No one can deny the universal fact that change, be in society or business at large, is inevitable. Time has forgotten those who did not change according to needs. Answer of survival is hidden in eagerness to adaptability according to situations. It is the people at the nucleus who change themselves first and then drive it. It happens in organisations too. Human capital is widely seen as propelling power that pushes and accelerates business. Covid period can be seen as best example of this phenomenon. The orgainastions who have responded quickly to the disruption and adapted new way of working as demanded by time have not only survived but grown as well in comparison to those who did not act at all or were slow in the change process. It is the rigidity that chained their growth.
Being at the center of the orgainsation, it is HR function that is seen increasingly as change catalyst and enabler to the process and critical actor to pay an effective role in ushering the change. Real change happens only when people change in terms of attitude, thought process, mindset, habits and abilities towards accepting the change in processes and way of working. Everyone is to respond positively to a situation, because it is HR who can mold the people from the mindset of no change to ready to change. Without overcoming this barrier, every change initiative will be failed.
It can be argued that why HR is involved in the change process? The answer is simple. Because it involves the modification and transformation either as a whole or in part and it always remains people intensive. People are not easily definable in increasingly complex world. They are now more of a sensitive mixture of identities, experiences, ideas, emotions, values and beliefs and preconceived notions. It is not easy to decode. The expertise lies with HR.
As change is always aimed at increasing productivity, market share and revenue by aligning the people aims and objectives at best, it cannot be done in best way by anyone other than HR. It is for HR as enabler or catalyst to influence the people cord, move them from the bracket of cost center to revenue generator and put them in fluid mindset to increase adaptability. This arrangement impacts the bottom line directly.
Time for HR to move away from support function to acquire a central role of change captain.
This edition cover story explains the nuances of role and importance of HR in making change effective, its challenges and opportunities for the organisations and how to understand the reading between the lines of culture and people behaviour.
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