Technology And People

Introduction

With technology need to remember that not 'one-size-fits-all'. Need to modify technology to suit your specific needs. For example, in HR, many organisations are experimenting with techniques such as social networks, mobility, analytics, cloud technologies, AI, virtual reality, etc to streamline processes, procedures, etc. There is an important intersection between human and technology or digital journey where there is a need to build capability for people in organisation to make the best use of the information gained from technology. With technology, especially digitalisation, allow decisions to be more data-driven and base strategies on hard facts and insights. The power of digitalisation is to improve speed, quality, reduce costs and bias. However, many technologies look promising, from an efficiency and effectiveness perspective, but need to be evaluated on suitability based on the organisational cultural landscape, etc.

It is felt AI, or machine learning has wide application as it
"...offers the opportunity to delegate mundane, repeatable work and tasks to machines, giving more time to do value-adding work for humans..."
Monish Verma, 2021

Another advantage of AI is that it is moving away from
"...traditional e-Learning systems and outdated Learning Management Systems and moving toward more immersive, just in time, curated learning pathways to utilise Learning Experience Platform. Gamified, immersive, learner orientated, experiential augmented reality and virtual reality enabled content is changing how we look at organisational learning......It takes charge of what they learn, when and how they learn by adapting the modules, learner's pace, and format of learning while still adhering to business strategies - all this while creating superior learning experience..."
Monish Verma, 2021

Other useful technologies include AR & VR for soft skills development. These provide many benefits
"...cost reduction, more real-world practice using virtual simulations, immersed technology with low risk of distraction and a larger scale..."
Bhawna Gandhi, 2021

There are 4 important people issues to consider when using technology in change initiatives

i) prepare staff (early on in their change process, focus on how the people will think, deal with and behave in light of the change)

ii) continuous education (tailor an approach which is unique to each organisation; start educating early about the benefits and value technology will offer)

iii) continuous feedback on how things are going (monitor and evaluate performance and based on feedback modify what you are doing)

iv) bottoms up approach rather than top-down (technology use is as effective as the people who use it; encourage users to identify opportunities around the technology; don't rely only on technical experts)

Organisations need to be able to leverage technology and to adjust and respond to the opportunities it creates by experimentation and through a learning lens.

We are an age
"...Where machines will leave humans to leverage their 'soft skills' both online and in leadership, a more emotionally intelligent individual will operate in a more collaborative and dynamic organisation, where respect can be harnessed, decisions can be made at all levels of the hierarchy. This is no ordinary technology implementation, and careful management of the people side of this type of change is more critical than ever..."
Carole Ashford, 2021

Furthermore, technology is making the lifespan and shelf-life of skills shorter. Consequently, workers are required to continually up-skill and the existing model of learning and development (L&D) are being challenged. Previously, resources were scarce and the pace of change was slow so one size could fit most. Now we have to handle
"...shorter lifespans of knowledge, the value of human resources declining faster, unique needs of learners, fading classroom learning, greater demand for just in time solutions..."
Bhawna Gandhi, 2021

Learners are looking for seamless experiences in on-demand formats that will provide greater choice to solving real-life problems. This is sometimes called hyper-personalised L&D.

NB In addition to IQ, EQ and SQ (for more detail, see elsewhere in the knowledge base), there is TQ (technology quotient, ie an individual's ability to embrace technology)