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With over 20 years of experience, Pattabiraman M.P. is a seasoned expert in leadership coaching, talent management, and organizational development, with a strong focus on IT, ITeS, banking, and consulting sectors. He previously served as the Head of HR at McKinsey & Company (India). As a certified Gallup Strengths Coach and Herrmann Whole Brain Thinking Practitioner, Pattabiraman has successfully mentored senior business leaders and collaborated with several Fortune 500 companies. He holds an MBA in HR Management from BIM.
In a recent interview with M R Yuvatha, Senior Correspondent at siliconindia, Pattabiraman M P, shared his insights on revolutionizing HR leadership through polywork, upskilling ecosystems, AI integration, and addressing the ethical challenges HR leaders face.
As artificial intelligence reshapes traditional workplace structures and allows for more flexible career paths, HR leaders are increasingly becoming strategic architects, driving the adoption of polywork and the development of comprehensive upskilling ecosystems.
Polywork is an emerging concept still in its early stages, with two primary models:
Multiple Jobs: Individuals hold multiple jobs at the same time, often across different organizations or roles.
Freelancing: Individuals work with several organizations or roles without being committed to a single employer.
While polywork offers significant advantages such as increased flexibility for both employers and employees it also introduces challenges in areas like productivity, role clarity, and time management. These issues need to be thoroughly addressed before integrating polywork into an organization’s talent strategy.
By exploring and understanding these challenges, organizations can better harness the potential of polywork while mitigating its drawbacks.
The Role of Polywork in Upskilling Ecosystems and Talent Flexibility
Polywork, an emerging trend that allows individuals to engage in multiple roles simultaneously, presents an opportunity for organizations to redefine employee value. By partnering with academia, tech platforms, and industry experts, HR can shift from traditional career ladders to more personalized skill constellations. This model gives employers access to diverse skill sets without the need for full-time commitments, enhancing the talent pool.
Academic institutions can integrate polywork into internships, helping students develop employability skills early. However, for successful integration, organizations must ensure their internal systems, processes, and policies support polywork. This clarity will prevent confusion and promote psychological safety within teams.
The key to adopting polywork is understanding the problem an organization aims to solve. If the challenge is a talent shortage, polywork offers a way to leverage skills temporarily. However, for long-term needs, such as large-scale projects, polywork may not be suitable.
When seeking short-term expertise, like project management skills for a few hours, polywork can be highly effective. However, without clear communication and well-defined roles, companies risk creating confusion and undermining employee confidence. Organizations must carefully balance these factors before embracing polywork as part of their workforce strategy.
The Untapped Power of AI and Polywork
As AI continues to advance, HR leaders must carefully assess its role in upskilling and workforce transformation, especially in the context of polywork models. The challenge for HR leaders is to determine where AI can already bring benefits and where its capabilities are still limited.
A recent Gartner study highlights that while AI is often linked to job losses due to increased productivity, only a small portion of job reductions can actually be attributed to AI’s efficiency. In fact, AI’s full potential for boosting productivity has not yet been fully realized. While companies are planning to integrate AI into their workforce, the anticipated benefits have yet to be fully achieved.
For HR and business leaders, it's essential to establish clear metrics for measuring AI's impact. Once polywork is effectively integrated, AI can play a key role in bridging skill gaps and improving operational efficiencies. The key is understanding which specific challenges AI can address and ensuring that it complements polywork, rather than complicating it.
AI is reshaping workforces, but as polywork and upskilling rise, HR leaders must navigate the balance between innovation and foundational skills.
The Ethical Challenges and Strategic Leadership of HR
Addressing the ethical and systemic challenges of polywork, gig workers, and AI integration is essential for HR leaders to ensure these initiatives foster both organizational growth and societal progress. While polywork is not a new concept, it raises ethical concerns, particularly in industries handling proprietary information, such as IT or ITeS. When employees work for competing companies, it’s crucial to establish clear ethical guidelines to protect confidential data.
Companies must develop forward-thinking policies that address potential conflicts of interest while safeguarding both organizational and client interests. Since polywork, gig work, and AI are still evolving, HR leaders need to continually refine policies to stay ahead of emerging risks. In this evolving landscape, HR must act like cybersecurity experts proactively identifying and managing risks to ensure both legal and ethical considerations are met.
Key Principles for Leveraging AI and Polywork
HR leaders must adapt to the changing dynamics of AI and polywork, using them to drive growth and innovation while maintaining depth in their expertise.
There are four key principles that HR professionals should focus on:
Build Functional Depth: HR professionals must continually enhance their knowledge and expertise, similar to how legal functions are adopting AI. Gaining deep expertise in HR-specific areas is crucial for effectively using AI.
Take Initiative Beyond Defined Roles: HR professionals shouldn’t wait for a formal role change to develop new skills. Instead, they should actively seek opportunities to contribute to various projects, which will help them perform multiple roles, accelerate skill development, and align with the polywork model.
Invest in Behavioral Competencies: As AI evolves, essential skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity will remain important. These competencies will be vital differentiators in the future of HR.
Maintain Business Orientation: HR initiatives must be closely aligned with business goals. By ensuring that HR actions drive measurable value for the organization, HR professionals can reinforce their role as true business partners.
In Essence!
AI is undoubtedly enhancing productivity, but it is essential not to overlook the importance of building foundational skills. While AI can assist in areas like coding, it cannot replace the critical thinking and problem-solving abilities needed to fully understand, review, and optimize the work.
As polywork and upskilling initiatives integrate rapidly, HR leaders must strike a balance between leveraging AI and ensuring employees maintain essential skills, all while prioritizing well-being and societal impact.