New challenges, new competencies: people management for the future of work
New challenges, new competencies: people management for the future of work
New challenges, new competencies: people management for the future of work
The world of work is no longer what it used to be, organizational and business contexts are changing and people's expectations are also becoming increasingly volatile
The world of work is no longer what it used to be, organizational and business contexts are changing and people's expectations are also becoming increasingly volatile. All this means that the management of people in companies is becoming increasingly relevant, moving from discourse to the search to generate such a reality.
The current and future context brings us a set of increasingly complex challenges in relation to people and talent management. Let's put some of the most relevant ones on the table in order to delve deeper into their reflection.
1st Challenge - Ecosystem in transformation: The talent context is transforming. Globalization has made it clear that we are more connected than ever before, making us more aware of the risks and value of the local. Talent is freer than ever, forcing organizations to re-evaluate many things about their strategy in a global context. We can speak of a multifaceted talent where several generations, gender, cultures, ... are intermingled. It is important to make a demographic analysis of our organization, where multiple talents will come into play. We are facing a change in the scale of priorities and issues such as teamwork, leadership, communication/information, occupational health and wellness, culture, .... are taking on greater prominence. All this highlights the people management function/role and places it at a strategic level, so seize the moment!
2nd Challenge - Seduce and Loyalty: It is no longer enough to attract and retain, we must make a qualitative leap and start talking about seduce, fall in love and engage. Until now, only customers have been at the center, but now they are giving way to people, and it is necessary to work on a value proposition that is honest and consistent with people's life cycle. Purpose appears as an increasingly present element in organizations, as the value ranking is changing on the side of people who are increasingly looking to work in companies and jobs with meaning. Diversity in all its senses is established as wealth and competitive advantage. And all this means that the personalization of people's experience in companies is taking its place. Until now, management has been based on volume and simplification through processes, but at the same time they put distance and coldness in relationships. It is time to get to know people better and better and to personalize the services offered in management.
3rd Challenge - Learn, grow and develop: We come from a more predictable world and with legacies of a more industrial than digital organization. We are gradually moving from jobs to roles that are increasingly changing and adaptable. This brings us more focus on critical skills for the future than on covering short-term positions, where learning is not about taking courses but about stimulating need and motivation in everyone and from there being able to take knowledge to action, which leads to the emergence of new learning models.
4th Challenge - Organize and adapt: The place and time of work are transforming, which means that work is more about being in a state. In addition, talent is no longer exclusively internal, there is a networking of talent networks. We will work with people who do not want to work full time and even with people we will never meet personally, all this has an impact on the way we organize ourselves: remoteness, flexibility, teams, responsibility, autonomy, agility and above all trust take an important place and set new rules of the game and new rules of work relations.
5th Challenge - Leadership for change: Leadership, a classic that always appears renewed by the circumstances and needs that the environment demands. A phenomenon that is constantly updated, and no less so on this occasion. A leadership of openness to change, of influence, of inspiration in the face of uncertainty, comfortable in ambiguity, with more capacity for listening, understanding, decision and reaction, a complete and complex leadership that already concerns each and every person in the organization.
6th Challenge - Recognize the contribution: The changes in demand are becoming clearer and clearer as well as changing, many new possibilities are opening up. Priority scales are changing and this means that organizations are forced to personalize as much as possible the value proposition to people, attracting talent costs much more and losing people is more expensive. People also ask for a continuous and permanent feedback process in order to continue learning and developing.
7th Challenge - Caring for people and impacting the environment: The role is changing and the language is indicating it, moving from the HR paradigm to People/People. This role is gradually adopting a holistic approach to people in the world of management, where wellbeing becomes a key element, and caring takes on greater meaning if possible. Because without people, organizations cannot advance or achieve results; people are the strategy. But doing business is no longer a matter of doing business in any way, we seek to do mere business but to move towards business with responsibility and conscience. People are looking for places that contribute beyond, that fulfill a purpose and that encourage the fulfillment of people to their full potential.
Challenge 8 - Sum of intelligences: The future of work involves combining capabilities, human and technological, always in this order. The complex and valuable aspect will be to find the best combination that will enhance the value of what only humans can do. The future involves investing in technology but as much or more in people, and that is why the biggest challenge is the connection of different intelligences and capabilities.
9th Challenge - Digitalization and data: data seems to be flooding our lives and that of business management, including people. But how to make data a tool that works ethically and helps to offer better experiences to people is one of the biggest challenges. That data does not blind us and that it is really a valuable contribution to better understand and anticipate, for which we must prepare ourselves from a critical, ethical and curious spirit to ask good questions and have the ability to analyze and interpret.
And finally the,
10th Challenge - Transforming ourselves to transform: if the people areas must be the companions of all this, it is necessary to review and update our competencies and skills. It is not enough to say that we must change, and push others towards it, but we must position ourselves in the face of this change and be an active agent of contribution to the business and its transformation, so we must begin by transforming ourselves.
It is in this changing context where the people management function in organizations is becoming a key lever for the competitiveness of companies, and therefore requires competencies to meet the new challenges. In fact, human resources experts are aware that trends in the world of work are having a major impact on the management of people in organizations.
Having made this journey, it is more convenient than ever to ask ourselves questions such as: What is and should be our contribution of value in business, How can we contribute to this transformation from the role/function of people, What/how should I change, etc.?
All this and much more is developed in the Senior Program people, culture and talent for the future of work offered by Mondragon Unibertsitatea Enpresagintza and ADEGI.
For more information:
Begoña Echaburu - Coordinator of I+I in People and Talent at Mondragon Unibertsitatea Enpresagintza and MIK and Coordinator of the Senior Program team in People, Culture and Talent for the Future of Work.
Uxue Castaño - Researcher and teacher in People and Talent at Mondragon Unibertsitatea Enpresagintza and MIK and Coordinator of the Senior Program team in People, Culture and Talent for the Future of Work.