1.0: Putting It Together- The Role of Human Resources

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Nina Burokas
Lumen Learning

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It’s interesting (and, perhaps, reassuring?) to note that people have always felt that they live in pivotal times. One of the first recorded references to the Chinese term for crisis as both danger and opportunity was in a 1938 editorial titled “The Challenge of Unusual Times.” Interpretation debates aside, the point the author makes is worth considering; specifically, without danger, there is no opportunity. As we engage in the next industrial revolution—Industry 4.0—the sense that we are at an “incipient and dangerous moment” is pervasive. How we navigate this change will have broad—perhaps global—implications for business, government and society.

Image of several closed doors lining a wall.

As global accounting and advisory firm KPMG observes in a recent publication: “It’s a brave, evolving world for Human Resources (HR). Roles are changing, expectations are rising, boundaries are blurring, and organizations are charting new and more complex territory. These factors are transforming the HR function and positioning HR professionals as strategy partners at the leaders’ table.”^[1]

"The Evolution of HR." KPMG. 2016. Accessed July 29, 2019. ↵

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