Smart HRM in 2030: Conversational HR, Connected Robotics, and Controlled Analytics

In 2030, there are still three main activity areas that a Chief Human Resource Officer must take care of: (1) People and Talent Management, (2) Organization Design & Change, and (3) Management and Leadership of the HR department. While the tasks as such remain rather stable, there are significant changes in how they are done. The way these activities are performed is heavily influenced by technology that automatically processes data and communicates with humans. We delineate these changes in terms of the three Cs of Smart HRM that characterize HRM in 2030: “Conversational HR”, “Connected Robotics,” and “Controlled Analytics.” Together, these three Cs drive HR practices both in terms of efficiency as well as quality. We illustrate this by describing some use cases of the various technologies along the HR Value Chain. In addition, the three Cs produce another “C” as an unintended consequence: they corroborate a “Chasm between digital winners and digital losers”—and HR needs to address this divide.