The corporate world is undergoing a rapid transformation, thanks to ‘technology’ that is today touching every aspect of a business process. At the same time the HR space is seeing a rapid transition too, and it has more to do with the changing outlook of managers than just technology making it more automated. In a candid conversation with Vimali Swamy, Duke Daehling, EVP – Startegic Accounts, Kenexa and Dr. Bob Bergman, Consulting Director – EMEA, Kenexa talk about the changing outlook towards HR and the new trends. Founded in 1987, Kenexa is a global provider of business solutions for human resources.

How has the transformation of HR industry been in the last 10 years?

Organizations have traditionally been simpler, more stable, and comfortable, with traditional hierarchies, and traditional management structures, a structure that was formed in the 1880s and was till 10 years ago. But nowadays this structure has become less stable, somewhat volatile, and very complex and dynamic due to the easy access to information. 15 years ago if you were trying to put a succession plan for your next CEO you would have to go through all sorts of channels of interviewing people, understand how they scored on certain tests or in personality measures, and all of this was paper based. But now the same task can be done easily with planning tools that are available online. With these tools you can search for the profiles of suitable candidates, simply dial up, and talk to them and decide who are best suited to take over the post.

What are the common concerns or challenges for an organization?

The common concern amongst organizations is how to attract and retain top talent. The traditional, conventional wisdom says if you put in the right structures, policies and procedures, and technology, it will yield you top talent. But our research shows that if you put in something conventional it will yield conventional results and not transformational results. If you have the same age old structure then the new generation of people entering the organization will not resonate towards it. Today’s generation likes things to be volatile, they expect technology to be fast and they want to work in an organization setup which provides an environment like that. They want to learn whatever they can from an organization within a year and move on to another organization. So as an organization one must have a structure that is cognizant with this demand and plays to that as an advantage.