MANILA, PHILIPPINES — For the past decade, digital innovation has shook organization development to its core with corporations rapidly transitioning and putting digital transformation at its core. Multinational companies and SMEs are being guided by Artificial Intelligence, Automation, IoT and Robotics in adopting this change but this transformation’s success still relies heavily on strong leadership and sheer will to change decades-worth of corporate culture and practices.
HR professionals from all over the region recently gathered to look into the new age of driving human capital and corporate innovation in the digital era at the 2nd annual ASEAN HR Summit. HR experts from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, the Oceanic Regions, and the Philippines conducted a series of talks on a diverse range of topics from transformative human relations leadership to where the industry is headed all across the region.
You can check out the full list of talks here.
One of the talks that caught our attention on the second day of the summit was the “Digital Transformation, Innovation & Organizational Transformation” panel, consisted of: RADU PALAMARIU (Managing Director – APAC – Alcott Global Pte. Ltd. Singapore) as Moderator, and SIXTO GADDI (Group Head, HR Workforce Management & Services – Banco de Oro, Universal Bank, Inc.), JOHN AGUILAR (Creator & Host, The Final Pitch Of CNN Philippines), DATIN ROWENA FLORECE (HR Director – APAC HR Line Solutions – Microsoft), NOEL FONTILLA (HR Director – ADP Philippines Inc.) and ROBIN BRADSHAW (Country Manager – Cathay Pacific), and MARIO BERTA (CEO and Co-founder of FlySpaces).
A big theme the whole panel rides on is the concept of “people strategy” as an integral and essential ingredient for any transformation to take place in a corporation. Regardless of the quality of technology a corporation has, if change is implemented without its employees and stakeholders at its core, there’s a big chance it won’t be executed successfully. This was touched on by Robin Bradshaw, Country Manager of Cathay Pacific, as he explained its role in the brand’s vision in taking care of its consumers, as well as employees.
Sixto Gaddi, Group Head, HR Workforce Management & Services of Banco de Oro, Universal Bank, Inc., agreed, urging HR professionals to focus on those who stayed in the organization despite the change in culture or practices. Gaddi believes that to really cultivate employer-employee relationships and ensure longevity of their tenure, focusing on one-on-one discussions instead of planning major town halls every few months opens the door for employers to really understand the mindsets of their employees.
CEO and Co-founder of FlySpaces, Mario Berta, also touched on the importance of looking after the well-being of employees, and empathizing with their current situations. “What is the problem of a 21-year–old Filipina commuting everyday?”, he shared as one of his points of reflection. This, similar to what Gaddi mentioned, goes back to the importance of building a deep understanding between employers and employees. Aside from its impact in guiding any corporate transformation, it also puts employees at ease knowing that their concerns are being heard by the higher ups.
Company vision also plays a big role in doing transformative work within organizations, as pointed out by Datin Rowena Florence, Microsoft HR Director — APAC HR Line Solutions. She pointed out how an employee’s ability to relate to a company’s vision can make corporate transitions flow more freely, especially if both employer and employee are aligned in goals. This makes sure that employees understand why certain moves are being made, and it also builds trust between the two parties. Florence also highlighted how companies tend to forget the past when transforming, but they actually need to honor it in order to define the future.
Going into the world of startups and venture companies, John Aguilar, Creator & Host of The Final Pitch Of CNN Philippines provided an insight into this growing industry and how HR practices play a big role in building a company from the ground up. He discussed the difference of operations between startups and conglomerates, and how the long list of differences can serve as obstacles for these two parties to collaborate and grow together.
To end, Noel Fontanilla, HR Director of ADP Philippines Inc. talked about how the whole journey of a corporation, regardless of where technological developments currently lie or how advanced mankind has grown to be, is one big endless transformation journey. He highlighted how the times aren’t simply calling for a need to digitally transform; corporations are being called to transform constantly. As new technological terrain are explored, new socio-political issues arise, and new needs are identified, corporations have the unceasing responsibility to innovate, grow, and transform in different ways as needed.
