It is clear that, as long as there is work, there will be Human Resources functions both in companies and in all kinds of organizations; that has not changed, and is unlikely to change. What is certain is that the irruption of new technologies is inevitably transforming this professional field, creating new needs and specialized functions that must be covered by innovative profiles.

To understand the impact that technological development is having on Human Resources, we talked to Margarita Bravo Sanz , Director of the University’s Master’s Degree in Talent Selection and Management, which is organized by the University of Málaga.

How new technologies are transforming Human Resources

In a field as competitive as that of companies, in which having profiles trained in the latest advances can make the difference, a lot of attention is paid to the ways in which technology makes it possible to simplify processes and speed up work.

Margarita Bravo directs one of the Master’s courses that aims to create this updated profile of a Human Resources professional: specialists who can make use of resources such as Machine Learning, Big Data, and others. On this occasion, we talked to her so that she could explain to us how this new wave of professionals is being prepared.

How is the development of new technologies changing the recruitment process?

Technology transforms our lives. We are also witnessing a process that has never been known before regarding the continuity and speed of these changes. Digital technology is everywhere: mobile devices, expert systems, cognitive computing, or social networks in an interconnected world are good examples.

In my opinion, we still do not know where this “digital tsunami” is taking us, but it is clear that it requires us to change our working styles and procedures if we want to be competitive professionals. Professionals who ultimately have to contribute to improving people’s work experience.

The identification and selection of talent by robotics is already here. Artificial intelligence and “Machine Learning” manage this talent, saving time in the recruitment and selection phases. The use of Chatbots to automate the recruitment process is also intensifying. And the use of specific software and data-based Apps, designed to work in teams and be used in mobile and social networks, is not left behind in this environment.

Today, not only our CV is analysed, but also our digital identity or the information that exists about us on the Internet, which is usually a lot. The user networks in turn are a meeting place where companies pour their image and where they can interact directly with candidates or access professionals who are not actively seeking employment. Let us bear in mind that certain profiles, such as those related to information and communication technology, the so-called IT, sometimes require different search and recruitment strategies because there is a great demand for their profile in the labour market.

In short, we can say that a transformation towards the digital world is under way in the field of Human Resources, although these changes must also be considered to be taking place in an uneven way. There are many companies that, although they are aware of the implications of the technological revolution, are not capable of reacting because they cannot or are not prepared and in this sense I am convinced that it is the Human Resources professionals who must drive this transformation, since companies will only be innovative if they are capable of transforming themselves with and for people.

In Human Resources, is it difficult to find a balance between the use of new technologies and human work?

As I pointed out earlier, Human Resources has a key role to play in the transition to a new system based on transformation and technological development.

The way I see it, technology is still a tool. However, it is a powerful instrument that changes the way we work, that provides speed, information, solutions, etc. and that will leave many jobs in the gutter as we now understand them. However, digitalisation will not be possible without alienation from culture and talent.

The key has to be to take advantage of those “human skills” and combine them with the best robots and automation techniques. A human will always add value to a machine’s vision. After all, organizations are groups of humans and the future will always depend on many subjective factors understood as a way of being, feeling, thinking and doing.

The Master’s Degree in Talent Selection and Management talks about Machine Learning, among other things. What exactly is it?

Machine Learning (ML) is an area within the field of artificial intelligence (AI) that has been defined as the ability of machines to learn by themselves automatically. When we say learning we are referring to a computer that has access to massive amounts of data (Big Data); the data can come from various sources and be of different types: images, sounds, videos, texts… so that they can be stored digitally and can be incorporated into a learning algorithm.

From the Big Data the algorithm is able to establish patterns of behavior and even make predictions about future trends of behavior in specific areas.

The use of Machine Learnig is part of our everyday life. Search engines such as Google; voice assistants such as those incorporated into our mobile phones: Siri or Alexa; social networks such as Facebook or Twitter; recommendations that determine what we would like to see or buy: Spotify, Youtube… At the same time, the HFK is facilitating the way for medical diagnosis and personalised treatment based on the individual health data of the subjects. We also find it in natural language processing (NLP), smart cars and talent management. The list can and does continue to grow.

The Machine Learnig affects our lives and cannot be ignored either personally or professionally. From the approach of continuous updating of content that is part of the DNA of the Master of Selection and Talent Management, we believe that the training of the Human Resources psychologist must necessarily face the new scenarios that are posed with modern technologies and the way these are manifested in the labor market.

What kind of competitive advantages can companies with HR experts who master these new technologies have?

Today’s organizations cannot afford to have Human Resource professionals who do not lead current thinking practices.

A few days ago, an article was published (El País, 25/12/2019) which shows how a University of Helsinki decided to launch a free AI course that has had an overwhelming response. It has been followed by more than 1% of Finnish citizens and nearly 200,000 students from 110 different countries and will soon be translated into more languages. This gives us an idea of how important it is to incorporate technological knowledge also to non-experts in programming.

Human resources departments face a double challenge: on the one hand to transform and digitize the activities of the department itself, and on the other hand to lead the process of change towards a new work culture. In this work environment, the role of the psychologist as a specialist in human behavior and expert in intelligent software occupies a strategic and advantageous position that organizations must take advantage of if they are to be competitive.

What are the aspects of Human Resources where the development of new forms of software will never be able to achieve human performance?

Artificial intelligence is still at a developmental stage and there are still obstacles that can only be overcome through human intervention. No one can guarantee that AI can do everything. Furthermore, if we do not place people at the centre of technological development, the consequences can be dire.

Voices are being raised that warn of the need to control new forms of technology, because an algorithm can also be imperfect and potentially as racist, sexist or prejudiced as the people who program it.

We are heading towards a society in which more and more elements of our life are going to be replaced by machines. I would like to think that what none of them will be able to replace are the deeply human values, those that have to do with interpersonal relationships and self-control.

Finally… what are the areas of Human Resources where the most promising technologies are being developed and which cannot yet be used?

In a few years we will be facing a completely new relational context in organizations. One of the major trends in Human Resources is the active promotion of ecosystems and organizational networks with an “Agile mentality”, with the capacity to transform leadership models and enhance the participatory experience of employees. In this context, chatbots and conversational voice technologies are advancing at a very fast pace, but the technological development is open in many ways. The development of “middlware” software that acts as a bridge between data and applications, especially in networks, is also unstoppable.

In short, the convergence of robot and human in the field of human resources will remain unpredictable but also exciting.