Lessons learned
With HR apparently lagging behind on the
digitalisation journey, ROB GRAY asks
leaders of other functions to share their
experiences and advice
When it comes to digital transformation, it seems most
organisations still have a long way to go. According to the
third edition of Deloitte’s Digital Disruption Index, published in
January 2019, an alarming 28% of senior leaders classify their
organisations as still being in the early stages of development.
And when it comes to the digitalisation journeys of individual
functions, progress in HR is perhaps even more sluggish than most.
An October 2018 Harvard Business Review article, headlined ‘HR
Leaders Need Stronger Data Skills’, argued that while HR leaders are
working hard to develop and recruit people who advance digital
transformation across their organisations, most have struggled
You must
have a very
clear vision
of what the
goal is and
how to get
there
Luboš Libiak, head of procurement, MallGroup
“I am primarily responsible
for procurement of our
goods not for resale, with a
team of eight and €120
million annual spend. We’re
also helping out in our direct
goods for resale area, with a
purchasing volume of
around €400 million.
As a company that has
grown through mergers and
acquisitions, this created an
environment where legacy
systems were not fully in sync
and there were different
processes for doing similar
things across different parts
of the business. People
would spend days working
on repetitive manual tasks
that weren’t bringing
much value.
First, we wanted to simplify
the process and make it
more ef cient. This meant
not simply doing a copy
and paste of our current,
inef cient process into a
digital tool – something
businesses need to think
about a lot if there’s an
expectation to improve.
Secondly we needed to
gain transparency and
wanted to act based on
data, not just on gut feeling.
Thirdly we wanted synergies
throughout the process, not
only in procurement but in
nance and the rest of
the organisation.
What worked well – but at
the same time was one of
our biggest challenges –
was getting buy-in from our
internal stakeholders. We
didn’t want them just to sit at
the table, but rather to have
a supporting, consulting
capacity that we could
utilise to ensure we
encompassed most of the
use cases and didn’t forget
anything important. When it
comes to digital
transformation, it’s key that
cross-functional teams are
set up and involved from the
very beginning. Moreover,
you also bene t from
another view or approach to
tackling the issue.
Having a very robust
solution is of course the
desired end state. However,
in terms of time to
implement a digital
transformation, you might
want to split this up into a
couple of waves. Then not
only can the supplier
meet the requested
deadlines,
but your team
can also
provide the
necessary
support.
You must
have a very clear vision of
what the goal is and how to
get there but be able to
change course when
circumstances change. This
happens a lot during
digital transformations.
Also, think about how the
technology will evolve. Many
companies are replacing
big suites with platforms that
are easier to connect with
each other, and often
provide enough capability
to help you move from
where you are towards your
end-state process.”
HR Technology Supplement Digitalisation lessons
18 HR October 2019 hrmagazine.co.uk
/hrmagazine.co.uk