HR in the digital age: how digital technology will change HR’s organization structure, processes and roles

The purpose of this paper is to examine the transformative impact of digital technology on the types of services offered by HR and how those services are delivered. The authors explore how the expanded role of technology will change the types of activities delivered by the corporate center, global business services (GBS), centers of excellence (COEs) and field-based HR. Based on the changes in activities, the authors explore the impact to existing roles (those changing and those disappearing) as well as the need for new roles to be created within HR.

The authors leverage early indicators from The Hackett Group’s 2017 HR Digital Transformation Study as well as The Hackett Group’s extensive database of paid HR benchmarks with Global 1000 companies to develop a point of view on how digital technology will transform HR processes, roles and organization structure.

HR organizations must begin planning the changes they will need to make to meet the demands of enterprise digital transformation and leverage the opportunities to improve HR capabilities, service offerings and performance.

The paper provides recommendations for getting the process started to transform the future HR organization.