The digital transformation and the Human Resources

The business world has changed a lot over the years as well as the way we work, the way we communicate and the way we recruit. For few months we have heard a lot about the “digital transformation” which refers to the changes associated with the application of digital technology in all aspects of human society (Wikipedia’s definition). Business and therefore Human Resources are affected by this digital transformation and have to adapt themselves to this new trend. Adapting to this change does not mean implementing new methods, but implementing a brand new strategy.

The digital transformation, what is that?

Digital transformation actually started more than 20 years ago, when the first computers arrived in companies and that the World Wide Web took hold of the world. By the end of the 90’s, companies started to recruit online by using job boards. Then in the mid-2000, social media appeared and changed the way businesses communicate with potential customers and future employees.

Digital transformation has become a buzzword. There are actually 2800 articles that deal with “digital transformation” on the first daily French newspaper Les Echos.

Digital transformation is different from digitization. The digitization is for example the digitization of documents which involves new working methods and processes. Digital transformation is more about the Humans, the organizations, theirs habits, their working methods and finally all leadership practices (company’s culture, relationship with hierarchy…)

Digital transformation is a more sociological than technological. It reaches EVERY profession and EVERY function. The digital transformation obliges us to transform our working and thinking methods and our business practices. Analysts talks about a new industrial revolution. The first companies that went for “digital” started in the 90’s by launching corporate websites and digitizing processes.

Businesses born in the previous century (or even before that) have to apprehend this digital transformation while start-ups, innovating and of course Silicon Valley companies are already growing in a digital culture and are even examples to follow.

The digital transformation and the Human Resources

The Human Resources are always seen as a tutelary and bureaucratic department of every organization. The digital transformation has to be seen by the HR department as a real chance and opportunity to keep a central position within the organization.

Recruiting became digital with the emergence of social professional networks such as LinkedIn. Candidates, or should we say professionals, are massively registered on those networks to show their competences, their professional background etc.…It is what we call “Personal Branding”. More than just a social network, LinkedIn became a job board where companies can post their job offers, but also a massive talent sourcing tool.

HR Managers are also in charge of the e-reputation of their companies. In a digital world, everything goes faster and faster. Recruiting talents is more and more difficult as there are more and more competitors. Furthermore, companies have to be more transparent and work on their employer branding. Nowadays, there are a lot of companies rankings, which drive candidates to apply or not in a company. The most popular one is Glassdoor. This company based in the Bay area (Sausalito, CA) is a collaborative website where employees and former employees can rank their companies. Glassdoor has a lot of influence on candidates’ choices and on the employer branding. That is why companies have to be aware of that and even talk about it.

Digital means also new professions that emerge or others ones that change. We now hear about Data Scientist, Traffic Manager, Social Media Manager, or even Brand Manager. The HR have to adapt to these new professions and therefore develop new skills to understand well the company’s needs, identify the best trainings and source well new profiles.

Digital transformation covers also the digital training, which involves and new company’s culture and a new training policy. The HR must set up new ways of training people such as the e-learning or the MOOCs (Massive Online Open Courses). Implementing a company social network can also be part of the digital transformation. These tools help employees to communicate in a free way.

There still a lot to say about the digital transformation and the Human Resources, we will write another article about it in the future to see the changes and its evolutions. More in the next episode!

What do you think of the digital transformation? Have you already set up a digital transformation in your company? Or has your company / HR department already set up a digital transformation? Tell us all about in the comments!

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