HR leaders from across the world converged in Singapore for the three-day World Human Resource Congress 2024 – a fitting culmination as we head into celebrating International HR Day on 20 May.

Like the WHRC theme – People. Possibilities. Paradoxes – HR Day 2024 is about HR shaping a new future.

As we look forward to how the HR profession will lead transformation, we’re leaning into the insights of global voices on what they think about the changing world.

Among them are Vineet Nayar, Founder and Chairman of Sampark Foundation; Datuk Shahul Dawood, CEO of HRD Corp; Magdalena Nowicka Mook, CEO of the International Coaching Federation; and Ester Martinez, CEO and Editor in Chief of People Matters.

At WHRC2024, the four were among the hundreds of business and talent leaders who graced the summit. They came together on stage for the CEO Power Panel on HR and business transformation. Delve into their insights:

Insight 1: Inspiring people, not ‘managing’ them

“In the industrial age, you were aligning people in rows and columns and driving efficiency and effectiveness. All those practices in HR and management are steeped in that industrial practice. Now, the world has changed … Today, [there is an] emphasis on innovation, on ideas, on disruption, on the application of those ideas. For that you need people and people-centricity … not to manage people but to inspire people.

“The people who can do that are the HR folks because we are trained to understand human capital, human behaviour, and to get the best out of them. And it is this community which needs to take ownership of managing this change – digital disruption – and to [bring] human centricity into business so that you are not left behind.”

– Vineet Nayar, Founder and Chairman of Sampark Foundation

Insight 2: Embracing new ways of thinking, learning and working

“Always go for a very bold approach … I strongly believe that humanising technology will make [decision-making] better. I want to take this opportunity to get this message across. Every time a new technology comes in, there’s a great fear that comes in. Now everybody’s scared about AI; that AI is coming to take over jobs.

“As long as technology is invented by people, no technology can take away people’s jobs. What would HR managers do? They will take away your job if you fail to upskill yourself … When we bring in technology, we ensure that people upgrade ourselves.”

– Datuk Shahul Dawood, CEO of HRD Corp

Insight 3: Learning from multiple cultures and generations

“[Having multiple cultures and generations] is a great opportunity because we learn from each other. We saw learn different ways of seeing the world. We see how some people will consider something a threat, and one other person will see it as an opportunity … Culture has to be built.

“Typically, there is a gap between the leader and what we think is possible. When you take that barrier of what’s possible – [of thinking] ‘no, we’re not going to do this because’ – then you start being more creative, more innovative.

“Organisational culture [is about] finding different voices, different solutions. Not dismissing anything. Rather, having genuine conversations is actually helping [organisations] end with the good, if not the best, solution.”

– Magdalena Nowicka Mook, CEO of the International Coaching Federation

Insight 4: Redefining the employer-employee relationship

“How do we transition to the new model for self-organised teams? Many organisations have squads or are divided into journeys. Others organise themselves around problem statement or customers.

“There are two parts to this equation and you have to get both parts right. On one hand is redefining the relationship. What are you bringing here? How do you treat [the employee] as an equal player? How do we create a new style of relationship that is based on trust or freedom or autonomy, and really create that respect for everyone who comes into your organisation? So, that’s the new kind of relationship model, which is one part of the equation.

“Now, that’s not sufficient because the other part of the equation is the responsibility. How do we make sure that, while I give you trust and autonomy, you also have the clarity and the responsibility [that you need] to deliver to the group?”

– Ester Martinez, CEO and Editor in Chief of People Matters