The 5 good reasons for HRD to take innovation and create an HR Innovation function.

“Innovation is what makes the difference between a follower and a leader.” Like Steve Jobs, the HR director who has a role in the company must show his leadership beyond the power that confers its status and function, a way of being whose innovation is today the engine.

The HRD is concerned in more than one way by innovation and it is for this reason that it is today in the air of time to create an “HR Innovation” function in companies.

1st reason: Innovation is strategic: the HRD must be able to participate in the decision

Its usual definition of “an idea that meets a market”  brings innovation to the strategic field of growth through the expansion of markets, products and value-added services. The HR department participates in decision-making by Comex and its teams through recruitment, talent management, training and recognition contribute to the implementation of these innovation decisions. The HRD must therefore keep abreast of the latest cultural modes of innovation management but also prospective trends in Digital, CSR … Areas that impact innovation today.

2nd reason: Innovation drives transformation: HRD must be the driver

Digital innovation has become unavoidable, partly encouraging and threatening. If we take the only example of robotization: some hard jobs may disappear in favor of new value-added professions for man, still unknown today. To carry out this transformation, HRD must master both methods of conducting systemic transformation and be interested in foresight questions in artificial intelligence.

3rd reason: Innovation is vital for the company: HRD has the obligation to develop it

Innovation has become vital for companies that are increasingly creating Innovation Director (CIO) positions often associated with Digital (CDO). These vital functions for company adaptation require special attention from HRD: recruiting innovative profiles that are compatible with the culture of innovation, train employees to access the skills required by innovation , recognize the innovators including in the management of the risk in the management of the projects … New benchmarks are RH to put in place.

4th reason: Innovation leads to a new culture: the HRD must facilitate its implementation

“Innovation is not predicting the future but allowing it to happen” Saint-Exupéry … and the HRD is the one with the DG who can create these “permissions”: do not consider stopping a innovative project as a personal failure of the project manager, help him rebound, recognize teams and sometimes “disturbing” personalities … And also lead the whole company towards openness, agility … Permanent adaptation to change .

5th reason: Innovation imposes new ways of working: HR must be exemplary

HRD’s role in addressing these emerging issues is a real opportunity to develop HR: review HR missions with the perspective of innovation and transformation, reorganize around these issues, use co-construction methods to innovate in HR, associate its ecosystem to go towards Design Thinking … Adapt HR to be, more than a contributor, leader of the transformation of the company towards innovation