How artificial intelligence is disrupting and revolutionizing african hrm practices (Talent Acquisition; HRM Operating model and Learning and Development): Presentation at IPMZ Annual Convention

1. HOW ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) IS
DISRUPTING AND REVOLUTIONIZING AFRICAN
HRM PRACTICES AND HRM’S RESPONSE
CHARLES COTTER PhD, MBA, B.A (Hons), B.A
www.slideshare.net/CharlesCotter
IPMZ ANNUAL CONVENTION
VICTORIA FALLS, ZIMBABWE
11 JULY 2019

2. PRESENTATION
OVERVIEW
• HRM DISRUPTION AND IT’S
IMPLICATIONS –THE ALIBABA WAY
(VIDEO CLIP)
• THE AI REVOLUTION IN AFRICAN
HRM – TA, L&D AND SPA
• APPLYING THE COLLABORATIVE
INTELLIGENCE ARCHITECTURE OF
FUTURE WORKPLACES MODEL
• STRATEGIC PERFORMANCE
ADVISOR (SPA) – 4 PIVOTAL ROLES
• EVIDENCE-BASED HRM – THE 7-
POINT AFRICAN HRM
TRANSFORMATION

3. PRESENTATION
OVERVIEW
• THE BUSINESS CASE FOR AI IN AFRICAN
TALENT ACQUISITION
• 10 WAYS IN WHICH AI IS REVOLUTIONIZING
AND DISRUPTING AFRICAN TALENT
ACQUISITION PRACTICES
• 6 HIGH PRIORITY STRATEGIC AFRICAN L&D
OBJECTIVES
• THE FUTURE OF AFRICAN L&D
• THE BUSINESS CASE FOR AI IN AFRICAN
L&D PRACTICES
• THE FUTURE OF HRM – ALI BABA OR THE
40 THIEVES?

4. HRM DISRUPTION - JUST 60 ROBOTS RUN THIS
ALIBABA WAREHOUSE IN CHINA (WEF)
• https://econ.video/2018/08/12/world-economic-
forum-alibabas-automation/
• THE FUTURE OF HRM - ALI BABA OR THE 40
THIEVES?
4

5. IMPLICATIONS FOR HRM
• Robots have increased productivity by 300%
• Humans pack and dispatch orders
• Robots are physically superior to humans (carry 500kg’s)
• Robots are self-directed (laser system to avoid crashes)
• Robots are autonomous (self charging)
• Robots now perform 70% of the work in the warehouse
• Is this the future of online shopping and deliveries?
5

6. FUTURE OF WORK
“There are really three
themes that’ll shape the
future of talent,
1. Artificial Intelligence
and automation, 2. the
skills gap and 3. the rise
of independent work.”
(Jeff Weiner, CEO
LinkedIn)

8. STRATEGICALLY CAPITALIZING ON AI –
APPLING THE 3 A’s (MEISTER, 2018)

10. THE AI REVOLUTION IN AFRICAN HRM
• AI HAS BEEN MOST INFLUENTIAL IN THE
FOLLOWING THREE HRM VALUE CHAIN
FUNCTIONS:
❑HR OPERATING MODEL/STRATEGIC PERFORMANCE
ADVISOR
❑TALENT ACQUISITION
❑LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT

11. 6 HIGH PRIORITY STRATEGIC HRM
OBJECTIVES AND RELATED ROLES
• #1: Attract, acquire and select top talent - promote a competent and competitive workforce i.e.
quality of hire;
Role: Cognitive and Intelligent Talent Broker
• #2: Transform to a digitally-enabled HRM operating model and design an automated Knowledge
Management System;
Role: Strategic Performance Advisor (SPA)
• #3: Future-proof the organization, by developing a measurement culture and generating real-time
predictive business analytics and –intelligence;
Role: Digital Futurist and –Analyst
• #4: Develop an agile High Performance Organization (HIPO) culture and a high level of employee
engagement;
Role: Behavioural Economist
• #5: Mainstream HRM into core business processes, by offering business valued solutions to key
organizational problems
Role: Innovative solutions architect
• #6: Develop a HRM Governance framework, processes, principles and promote an ethical
organizational culture, espousing and enacting core company values.
Role: Advocate, Custodian and Steward of governance and ethics

12. BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE
(Level 3 of strategic HRM maturity –
transformational)
HRM STRATEGY
(Level 4 of strategic HRM maturity –
strategic)
HRM GOVERNANCE
(Level 1 of strategic HRM maturity –
traditional)
WORKPLACE ADVOCACY
(Level 2 of strategic HRM maturity –
transactional)
STRATEGIC
PERFORMANCE
ADVISOR
(Cotter, 2019)
STRATEGIC
TRANSACTIONAL
CURRENT FUTURE-FOCUSED
FRAMEWORK
PREDICTIVE
ANALTYTICS

13. STRATEGIC PERFORMANCE ADVISOR (SPA) –
4 PIVOTAL POINTS (COTTER, 2019)
• HRM Strategy (e.g. embedding HR strategy into business strategy; the use of
strategy maps; adopting a strategic mindset and applying strategic management
principles and processes) - strategic/future-focused;
• Business Intelligence (e.g. competitive predictive HR metrics and analytics; future-
proofing the business model; creating HIPO; applying evidence-based HRM;
knowledge management and trouble-shooting solutions architects)
strategic/current;
• Workplace Advocacy (e.g. Employee engagement; employee voice; employee
retention; succession planning; creating a workplace culture of ambassadors;
mainstreaming HRM and future-fit employees) - transactional/future-focused and
• HRM Governance (e.g. HR policies and procedures; HR/people risk management,
compliance with ethics and King IV corporate governance principles and -Human
Capital reporting and HR Auditing) - transactional/current.

14. 7-POINT HRM TRANSFORMATION
(COTTER PhD, 11 JANUARY 2019)
• "In order to be feasible, to prosper professionally in
2019 and to be future-fit, HRM will have to exchange
the currency in which they trade from old notes to
noteworthy, Industry 4.0 and business relevant
denominations and value. Specifically, this change
translates from:
• 1. feelings to facts;
• from 2. anecdotal to analytical;
• from 3. hindsight to foresight;
• from a 4. business tributary to mainstream;
• from 5. intuition to intelligence;

16. 7-POINT HRM TRANSFORMATION
(COTTER PhD, 11 JANUARY 2019)
• "In order to be feasible, to prosper professionally in
2019 and to be future-fit, HRM will have to exchange
the currency in which they trade from old notes to
noteworthy, Industry 4.0 and business relevant
denominations and value. Specifically, this change
translates from:
• from 6. best practice (imitation) to next practice
(innovation) and ultimately,
• from 7. a cost to a profit centre.
• Generally, this 7-point transformation means an
upgrade to Evidence-based HRM."

19. TRANSFORMING FROM DATA TO
(STRATEGIC BUSINESS) IMPACT

20. THE CHANGING FACE OF RECRUITMENT

21. AGREE OR DISAGREE?
WHY?

22. THE FUTURE OF HRM
• Transform from recruitment to Talent Acquisition:
❑Acquire talent faster
❑Acquire better quality talent
❑Acquire talent more intelligently (smarter)
• Q1: So how strategic is HRM?
• SPA Diagnostic survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BXRKRXG
• Q2: Is AI the solution – the driver/accelerator of change?

23. OVERALL SURVEY FINDINGS
(COTTER, 2019)
HRM/L&D Value
chain process
Number of
respondents
(N)
Mean
Score
Relative
Difficulty
ranking
Standard
deviation
Level of Strategic
Maturity
#1: Strategic
Performance
Advisor (SPA)
267
62.0% 8 17%
Level 2
(Transactional)

24. HOW HAS RECRUITMENT CHANGED?
(COTTER, 2017)
• Savvy, future-focused recruiters have transitioned from
face-to-face recruitment to facilitating the interface
between people and technology, which is at the coalface
of business strategy.
• Smart recruiters have to transform to “behavioural
economists.”
• Next level (future-fit) recruitment in the Gig Economy?
• The employment landscape has changed from “talent
wars” – battlefield to a “talent economics” – trading floor.

26. NEXT LEVEL (FUTURE-FIT)
RECRUITMENT
(COTTER, 2017)
• The Strategic Recruiter
• The Social Recruiter
• The Analytical Recruiter
• The Cognitive/Intelligent
Recruiter

27. DELOITTE’S HCM TRENDS 2017 –
THE RISE OF THE COGNITIVE
RECRUITER
• Leveraging new technologies—from social to
cognitive
• Evolution toward cognitive capabilities that build
on mobile and cloud technologies, as well as
social networks e.g. LinkedIn.
• The more innovative ideas and solutions are
centered around cognitive technologies such as
artificial intelligence (AI), machine-to-machine
learning, robotic process automation, natural
language processing, predictive algorithms and
self-learning.
• Chatbots are becoming popular, including the
recently launched Olivia, which guides candidates
through an application process with sequenced
questions.

28. DELOITTE’S HCM TRENDS 2017
– THE RISE OF THE COGNITIVE
RECRUITER
• IBM’s AI pioneer, Watson, is now moving into the
space with three new technologies:
❑ A machine learning platform that ranks the
priority of open requisitions;
❑ Social listening for an organization’s and
competitors’ publicly available reviews on
Glassdoor, Twitter, and newsfeeds and
❑ A tool that matches candidates to jobs through a
“fit score” based on career experiences and
skills.
• These technologies take pre-existing social data and
information and then apply advanced cognitive
capabilities to deliver actionable analysis.

30. THE BUSINESS CASE FOR AI IN TALENT
ACQUISITION
• A.I. is empowering recruiters today to become smarter and more
efficient by reinventing the hiring process.
• #1: Machines as matchmakers
• #2: Using AI to reduce unconscious bias
• #3: Liberating employers to focus on the human side of hiring
• #4: Improved Candidate Experience
• #5: Faster Time to hire - AI streamlines the recruiting process by
automating high-volume and often time-consuming tasks

31. THE BUSINESS CASE FOR AI IN TALENT
ACQUISITION
• #6: Superior engagement with passive candidates
• #7: Balancing recruitment risk
• #8: Improved quality of hire
• #9: Real-time skill-set testing and evaluation
• #10: Measure the impact of new hires over time

32. 10 WAYS IN WHICH AI IS REVOLUTIONIZING
TALENT ACQUISITION PRACTICES
• #1: SOURCING OF CANDIDATES
• #2: PROGRAMMATIC JOB ADVERTISING
• #3: CANDIDATE OUTREACH
• #4: CANDIDATE EXPERIENCE AND RELATIONSHIP
BUILDING (JOB SHOPPERS)
• #5: AI-POWERED ASSISTANTS (CHATBOTS) AND
MACHINE LEARNING ASSISTING APPLICATION

33. AGREE OR DISAGREE?
WHY?

34. 10 WAYS IN WHICH AI IS REVOLUTIONIZING
TALENT ACQUISITION PRACTICES
• #6: PROMOTING EFFICIENCY
• #7: CV SCREENING
• #8: DEEPER AND RICHER CANDIDATE INSIGHTS
• #9: ELIMINATING UNCONSCIOUS HUMAN BIAS BY
MEANS OF PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS
• #10: ADVANCED COMPETENCY TESTING

35. DELOITTE HUMAN CAPITAL TRENDS (2019)

36. AGREE OR DISAGREE?
WHY?

37. 6 HIGH PRIORITY STRATEGIC L&D
OBJECTIVES
• #1: Develop a competent and competitive workforce, through targeted and
sustainable skills development programmes;
• #2: Craft a Strategic Learning Value Proposition (LVP), based on the provision of
just-in-time, business-valued learning solutions;
• #3: Future-proof the organization, by developing a L&D measurement culture and
generating real-time, predictive business analytics and –intelligence;
• #4: Design a digital, 4-G Knowledge Management System (KMS) and promote a
knowledge sharing and skills transfer learning ecosystem;
• #5: Develop an agile and innovative High Impact Learning Organization (HILO)
culture and
• #6: Mainstream L&D into core business processes and systems, by transforming
to a Strategic Learning Partner (SLP).

38. THE FUTURE OF L&D
• Strategic goal: To transform to be a Strategic Learning Partner (role) - Strategic
objective: Refer to the 6 strategic L&D objectives
• Q1: So how strategic is L&D?
• SLP Diagnostic survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VW6NC5W
• Transform from training to L&D navigation:
❑ Learn more intelligently (smarter)
❑ Learn more economically
❑ Learn with impact
❑ Learn faster
• Q2: Is AI the solution – the driver/accelerator of change?

39. OVERALL SURVEY FINDINGS
(COTTER, 2019)
HRM/L&D Value
chain process
Number of
respondents
(N)
Mean
Score
Relative
Difficulty
ranking
Standard
deviation
Level of Strategic
Maturity
#6: Strategic
Learning
Partner (SLP)
154 64.6% 10 14% Level 3
(Transformational)*
*Rounded up

40. THE FUTURE
OF LEARNING
• Companies are
finding that AI is
allowing them to
succeed more than
their competitors
that don’t use AI.
• AI is a driver of the
future of learning
and the disruption
of digital learning.

42. THE FUTURE OF LEARNING AND
DEVELOPMENT (COTTER, 2018)
• #1: Transition from e-learning to mobile (m)-learning
• #2: More video-based, on-demand micro-learning
• #3: Learners taking more ownership and responsibility for
their learning
• #4: More use of Virtual Reality in the traditional learning
space
• #5: Technology-enabled and digital learning devices – the
rise of Augmented Learning
• #6: Transition from training facilitators to Learning Navigators

43. THE FUTURE OF LEARNING AND
DEVELOPMENT (COTTER, 2018)
• #7: Less focus on learning content and more focus on the learner
experience
• #8: Less focus on learner assessment and qualifications and more focus on
holistic application and transfer of learning
• #9: Less formal training and more focus on social and experiential learning
(refer to the 70-20-10 model of learning)
• #10: Transition from books to MOOC’s
• #11: Transition from digital learning to Intelligent learning
• #12: Use of a Strategic L&D Scorecard and adoption and implementation
of the Strategic L&D Conceptual Framework (Cotter, 2017).

45. THE BUSINESS CASE FOR AI IN L&D
• #1: Personalization - More individualized learning experiences (Lx) - AI creates
immersive, engaging and meaningful experiences, not lessons e.g. Google's
AlphaGo
• #2: Gap Analysis - AI emphasizes areas that need improvement and provides
recursive feedback for such improvement
• #3: Acceleration - With machine learning, the ability of employees to move from
novice to expert will be fast-tracked, collapsing the development timeline from
years to months.
• #4: Assessment - AI creates intuitive, intelligent tests and quizzes. AI will also
make it possible to assess and recommend tailored learning solutions quickly.
• #5: Accessibility and Multiple Learning Interfaces (MLI) – AI creates smarter
learning interfaces for employees e.g. 3D, virtual reality and simulation. AI is an
enabler of learning on-demand and curates and recommends learning content
just as needed.

46. THE BUSINESS CASE FOR AI IN L&D
• #6: Optimization of comprehension and retention - AI will also begin to be used as virtual
mentors more to increase the number of experiential learning employees are put through
to ensure their comprehension and retention of the learning material is effective. Feedback
loops and ongoing, automated performance support provide reinforcement and practice
that can extend skills development.
• #7: Trouble shooting and Adaptation - Learning and Teaching software is adaptive to
relationships, abstract concepts, real-world use and individual learning related
requirements of a learner. The benefit of AI comes from its ability to evaluate, learn and
adopt a dynamic strategy – AI solves problems that baffle most humans.
• #8: Productivity and Flexibility - By using online training modules, employees can remain at
their desks and still engage the material thoroughly. The flexibility allows them to choose a
time where they won’t be preoccupied with work commitments that can all serve as a
learning distraction. AI allows managers to provide more training at a significantly lower
cost.
• #9: Accuracy of Measurement - AI measures employee engagement more effectively and
compares the results to determine if the program is doing its intended job.
• #10: Business Intelligence and Predictive Analytics – AI creates more detailed reports on
training effectiveness and ROI.

47. FUTURE-FOCUSED AFRICAN L&D
QUESTIONS
• QUESTION 1: COULD AI TRAIN HUMANS?
❑ YES, Just like human tutors can do, intelligent tutoring systems are able to understand the style of
learning preferred by students. They are also able to gauge the amount of knowledge that a learner
already has.
❑ All this data and analysis is being used to deliver instructions and support that is created specifically for
that learner.
• QUESTION 2: COULD AI REPLACE TRAINERS?
❑ no way that going online completely is going to solve all the problems with corporate education now -
the human factor would always be important. Technology would never drive trainers completely out of
the fray.
❑ A more likely scenario, would be trainers, skilled in the ways of using technology, driving the usage of AI
based on the needs of their learners.
❑ TRAINERS WILL BECOME LEARNING NAVIGATORS
❑ AUGMENTED LEARNING
• Counterpoint: Refer to the link: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/5-reasons-why-virtual-reality-related-
devices-unlikely-charles-cotter/ 47

48. CONCLUSION – ALI
BABA OR THE 40
THIEVES?
• Key points
• Summary
• Question and
Answer session

50. ALTERNATIVE VIDEO CLIPS
• https://www.bbc.com/news/av/technology-43292047/burger-flipping-robot-
begins-first-shift
(CALI GROUP - Burger-flipping robot begins first shift – BBC news)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZ9tZW5qo-o
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndHbwMCDS-g
(A Japanese insurance company is replacing 34 workers with Artificial Intelligence –
WEF)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQYc_eZsD0A
(Walmart's: shelf-scanning robots to patrol the aisles)

51. CONTACT DETAILS