itSMF Bulletin December 2020 | Page 6

that employee data is secure and increasing employee awareness of security issues.

The future of work

When COVID-19 hit us the CIO and CHRO were forced to work alongside each other, not through intent but through unforeseen circumstances.

What has been put in place to enable the workforce to continue working is a stop-gap solution.

The CIO and CHRO now need to partner and determine the future of work - during and post pandemic.

They will need to determine a joint vision and strategy; co-design the future of work in conjunction with employees; and drive the intensity of innovation and digital transformation with an aligned people and technology perspective.

One of the first items on the CIO / CHRO agenda is the return to work.

As Don Hinchcliffe writes in Rework:

“The CIO and CHRO must ensure that

the resulting return to work process is a springboard to realize a more holistic approach to employee experience.

Simply put, the employee experience must move as fast the world. It must therefore be represented in a cohesive but decentralized transformation designed to keep up with the external operating environment. While the CIO and CHRO will spend the next generation of business getting this approach attuned for their organization, they’ll never finish evolving it. Nor should they.

The new and better ways we can and should work must be a primary focus now as we begin the momentous journey towards a new hybrid work reality. If we fail to do that, we risk the loss of a historic opportunity and will be largely right back to the fragile and piecemeal way we were before. The CIO and CHRO are the two most vital roles that can collaborate to avoid a retrograde outcome and actually achieve an improved future of work.”

Summary

Successful digital transformation and the future of work depends on the CIO and the CHRO working together as enablers and decision makers to further organisational goals.

About the Author:

I am an organisational change and service management rebel with a cause!

Acclaimed internationally as an author and speaker, with industry acknowledgement of my reputation as a Thought Leader, I provide both strategic and practical advice and insights to my audiences. My ability to share my experience and knowledge ensures that everyone is empowered to make a difference within their organisation. As a self professed organisational change management rebel with a cause, I push the boundaries of the profession and challenge traditional ways of thinking. I am obsessed with the people side of change in a world in which change is constant, volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. I have the firm belief that resilience in the face of relentless change is key to organisational survival.

In 2011, I authored the breakthrough publication ‘Balanced Diversity – A Portfolio Approach to Organisational Change’ introducing an innovative framework for ensuring that organisational changes become embedded into the fabric of the organisation. The revised edition will be available shortly. 2019 saw the publication of my second book “Game On! Change is Constant. Tactics to Win When Leading Change is Everyone’s Business". It explores how every organisation can be fit, skilled, capable, supported and well-prepared for constant change. My third and fourth books “Unleash the Resiliator™ Within” were published in 2020. The handbook for individuals enables everyone to be resilient in the face of constant change. The handbook for leaders enables leaders to create, maintain and sustain an environment in which resilience can thrive. Contact me at karenferris.com

The future of work

Summary

The future of work

Summary