Eames Insights: Embracing the transformation era

​As technology and automation continue to advance, it's becoming increasingly important for organizations to transform their workforce to stay competitive. But where do you start? 

I gathered insights from senior HR and change management professionals in Singapore about digitalization, and advice on how to pivot into the workforce transformation space.

What roles are increasingly important to invest in for the transformation era?

• Technology, including cyber security, as this is highly sought after given a lot of confidential communication happening online. We need to be creating more effective workplace collaboration tools and more strategic HR personnel, that can help navigate organizational challenges with regards to employee management. HR and People Specialist, Tech Vendor

• The below roles are increasingly important to invest in and hire for in the current transformation era. Lead cross-functional teams, today's split of teams into digital and non-digital requires that leaders have knowledge of both the advantages and disadvantages of each department. Digital products and services are the next one because there is a growing demand for digital channels and to use or create products and services through them. The last one is engineers who understand cloud service, as many businesses already use cloud-based services, with more still converting. Change and Strategy Manager, Global Insurer

• In the insurance transformation industry, the growing popularity and capabilities of GPT-3 and GPT-4 are likely to create new opportunities for professionals with skills in AI and Machine Learning, as well as those who can analyze these large sets of data to better understand risk and develop more accurate pricing models. Transformation and Change Lead, Global Insurer

• Integrators – I know this is not a widely advertised role but often I see organizations being disjoint in their transformation efforts because each division in the organization is trying to get on the bandwagon and have its own transformation department resulting in work silos. Transformations can only be truly successful when there are synergies in the transformation effort that each division is trying to achieve. We need integrators to bring these transformation efforts together. Strategic Change Manager, Global Insurer

What is your advice when looking to pivot into the workforce transformation space?

• You need to understand the business challenges, and that no two businesses are the same. As well as employee motivations, which can be very different. You need to take the time to understand how much of the business has changed and work from there. HR and People Specialist, Tech Vendor

• Before planning for a workforce transformation, organizations must consider what the key business priorities are, so workforce transformation processes can be measured against those goals. Businesses that focus on too many top-level goals at once may find that none are achievable. Effectively launching workforce transformation requires planning. Here are some considerations; you can conduct a skills assessment and recommend using a multi-faceted approach to measuring employee skills, including looking at existing job descriptions and performance reviews, talking to managers, and surveying employees themselves; identify critical needs and goals before embarking on a workforce transformation initiative, company leaders should identify and prioritize the most critical skills to fulfill those goals; you can create a plan for skills development which can help build employees’ skills such as external/internal online training and mentorship programs and lastly, measure and adapt. You should regularly check in to ensure your transformation strategies are effectively delivering new skills and meeting company needs. Change and Strategy Manager, Global Insurer

• Accepting and the knowledge that every company is different is essential. Workplace transformation can take different forms in different companies. You need to be able to be flexible in pivoting plans and strategies and truly take time to understand the company culture. Strategic Change Manager, Global Insurer

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If you are interested in talking about market trends, or help with your career planning, please drop me an email at :amelia.chan@eamesconsulting.com