Shaping the Future of HR with Intelligent Automation
Tim Young is the Senior Vice President of Shared Services & Payroll at Pearson, where he plays a pivotal role in transforming HR operations through the integration of cutting-edge technology. With a career spanning over two decades in human resources and technology, Tim has established himself as a thought leader in leveraging AI and automation to streamline processes and enhance employee experiences.
Ciklum’s Rayford Smith joined Tim for an insightful discussion on how the HR landscape is changing with AI & intelligent automation. Rayford has a robust track record in automation and has been instrumental in spearheading the collaboration between Pearson and Ciklum.
Exploring the Horizon of HR Challenges
Rayford: Tim, thank you for joining us for this interview. As the HR landscape continually evolves, integrating emerging technologies has become crucial. Let's dive into some of the most pressing IT challenges HR leaders face today.
Tim: Over the last decade, HR and IT have largely modernized their environments to use cloud-based Human Capital Management (HCM) systems. Most companies will have at least gotten this far. Now, I would summarize the challenges of the next decade in three main areas–
Reducing tech debt. While multinational companies have adopted the top cloud HCM systems, most HR teams will have dirty laundry tucked away in the form of ancillary or redundant systems across smaller countries or bespoke business units. Getting everyone, everywhere to adopt the “core” systems will reduce tech debt and simplify global processes.
Maximizing modern systems. The advantage of moving to the cloud means that upgrades and improvements are constantly flowing. The problem is that HRIT teams are not equipped to manage all these improvements and incorporate changes at pace. Thus, most of us are driving our Lamborghinis at scooter speed. We are blissfully unaware of the improvements and can’t keep pace with the change management to adopt, optimize process, and enable better user experience.
The new era of automation. As if the technology ecosystem were not complicated enough, the new shiny object in town, artificial intelligence, has captivated us into thinking we need to move quickly into intelligent automation. This new technology acts very differently from the other systems already in use, and thus requires a whole different level of thinking to put it to good use. The possibilities seem endless, HR and IT need to get smart and get focused on how to adopt AI in the right foundational ways.
Collaborative Initiatives
Rayford: Could you discuss a recent initiative where integrating IT solutions has significantly improved HR operations at Pearson?
Tim: Trying to take my own advice, we are very focused right now on adopting intelligent automation together with our IT team. HR is not usually the first mover in any new technology development, but in our case, we’ve been prompting and promoting this evolution for two years now. Thus, we are closely partnering with our IT leaders in applying AI in a way that can be replicated and improved across our internal and customer-facing landscape. We are adopting both RPA and AI capabilities to support HR operations. More specifically, we are developing bots that will automate some of our highest volume transactions and building an AI-driven digital assistant that will enable employees to transact and learn with HR.
This process is revolutionizing how we are structured and the transactions we perform in HR operations. In this partnership with IT, we are reimagining a future where simple transactions are the work of automation, and we apply our people’s unique knowledge and skills towards complicated matters that we have had little time to solve in the past.
Impact of Automation on HR
Rayford: From your experience, how has the application of automation and AI within HR processes at Pearson reshaped the team's approach to daily tasks?
Tim: Our identity has traditionally been tied to the volume of transactions we can perform. The more the better. Automation is helping the back-office of HR to rethink its value proposition. For us at Pearson, this means we see ourselves as the engine to modernize the employee experience. Not only will we be automating our own processes, but we will also supply the needed skills and thought leadership to help HR “products,” and the ecosystem of employee support, to reach new heights. If AI can solve the basic questions and transactions employees commonly need, we are now free to solve problems such as manager enablement, career development, and enabling our executive leadership with data and insights at their fingertips.
Future Vision
Rayford: Looking forward, what emerging IT innovations do you believe will be most critical in transforming HR practices over the next few years?
Tim: Let me answer this a little bit differently than the question is asked. The emerging IT innovations are clearly encased in the rapid growth of AI capability. The question I would like to answer is how is HR transforming to adopt it? The traditional skill set of HR operations has been to maximize productivity anchored to the employee experience. Productivity and experience are often at odds with each other, so the battle has always been splitting the difference.
The skills of the future look very different. Technical skills become increasingly important when applying intelligent automation to our processes. Technical thinkers with HR domain knowledge become a new “core” capability as our contact centers are displaced by automation teams. We will hand over our operating procedures to a bot, and teach the bot how to do it better and more consistently than a human could. This is a massive undertaking and will take the better part of a decade to transform the practitioners of human resources.
Challenges in Building an HR IA CoE
Rayford: Could you share some insights into the challenges and triumphs of establishing the HR Intelligent Automation Center of Excellence at Pearson?
Tim: Our starting point for infusing automation skills inside of HR is small for now. Instead of hiring technical people from the outside, my team is large enough that we have ample talent with general technical savvy. We are choosing to convert some of them into business analysts. Not only do they bring HR domain knowledge, but it is also an important story to tell to their peers. The world-is-a-changin’ and it’s time for HR to evolve. So instead of going to the IT shop and recruiting developers to understand HR, I’m going into the HR shop and training HR practitioners to learn the basic code of automation.
However, I do need a leader with sufficient practical experience in automation to see the vision and understand the process. For this, I am looking on the outside of HR. But this evolutionary process is also an essential lesson in survival for HR and other non-technical areas to adapt to the new careers to come.
Reflections on Our Partnership
Rayford: Reflecting on our collaboration, how do you think Ciklum's involvement has bolstered Pearson’s capabilities in HR technology?
Tim: Ciklum has played a pivotal role in shaping my thinking about the future. Yes, they have come in and done a phenomenal job in assessing our processes and making recommendations about how to automate them. In this regard, I would say they did “the” job and exceeded my expectations. The pleasant surprise is how Ciklum evolved my thinking about our readiness for the future. They’ve been great partners in helping us see around corners. Even the idea of developing an HR automation team stemmed from Ciklum calling out the gap. We’ve drawn heavily from the expertise and wisdom of our Ciklum partners, and I recommend them for any leader trying to feel their way through this emerging field.
Rayford: Tim, thank you so much for sharing your valuable insights with us today. Your experiences and perspectives on integrating AI and automation into HR operations are truly enlightening. It's clear that these technologies are not only transforming how HR performs daily transactions but also enabling a shift towards more strategic initiatives. By automating routine tasks, HR teams can now focus on fostering employee growth, development, and engagement, ultimately driving a more innovative and productive work environment. We appreciate your time and look forward to seeing how Pearson continues to lead the way in HR technology. Ciklum is excited about our continued partnership and the opportunities it brings to further enhance HR capabilities and innovation at Pearson.
Rayford’s conversation with Tim Young highlights the pivotal changes AI and intelligent automation are bringing to HR at Pearson. Together they explored significant strides in technology integration that are redefining the HR landscape, paving the way for more strategic and impactful operations.
Our collaboration with Pearson has been a valuable journey of shared learning and mutual growth. Ciklum is proud to support Pearson as they leverage these advanced technologies to meet their strategic HR goals. We are grateful for Tim's insights and look forward to continuing this partnership, exploring new ways to innovate and adapt in the ever-evolving landscape of HR technology.
We appreciate Tim's time and the opportunity to discuss these important developments, and we are excited about what the future holds for HR technology at Pearson and beyond.