I am amazed sometimes by how technology is impacting the world we live in.

For example,
SpaceX being so successful in reusing spaceships may not have a great impact today, but it does
change the way we look at the future, and what we understand by science fiction.

Traditionally, HR was always viewed as a paper-intensive, non-innovative area, where salary

decisions are made, people get hired or fired and where team building sessions are organized.
But behind the scenes, the industry is changing and incorporating technology at a rapid pace

, even if it wasnt designed for HR to start with.

In its 2015 report in collaboration with Globoforce, The Society for Human Resource
Management identified

employee engagement, talent retention, competitive compensation, and developing the

organizational leaders for tomorrow as major human capital challenges.

These challenges have sparked innovation inside HR departments across the world. It is already
known that social media is used in recruitment, and it seems 92% of recruiters turn to these
channels to identify and validate candidates. But what is maybe less visible and more relevant to
the human resource innovation conversation, is the 3% of recruiters, which moved beyond
LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter and are piloting Snapchat as a recruitment tool. Instead of
asking themselves if its worth pursuing this channel,, they engaged the upcoming working
generations on their own ground.

Therefore, a good question might be: what are the technological innovations that will drive
human resource technology trends in the future?

Virtual and augmented reality

While virtual reality has been around for a few years, consumer applications are barely making
strides in the market. Meanwhile, virtual and augmented reality will continue to mature and find
its way into the workplace environment. For example, Microsoft is preparing the launch of the
Hololens headset which will likely be embraced by human resource professionals in the not-so-
distant future.

This type of technology is primed for disrupting talent management and productivity. We can
envision the potential of virtual reality in enterprise training and learning, where employees can
use it for anything ranging from off-site assignments to corporate training.

Furthermore, in industries looking to enhance tasks on the job, this will become the new normal,
as digital information will be superimposed on the physical reality. Onboarding and training in
industrial environments can be transformed by adding virtual instructions on top of machinery
and tools, as employees engage with the environment.
Advanced Machine Learning
Machine learning is automated data analysis through algorithms that automatically create
analytical models. Using algorithms, machine learning programs iteratively learn from large
sources of data-building patterns and identify insights without being explicitly instructed and
programmed to look for answers, only tot learn to identify data sets.It basically allows for
machines to not only collect information from corporate environments, but also learn from it.

This technology can improve the efficiency of the initial analysis that humans can do, allowing
people to look at higher level results and focus on more complex analysis as a result.

To date, machine learning applications in the human resource space are mainly focused on
predictive analysis and talent relationship, mostly in the recruitment process.

One instance of such an application is PhenomPeople.com, which takes marketing

personalization practices and data analysis, and uses them in the recruitment process. Employee
engagement is also being targeted, with KPMG apparently developing a proprietary model for
enterprise engagement, which is rooted in machine learning algorithms.

Only the future will tell about the advancements of these initiatives.

Information Technologies in Industry and Society

LARS RAMQVIST

BENJAMIN DISRAELI ONCE SAID, The most successful man is the one who has the best
information. This remark summarizes the business of information technologiesthe
production, processing, storing, communication, and use of information.

Global production of electronics equipment in 1985 exceeded $400 billion, as consumption of

semiconductors neared $25 billion (see Tables 1 and 2). By 1990 these production and
consumption figures are expected to expand to at least $600 billion and $65 billion, respectively.

THE INFLUENCE OF CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGIES

Very-Large-Scale-Integration Technology

Recent achievements in information technologies build on a rich history (see Table 3). The
development of chip technology, for example, has been exceptional over the last three decades.
Today, a million or more transistors can be included in one chip. In fact, the number of devices
per chip has increased by 100 times per decade since 1958. If this pace of development could be
applied to the automobile industry, it has been estimated that six

Human Resource Management (HRM) is the term used to describe formal systems devised for
the management of people within an organization. The responsibilities of a human resource
manager fall into three major areas: staffing, employee compensation and benefits, and
defining/designing work. Essentially, the purpose of HRM is to maximize the productivity of an
organization by optimizing the effectiveness of its employees. This mandate is unlikely to
change in any fundamental way, despite the ever-increasing pace of change in the business
world. As Edward L. Gubman observed in the Journal of Business Strategy, "the basic mission
of human resources will always be to acquire, develop, and retain talent; align the workforce
with the business; and be an excellent contributor to the business. Those three challenges will
never change."

Until fairly recently, an organization's human resources department was often consigned to lower
rungs of the corporate hierarchy, despite the fact that its mandate is to replenish and nourish what
is often cited-;legitimately-;as an organization's greatest resource, it's work force. But in recent
years recognition of the importance of human resources management to a company's overall
health has grown dramatically. This recognition of the importance of HRM extends to small
businesses, for while they do not generally have the same volume of human resources
requirements as do larger organizations, they too face personnel management issues that can
have a decisive impact on business health. As Irving Burstiner commented in The Small Business
Handbook, "Hiring the right people-;and training them well-;can often mean the difference
between scratching out the barest of livelihoods and steady business growth'. Personnel
problems do not discriminate between small and big business. You find them in all businesses,
regardless of size."

PRINCIPLES OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Business consultants note that modern human resource management is guided by several
overriding principles. Perhaps the paramount principle is a simple recognition that human
resources are the most important assets of an organization; a business cannot be successful
without effectively managing this resource. Another important principle, articulated by Michael
Armstrong in his book A Handbook of Human Resource Management, is that business success
"is most likely to be achieved if the personnel policies and procedures of the enterprise are
closely linked with, and make a major contribution to, the achievement of corporate objectives
and strategic plans." A third guiding principle, similar in scope, holds that it is the HR's
responsibility to find, secure, guide, and develop employees whose talents and desires are
compatible with the operating needs and future goals of the company. Other HRM factors that
shape corporate culture-;whether by encouraging integration and cooperation across the
company, instituting quantitative performance measurements, or taking some other action-;are
also commonly cited as key components in business success. HRM, summarized Armstrong, "is
a strategic approach to the acquisition, motivation, development and management of the
organization's human resources. It is devoted to shaping an appropriate corporate culture, and
introducing programs which reflect and support the core values of the enterprise and ensure its
success."
POSITION AND STRUCTURE OF HUMAN RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT
Human resource department responsibilities can be subdivided into three areas: individual,
organizational, and career. Individual management entails helping employees identify their
strengths and weaknesses; correct their shortcomings; and make their best contribution to the
enterprise. These duties are carried out through a variety of activities such as performance
reviews, training, and testing. Organizational development, meanwhile, focuses on fostering a
successful system that maximizes human (and other) resources as part of larger business
strategies. This important duty also includes the creation and maintenance of a change program,
which allows the organization to respond to evolving outside and internal influences. Finally,
there is the responsibility of managing career development. This entails matching individuals
with the most suitable jobs and career paths within the organization.