HR teams struggling to implement new tech

A whitepaper ‘Turning HR teams into ‘technology change leaders’’ explores how new technology such as analytics, automation, apps and AI can improve current organisational processes, and the barriers HR professionals are experiencing to implement them.

Lack of resource, fear of change and knowledge gaps were identified as the key reasons why HR teams are struggling to implement effective technology-led change.

Just under a half of respondents (43 percent) cited budget issues as the main barrier, with a third (32 percent) claiming there is not enough time to pursue new ideas.

Meanwhile, 39 percent of respondents said they felt concerned about the scale of change required when considering using technology to find new ways of working.

Many respondents said they felt powerless to lead technological change due to outdated IT infrastructure and other restrictions imposed by different departments, as well as a general resistance to change within organisations. The research also suggested that HR leaders needed to step up and improve communication to take organisations into the future

The paper was produced by the Public Services People Managers Association (PPMA) and HR and payroll provider, MHR.

Karen Grave, co-author of the whitepaper and president of PPMA said: “While 95 percent of respondents believe that HR has a key role to play in driving digital transformation and embracing new ways of working to improve overall processes, a number of barriers are preventing HR teams from actively implementing this change. As a result, many public sector organisations are failing to keep pace with the digital expectations of their people and are continuing to rely on outdated processes and systems.”