Sapphire_Synapse 2014 | Page 42

SYNAPSE 2014 SYNAPSE -- 2014 will continue to be of critical consideration for future HR professionals Managing Diversity Differences in race, gender, language, culture, lifestyle, age, socio-economic status and religion make the modern day workforce a motley crew of talented performers. It is vital for HR professionals to under- organization including contractors, temporary staff and business partners. It should be imperative for HR professionals to be able to orchestrate vibrant organizational structures spanning cross-disciplinary boundaries. HR should endeavor to attain a holistic view of this “total workforce”. Recognition of the ideal combination of internal and external resources along with the creation of an operating environment facilitating synchronicity of all the components would be a key challenge for the HR. The HR should analyze facets including transaction volumes, process standardization etc. to design a shared service paradigm for managing a dynamic work force. Leadership Development The HR professions must give thoughtful consideration to methods of optimally leveraging leadership competencies of its workforce in a rapidly changing work environment with a great deal of ambiguity and uncertainty. Under such trying circumstances, the HR The modern day HR professional has to not only understand the HR implications but also inculcate transdisciplinarity with knowledge spanning across the various facets of the business operations. stand how these dimensions affect performance, motivation and achievement of organizational goals & objectives. Institutional structures and practices that hinder the promotion of certain dimensions of diversity should be examined, challenged and removed. This situation requires HR managers to create a business environment that acknowledges people's differences and leverages the individual differences. They need to create a framework of HR policies and practices to attract, retain and motivate the dynamic and heterogeneous workforce. Such a diverse set of employees may not achieve their true potential in the absence of sufficient collaborative tools. Managing the multigenerational workforce would call for the incorporation of social investment skills, collaboration across sections and reverse mentoring programs wherein the younger generation mentors the seniors to help with technology skills. Handling Extended Workforce As has been referenced throughout the article, in the modern business context, complex projects are being increasingly handled by dynamically configured teams made up of employees cutting across functions, in sync with professionals from outside the should look to develop a collaborative approach to leadership. The onus on an organization would be to develop a diverse set of capabilities in their leaders including a comprehensive understanding of the international markets, trends in the socio-economic front as well as changes in the political & legal climate. General Electric Corporation (GE) has long been a pioneer of developing managerial talent, proving to be an excellent breeding ground for CEOs. This has been driven by its philosophy of inspiring, connecting and grooming the leaders of today for tomorrow. This model is increasingly being replicated by organizations across the globe through their own versions of Leadership Development Programs Harbinger of Sustainability