DIGITALISATION OF LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT AT ARAMCO COMPANY

Posted: December 21st, 2022

DIGITALISATION OF LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT AT ARAMCO COMPANY

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Digitalization of Learning and Development at Aramco Company

The human resource department plays fundamental roles in the running of an organization, which calls for considerable adherence to what officials in this team recommend. Human resources is the set of individuals who constitute the workforce of a company or business sector. Those who serve in this area have skills and knowledge that enable them to command the organization’s workforce through a number of activities (Chytiri, 2019). The HR plans, recruits, advertise vacancies, evaluate performance, organize applications and resumes, schedules interviews, and help in the remuneration process (Chytiri, 2019). However, evidence suggest that the HR function might play crucial roles in creating advanced digital workstations and in fostering worker experience and organizational change in modern firms (Ionascu, 2021). Hence, this essay explores the contributions the HR team make at Aramco in elevating digital learning and development in workplace and improving worker staff members’ experience. It refers to various case studies to gain an idea of how the HR department facilitates the adoption of modern technology in facilitating organizational practices, particularly learning and development. The analysis also explores some of the benefits of adopting technology at the company as well as sheds light onto the possible constraints that the function might encounter in the course of its operations. The essay gives suggestions that may allow corporations to elevate how the HR contributes towards improving digitalization, a practice that will also create the chance to enjoy other benefits. The primary argument is that embracing modern technology elevates organizational learning and development, and improves workers’ desires to perform their duties and continue serving at the company.

How HR might facilitate the Creation of Workplaces Aimed at Digitalized Learning and Development

A key objective of digital human resource management (HRM) is to use information technology to shape organizational practices. A modern HR manger oversees operations in key areas, including networking, outsourcing, people-individual functioning as connected teams, and virtual teams, most of which require technology. Those in charge of HR in modern contexts according to Chytiri (2019) use the automatic call distribution system to reach, gather, draw, and analyse data on team and individual performance. Similarly, HR officials have increasingly adopted the use of a human resource information system (HRIS) that proves effective in guiding workers on related practices such as capturing, keeping, and analyzing information relating to key elements of HR. They use the technology to guide their followers on how to install structures and deploy HR actions that elevate productivity, uphold talent, foretell staffing requirements, and most frequently to hire and select people (Ionascu, 2021). A growing trend among HR functions is the use of Internet and networking technologies via networking websites and platforms to gather data for their workers and augment their participation to organization (Martini et al., 2009). HR personnel are now adopting and leading the implementation and use of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) for training purposes because these technologies have the capacity to improve people analytics. Another growing trend among the HR is the use of social media that has become a fundamental recruitment and selection tool. The vital roles social media play in HR activities compel those overseeing operations in this area to be conversant with information that could cause legal and managerial issues when using these platforms for learning purposes. For instance, Chytiri (2019) illustrates how HR managers have turned their attention to discriminatory, privacy, legal, and ethical issues that could emanate from their use of technology and try to act in a manner that will not harm how they use the digital technology to hasten operations. The description confirms that most activities that the HR performs nowadays are pegged to modern technology.

HR managers at Aramco acknowledge that a significant portion, if not all of the work activities, including learning and development initiatives, have been digitalized. In the paper by Dery et al. (2017), the authors argue that considering that all information in the contemporary time could be digital, is digital, or has been digital, information work of staff members more and more rely on media and digital tools to gain current and relevant information. Consequently, in order to perform well in a job, HR leaders understand that a new set of mental and technical skills are required to systematically achieve, process, generate, and utilize information is inevitable (Ionascu, 2021). As a result, those working in the HR division have realised that digital technologies have facilitated new forms of learning that range from individual workstations, to virtual workgroups, communities or teams, and even to virtual firms. These changes have compelled HR managers to embrace the concept of digital employee management, which focuses on planning and implementing digital forms to build and network the HR practice (Chytiri, 2019). The leaders have continuously adopted digitally supported performance management practices and have extended the practice to pay roll processing. The above identified technological growth describe the new roles of HR leaders. It insinuates that HR leaders, in an attempt to achieve better performance, have to incorporate technology in their assessing of; the impact of these transformation on organ sing work, evaluating productivity, boosting HR commitment and engagement, improving relations between the organization and workers, between line managers and their followers, and between candidates and recruiters. HR managers now learn that their duties are to become strategic businesses partners by increasing the HR obligations are to become strategic business partners by improving the HR duties from traditional tasks towards more intricate approach (Chytiri, 2019). HR leaders now need to take measures and install practices to enhance communication between the department, line managers, and present and future staff members and other team players and stakeholders in a bid to enhance the learning and development processes.

How the Advancement Drives Employee Experience and Organizational Transformation

HR leaders at Aramco improve worker experience when they enact measures to digitize learning and development practices. In the long run, workers find it easier to focus on other tasks because technology makes it easier to complete their duties in real time. In their paper, Sulaiman and Burke (2009) assert that using modern technology provides more awareness on how to perform scheduling activities and also gives more insight onto how to conduct meetings. This, way, members of staff achieve convenience in their activities and ultimately develop the desire to serve at the company. At Aramco, workers feel attached to their duties and draw passion from their roles because they have access to various digitalized programs, thanks to the effort by the HR team to infuse technology in the department (WTW, 2022). Moreover, improved ability to automate duties, establish reminders, collect receipts, monitor investments, and compare pricing rates improve people experience and make them attached to their duties (Arakelyan, 2021). Furthermore, the quality of work associated with digitalized learning make the work environment more appealing to workers and significantly improve their experience.

Potential Challenges

Even though the HR team at Aramco invests significantly in using digital technology to facilitate learning and development, it is necessary to consider some of the challenges associated with acquiring, installing, and maintaining modern technology. Concerns emerge that workers tend to become more relaxed when using some technological forms, an issue that requires the attention of HR leaders. Employees get the feeling that machines will do most of the things for them, and as a results tend to be more relaxed and may not think as critically as they would when working on their own. A great concern surrounds the use of social media where without self-discipline or keen monitoring, staff members may indulge in unnecessary activities over the various social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram where people meet and socialize (De Souza & Nick, 2009). In addition, maintaining some digital forms is quite costly and firms that cannot afford some installations may not offer their HR function the chance to interact with digital practices and devices. The other considerable challenge that could derail how the HR team at Aramco focused on digitalized practices is the way some workers may be slow to embrace change or may not welcome it altogether (Shivakumar, 2020). This is likely to happen when some workers feel that new technology presents some challenges or take away their positions. The issue could affect how the group progresses as a unit, and could affect the realisation of the set goals and objectives. Another obstacle that could deter how the HR team implements digital technology is if the entire or part of the group has encountered cyberbullying that Graf et al. (2022) and Li et al. (2022) identify has having potentially adverse impact on individuals’ perception towards modern technology. For instance, those who have suffered adverse effects of cyberbullying in the past such as depression are likely to be hesitant in their adoption of digitalization as introduced by the HR function. These issues are serious and require considerable attention to achieve flawless operations.

Possible Remedies

Whereas the HR at Aramco seems to be on the right path in facilitating digitalized learning and development, it is necessary to embrace mechanisms that would make it possible to overcome the problems that may affect the digitalization initiative. A suitable way to mitigate the issue of the possibilities of being carried away when using social media for learning purposes is to remind workers to remain focused while interacting with the various technological forms. HR leaders should inform all staff members that incorporating technology does not mean that they become less effective in their work or that they stop thinking critically (Harrison & Boonstra, 2009). They should know that digitalized learning gives them the chance to become more productive and effective in their work because they get to interact with new concepts and practices. In addition, the HR can institute regulations to determine how the workers relate with the various digitalized operations to counter scenarios where workers get carried away as a result of their interaction with technology (Harrison & Boonstra, 2009). For instance, the code of ethics should be clear that it is improper and unacceptable to use the company’s computers to share personal items or messages on social media. This way, employees will maintain their focus on what needs to happen to achieve impressive results.

Concerning the hardships in adjusting and embracing digitalized operations, HR leaders at Aramco or any other firm for that matter should deploy a suitable change model that would facilitate the changeover. A suitable model in this case would be Kurt Lewin’s change theory, which require implementers to consider three important steps to achieve the desired outcomes – unfreeze, change, and refreeze (Hussain et al., 2018). For the theorist, the process of change involves forming the impression that a change is required, then shifting toward the new, anticipated level of operations and behavior, and ultimately reinforcing that new conduct as the norm. Hence, at the refreezing stage, HR managers should inform team members why the change is necessary and how the organization is likely to gain by paying considerable attention to implementing change (Hussain et al., 2018). The next step involves enacting the desired change and transforming activities in a way that contribute toward the targeted outcomes. For example, when introducing more social media avenues to facilitate organizational activities such as recruitment and interviewing, or when installing AI features to play similar functions or related tasks, HR leaders at Aramco ensure that all installations happen at the change stage. The final step in using the model is refreezing, which involves enacting measures that reinstate the adopted changes (Hussain et al., 2018). This may entail reminding workers the benefits of the adopted technology and why everyone needs to work hard to sustain current forms. Using Kurt Lewin’s model increases the chances of overcoming the constraints associated with introducing and implementing new technology.

Reference to Case Studies

The HR at Aramco can emulate other firms that have achieved impressive performance in their use of technology to facilitate HR-related learning and development initiatives. Heineken, a Dutch brewing company, is an example of a company that has achieved significant performance from its use of the workplace by Facebook concept that Linssen (2018) identifies as a social communication and collaboration platform that links people with the firm and that can connect people from different organizations. Using workplace by Facebook creates almost a similar impression like using the conventional consumer Facebook (Linssen, 2018). The HR at Heineken accepts that the platform improves development initiatives because it links workers, thus enhancing collaboration and communication. Using the avenue gives everyone a voice at the company because they get the chance to communicate and share ideas regarding their everyday tasks to get done in the right way (Linssen, 2018). Another company that could serve as an example that digitalization impact on employee experience as well as offers a chance to bolster organizational development is Oracle, an American multinational corporation based in Austin Texas. The company has gone ahead to formulate the Oracle Social Media Participation Policy that determines how workers relate with various websites, and also define their postings and other activities (Oracle, 2022). Consequently, the HR manages to avoid some of the unpleasant effects associated with using digital technology as identified in the previous section. The success these two companies have achieved in their implementation of digital activities to facilitate HR operations should inspire Aramco to divert its attention toward similar directions.

Conclusion

HR leaders at Aramco have to adjust how they operate with the fast transformation of technology. The essay shows that technology keeps changing and sticking to traditional approaches of facilitating learning and development practices may derail how workers go about their activities. HR leaders at Aramco are increasingly acknowledging the significance of incorporating technology into their work and take initiatives to fit into the changing context. The HR function now appreciates the value of using technology in learning and development and has enacted mechanisms that enable the use of various forms including machine learning, AI, automatic call distribution system, HRIS, and social media among other innovations that elevate learning and development. A major factor that inspires HR leaders at this international oil and gas firm to increase their attention towards digital technology and be steadfast in implementing the various aspects is the positive impact these forms have on employees’ gaining of new awareness, which directly impact on their outcome. Workers find it easier to learn new concepts and get to enjoy what they do with digital technology as opposed to when relying on traditional forms. Moreover, the firm is in a better position to be competitive and progressive when workers use digital practices to conduct their work. Even though the HR may encounter some challenges in its attempts to use modern technology to facilitate learning and development, the success other companies have achieved in this area should serve as an inspiration to progress further. HR managers at Aramco should be at the forefront in finding solutions to some of the impediments that could derail how the department and the company at large uses technology to bolster key undertaking that influence the triple bottom line significantly.

Reference List

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