answer a question with an “It depends,” but when it comes to outsourcing, specialists versus generalists, and which HR technology makes the most business sense, the answer is “It depends.”
INDUSTRY Some industries are well-known for being early adopters, while others are not. The industry might have best practices for how they structure their human resources (i.e., It could be that companies decide to outsource or if they have centralized HR roles and responsibilities. This could determine whether companies hire specialists or generalists.
I think technology decisions are sometimes based on the available HR technology. Although it sounds simple, the point is that mainstream technology can make or break a business. It might be necessary for new technology to succeed.
LEADERSHIP People choose how much technology they want in their lives. They also decide how much technology they want. Technology decisions will be made by organizations based on personal experience with technology. Do you love tech? I guess that you are more open to adding tech. Are you averse to tech? Maybe not.
I wish I could claim that I know everything about HR technology. However, this might seem boring on some levels. The best thing about working in HR is the constant change. The technology could be one thing that transforms human resources. It has already helped in some ways. It’s already done that in some ways. I, for one, can’t wait until we see what it does next!