The management of Human Resources is in a process of considerable change that will not only affect the day-to-day function of HR professionals, but also the way that they are perceived by colleagues and other industries alike.

The old notions of a largely administrative service are being washed away by a tide of technological innovation that is irreversibly altering the function of HR’s. Automated payroll, e-training and development and the movement towards a truly paperless department are examples of technology already commonplace within the industry, and this places new challenges to the HR professional intent on progressing in this increasingly fluid sector.

In the future (click here for our article about e-HR), HR professionals need to place a larger emphasis on management consultancy skills and develop a broader business knowledge in order to fulfil against the new expectations demanded from the profession. HR departments will invariably shrink due to outsourcing of ‘non-core’ administrative duties and many of the time intensive old processes will simply be replaced by web-based applications. In this sense, much of the ‘old HR’ role will disappear, stimulating an ‘evolve or die’ mentality amongst industry members.

But it’s not all bad news. The HR industry needs to change, and technology has merely acted as a strong catalyst for what some would argue is a much-needed overhaul of the function and practice of human resources. The industry will produce a leaner, more focused generation of professionals, who are more proactive, strategic and business minded, bringing a new set of benefits to the companies that employ them. Not only is this more valuable for a business, but it will create a more fulfilling job role than could have been possible as recently as a decade ago.

HR professionals who can demonstrate a clear impact on the financial performance of a business will be placed in increasingly high regard as the future unfolds. New HR’s will have to show how they can reduce overhead and business costs through better people management, and they will have better analytical tools available at their disposal in order to help this. Once an HR begins to show a broader business focus within this context, they can go on to a bigger, strategic role.

You may well be required to develop a deeper knowledge of elements such as finance, market strategy, technology, staffing and training needs in order to progress your career. More recent skill sets, such as the specialist abilities to manage both change and culture, require specialist knowledge, and the HR’s of tomorrow will have to develop credibility and capability in order to explore such interesting areas of the business.

In a global marketplace, the most successful Human Resource professionals will be those who think from the outside in and provide greater insight as to how the shifting commercial landscape impacts on their people. To be able to deliver some or all of these qualities elevates HR to a much higher position than it has arguably ever occupied.

Which brings us back to the idea of image change. As the new century unfolds, business will have no choice but to accept the new role of HR as more agenda setting than administrative, more proactive than procedural. HR professionals have an individual and collective responsibility to help shape this new perception, and usher forth a new era of dynamic human resources. Ultimately, this progress will filter down through the industry until it affects the way in which we all see HR, and maybe only then will the makeover be complete.