COPYRIGHT NOTICE
This document was Adapted from Watson Wyatt's report, "eHRTM: Transforming the Role of Human Resources".
The original document can be downloaded by clicking here
BUILDING A FRAMEWORK FOR eHR TO WORK
Today's business environment requires smart thinking, quick action and rapid adaptation to constantly changing conditions. And the marketplace increasingly rewards those who respond to the demand for innovation driven by internet business models, technology advances, globalisation and shifting demographics. Under these conditions, HR has a more critical role than ever in achieving business success. New ways of doing business require new ways of engaging people. Speed, flexibility and innovation are achievable only when effective human capital management strategies support business objectives. Organisations that understand - and act on - this truth will be the ones that attain and retain competitive advantage in the next decade. In short, it means building a new "eHR organisation" focused on connecting people to business strategies, to each other, to shared knowledge and to the operational tools necessary to drive organisational success. The eHR Solution At the same time that technology is making eHR possible, strategic business needs are making eHR necessary. Much has been written in the past several years about HR acting as a strategic partner. HR leaders have been told repeatedly that they must earn a "seat at the table" with corporate management in order to play a significant role in the development of organisational strategies and business success. But, while many HR leaders have become active participants in strategy sessions occurring in boardrooms around the world, they are continually hindered by the need to think and act strategically, while still overseeing the time-consuming administrative aspects of day-to-day HR. It is clear that HR must be relieved of administrative burdens in order to maximise its contribution to organisational strategy. The Technology Foundation Various HR functions - recruiting, payroll, benefits, pensions and others - tended to deploy their own business applications and databases with separate rules and requirements for data retrieval. Managers and employees in search of comprehensive information had to access multiple sources, a time-consuming and often frustrating exercise. These self-service models did little to connect people to business information or to each other beyond simple e-mail. Today, new web technology options exist that will overcome the limitations of previous technologies, so that HR can further satisfy the needs of employees and managers while continuing to free up resources to focus on strategy. The organisations that successfully transform themselves into eHR organisations will be those that understand how to select and apply new technologies in ways that best meet their unique needs.
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