Change is the only constant in life – Heraclitus (535 BC – 475 BC) 

Life is expressed in a perpetual sequence of changes – Arnaud Desjardins 

Change is hard – for all of us. Ask anyone who has ever tried to quit smoking, or stick to a diet, start working out, or, importantly, learn a new skill. So, the question remains, why are we all so resistant to change?  

The simple answer: the brain hates change. According to many social neuroscience researchers, our brains are prone to react negatively to change and wired to love routine. Our brain is hardwired to try to conserve energy at all costs. Changing your mind and breaking routines takes energy. (Dr. Davis, Rachel Cotter Partner at RCD, LLC., LaserFiche) 

“Nowhere is this more true than when you try to change the way people work. In fact, a 2008 survey of 3,200 executives around the world found that only one workplace transformation in three was successful” (MacKay, J, RescueTime). 

So how do we overcome our resistance to change and truly understand that change is an integral part of growth (for both individuals and organizations) and our only hope of remaining relevant and adaptable is to “plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance”. (Watts, Alan, Buddhist quotes)  

Change is hard but as human beings we are constantly changing, adapting, and evolving. And organizational change is essentially the same process but made far more complicated by the organization’s size, its culture, the technologies, the processes, and strategies.  

In her book, Introduction to HR Technologies, Stacey Harris discusses the very concept of change. However, she discusses change within the context of HR technology environments, which have a vital role in helping to guide employees through the tumult of change. Chapter 11: HR Technologies as a Community, which is the focus of this blog article, asks, ‘How do we respond to that organizational flux?’ The discussion in this chapter addresses this question and the impacts on the organization and its workforce. 

Harris envisions HR technology systems environments as communities with “infrastructure, communications, major buildings and minor but relevant stores that provide resources for the entire community.”  Further, she points out that, just as we find in communities, HR technology environments are not simply their individual functionalities but, critically, the links between their functionalities. And, as in all our communities, HR technology environments are not isolated from the larger organization and society in which they function. They are informed by organizational and societal changes and, in turn, can influence these changes. Why is this analogy important? 

Stacey Harris has studied HR technology environments for over 10 years to answer the fundamental question of which environments yield the best outcomes for both their organizations and their employees. The last two years have been quite determinative in evaluating HR technology environments. The pandemic, business disruptions and government subsidies that marked these years have provided Harris a unique research opportunity to observe how HR technology environments assisted HR departments to navigate these challenges, particularly workforce loss.  

One of the most critical factors in achieving positive outcomes, garnered from longitudinal research, is change management. Most change management in HR is project-based, with goals pre-determined and with a beginning, a middle and an end. However, Harris points to the limitations of such change management. In reality, goals change as do, subsequently, desired outcomes. Importantly, there is an expectation that, at the end of a project, everything will return to “normal.”  

As Harris writes: 

“Constant change is simply a part of our everyday lives and waiting for things to ‘get back to normal’ disregards the importance of the changes we experience. Real change necessitates a shift away from thinking of change management as a once-and done initiative to the creation of an adaptable organization with the skills and resources needed to support continuous change management.  

A continuous change management model provides a basis for our HR system decision making; every change impacts the people, culture, processes, other systems and eventually the data in your organization. Every change drives an outcome, and ensuring a positive outcome – increased adoption, engagement, flow of data or workforce readiness – requires mindful management.”  

According to Harris, change management requires an HR technology systems environment that enables strategic planning of HR technologies for the long-term. She presents the blueprint for continuous change management. It begins with dispensing of a transactional HR technology systems approach in service to policies and processes. HR leaders must understand the vision of the organization’s future. Building upon this vision, they develop outcomes that are definable and measure expectations of customers, employees and managers for the work performed.  

It is at this point that the selection of vendors and applications becomes central. While many HR applications improve efficiencies and process management, the greater value lies in applications and tools that support data analytics, specifically the continuous capture of employee data, analysis of the data and, importantly, reporting and sharing the information within HR and with the entire organization. 

These data, when analyzed within HR or cross-analyzed with other enterprise applications offer valuable workforce information for leaders to weigh potential benefits and risks in making decisions that will impact the future of the organization.  

Harris’s longitudinal research data analysis has shown that a continuous change management model for HR systems environments is consistent with better talent and with HR and business outcomes success. Employing a continuous change management approach has resulted in 21 per cent higher average outcomes success over the last five years.1 

In this way, Harris concludes, the perception of HR by the organization’s leadership changes from that of a cost-center to a value creator. 

This blog post is adapted from conversations with Stacey about her book, Introduction to HR Technologies, available now on the Sapient Insights Group website. If you have responsibility for HR Technology or just want to understand how technology can be used to improve performance, adaptability, and your HR processes, this book is a must read. If you would like to get a full immersion, Stacey and team will be facilitating a session at HR Tech, How to Build an Adaptable HR Systems Strategy: A Workshop Focused on Outcomes. Click here to see the full course description and learning objectives for this key pre-conference workshop in September. 

End Notes  

1 Sapient Insights, 2020–2021 HR Systems Survey, 23rd Annual Edition