HR Departments — Drivers of Change

Personnel questions are high on the agendas of many executive board meetings. “It’s no longer enough for HR departments to manage the status quo,” says Ninjo Lenz, Partner at the Porsche Consulting management consultancy. “HR must now become the driving force behind the success of the business and business service areas.” That means acquiring the right talented people as an attractive employer. In the process, Ninjo Lenz notes, HR departments are making ever greater use of innovative concepts such as corporate influencers, individualized applicant outreach with the help of AI, and alumni recommendation programs. 

The importance of agile and adaptive HR departments is especially evident in difficult times when companies are not performing as well as they would like. HR should be able to respond flexibly to changes and take effective steps to adapt work models, restructure remote work, and apply organizational tools to deal with crises. HR managers should keep a sharp eye on employee life cycles, which cover the entire spectrum of company-employee relations, and become inventive designers of working conditions.

In light of the major changes affecting all parts of companies, HR departments need new ways of thinking and an entirely new approach — not only in their functions but also in their skills.