People 4.0: staying ahead to avoid falling behind

In a time of profound transformation such as now, a significant step forward HR Management must take is therefore to compile a business plan which puts people at the heart of its strategy, in order to reinterpret the business’ needs in view of the digital transformation. In order to understand how ready HR Management is for the digital transformation, it is necessary to consider two distinct perspectives: first, the ability to be enabler and catalyst of change for the business, guiding it when taking on digital-related challenges and opportunities; second, the ability to make changes from within, adapting its own procedures in view of the possibilities and needs which emerge from digital innovation.

In this context, HR Management is increasingly aware of the ongoing digital transformation: the greatest challenge for 2018, as indicated by more than one in two HR Directors, is to develop digital culture and skills. What is still lacking, however, is the translation of this digital strategy into a People Strategy, found only in just over one in three companies (35%). Even more limited is the percentage of companies who have adopted initiatives aimed at distributing culture and knowledge regarding the digital transformation among their own collaborators, at 22%, or who have carried out assessments of the gap between the necessary digital skills and those already present within the company, less than 16%.