Becoming the “Adaptable HR” advocates
Adaptability means adjusting to new situations. However, given the completely unique, critical, and uncertain situation we are in, we need to think about adaptability a little differently. Read the top HR leaders’ take on what adaptability means in the current context of the new world of work, disruption, and uncertainty.
It was our privilege to interact with some of the leading CHROs and HR leaders who were at the forefront of Adaptable HR last year, as part of the Alight’s State of HR Transformation Study. Let’s have a quick look at what adaptability means to them in the current context:
Steven Yudiyantho, Senior VP - Human Capital Strategy & Talent Management, PT Bank Mandiri, Indonesia
Earlier, it was said that HR, as a function, is nice to have. However, with the unprecedented change and uncertainty, it is an inevitable function to have in order to compete in this crisis. However, this also requires the HR team to be agile and adaptable to the current threats and uncertainties posed by the pandemic. Today, the HR function has a great opportunity in front of them when it comes to creating value for the business. At Bank Mandiri, we have realised that collaboration across HR and other functions is key to being ‘Adaptable’.
Norlida Azmi, Chief People and Culture Officer, Permodalan Nasional Berhad, Malaysia
Everybody talks about the new normal, but for us, we wanted to do this transformation earlier. What happened is that the current situation has given more dimensions to our transformation plans and has further sensitised the business strategy for this transformation. When you talk about adaptability, for us, it is how we change our operating procedures internally so that we are still on point to meet our goals - financial, people, risks, etc. and all of this becomes very complex. And as far as the lockdown is concerned, it really tests your nimbleness, how fast you can shed your old skin and adopt new ways of working. As an organisation, we feel, adaptability is very important for serving all stakeholders - customers, management, and workforce. We have recently introduced ‘adaptability’ as one of our core values and right now we are in our journey on defining ability and collaboration.
The COVID-19 crisis has brought the HR functions and the professionals on the forefront. They are in demand as people’s safety and their well-being becomes more critical than ever. They are the 3 AM call for the business leaders. They are the ones advising the CEOs and helping them make more people-centric decisions but without undermining business priorities. Understanding adaptability in today’s context is about being crisis ready.
Panuwat Benrohman, Chief People Officer at Minor Food
With COVID-19 impacting almost all dimensions of work and business, at Minor Food, we realised it pretty early that adaptability would be the key to manage the storm posed by the pandemic. We swiftly and seamlessly shifted our ways to work from home, connecting and collaborating with the stakeholders for deliveries of food to houses and hospitals.
Datuk Nora A. Manaf, Group Chief Human Capital Officer, Maybank
I would also like to highlight an important aspect of adaptability – while adaptability can bring a lot of benefits to the business in terms of resilience, profitability, and customer experience, one of the key benefits of adaptability is happiness and employee engagement. Studies have shown that we have a tendency to adapt to major changes in our lives, whether positive or negative. This is what’s referred to as The Adaptation Effect. Hence, the cycle of anticipation, acknowledgment, and adaptability, and hence, success will give people a sense of purpose and satisfaction.
Wiwik Wahyuni, CHRO, Home Credit Indonesia
The changing expectations of the customers and other stakeholders of the business require the businesses to relook at their current models and systems. This presents an opportunity for HR leaders to make even the talent processes more nimble and efficient as per the changing business needs. The pandemic showed how at a chaotic time, when the decision-making process needs to be faster, technology can play a big role.
Taking adaptability to the next level starts with taking things a step further. Participate in the State of HR Transformation Study 2021 now.