Why integrate a technical culture into the HR profession?

1 – An HRD expected to develop skills and an ISD expected to be innovative in its technology

Let’s start with our Human Resources function, what do we expect from it?

We keep reading about “the new world, the new way of working”, so should we model a “new HRD” and a “new HR team”. After interviewing some HRDs or VPs of companies, it seems that the role of the HRD is always to accompany the talents of the company so that they can be successful in their functions. From the point of view of the General Management, the HRD is expected to be a strategic partner in order to actively participate in the business strategy and to write an HR roadmap that is fully in line with, and not disconnected from, the reality of immediate needs. From the managers’ point of view, they expect HR to be in close coaching, in order to help them in their HR posture which is undeniably part of their current managerial role. And finally, employees want HR to support them in developing their skills and promoting their career paths.

And our friends in the IT functions, without them… we wouldn’t have powerful HRIS in their functionalities. Initially designed to save time and therefore productivity for HR, the HRIS is now recognized as the central liaison tool between HR and employees. Of course, thanks to its technological potential, the HRIS is an ultra-efficient tool for optimizing talent development, with all the existing modules for management, training, e-learning, GPEC and recruitment. The IT department is constantly innovating the tool’s potential to create a fluid and autonomous ecosystem.

But interface, data recovery, GDPR, functional and technical specificities, architecture, datavisualisation, HR analytics… should the technical side only be understood by IT experts?

2 – The HR employee will increase his or her credibility by having a foundation of technical skills

Technology is part of the HR processes of many companies, up to artificial intelligence for some. If I don’t understand how my food processor works, I won’t use it properly. Well, the same goes for our HR experts. If they do not have a technical culture, they will not understand the development potential of an HRIS and will not be able to work jointly with an IT department because they do not necessarily speak the same language. What’s the point of talking about managerial innovation if I can’t translate it technically into my HRIS?

We understand that technology must remain at the service of the HR team, which alone maintains the human link with the employee. Of course, but how much credibility will you give to an HR person who is stunned by his or her new HRIS that does not work, because of a lack of technical skills upstream of the project?

It is said that the current challenge in HR is to develop a managerial culture within the company. But could we perhaps consider a technical-managerial culture?

• HR staff will be trained to take an innovative look at the digital world, and become a driving force behind the project’s technical needs and realities. He will bring a sharp eye to avoid technical pitfalls and mediate with the business expert.
• HR can deploy its managerial coaching by imagining innovative digital solutions to support employees.
• An HRD can provide management with an even more critical opinion on the strategic enhancement of the tool, in terms of predictive technology and even datavisualization.
• And finally, HR will be more relevant and responsive in matching the tool to the immediate needs of employee skills paths, if it knows how to think Data and Digital.

Therefore, do not hesitate to train your HR experts and enrich them with a technical culture and the transversality of HR skills. It was for all the above reasons that, after many years as an HR consultant, I decided to take the plunge. HR Council consulting, I decided not to go over to the “dark” side of IS, but to enhance my technical skills by returning to higher education.

An HR must be able to speak other languages, but also other languages than his own, so that he no longer hears “ah, yes, you are HR, so the technique does not speak to you”.

Thus, like many SQORUS collaborators, our multi-skilled business and IT skills enable us to provide a 360° view of an HRIS adapted to your business needs and your business strategy.

If you’d like to support your HR teams on this journey, don’t hesitate to contact us.

See also our feature on "HR strategy management tools".

• What are the key issues facing HR departments today?
• Organization, talent management, recruitment: priority HR projects?
• Human resources management: what HR strategies for the future?
• Best practices to manage your HR strategy in an optimal way
• The different HR management tools to carry out your HR strategy
• HRIS software: the different areas of intervention for the HR function
• How to convince your management to invest in an HRIS tool?
• Is it necessary to be accompanied in the management of an HR strategy?
• What indicators should be defined to measure the performance of an HR strategy?
• HR strategy: how to achieve effective HR reporting?
• Who should drive HR projects in the company?
• Setting up a working group for an HR project: who should be involved?