The Convergence of HR and IT in the Age of AI
In many organizations, the roles of Human Resources (HR) and Information Technology (IT) have traditionally been distinct. HR focuses on managing people, while IT deals with technology infrastructure and systems. However, as companies increasingly adopt artificial intelligence (AI), a growing number of organizations are rethinking this division by merging HR and IT under a single leadership structure.
Further reading: ChatGPT Warns Teens of Harmful Advice on Drugs, Dieting, and Self-Harm
According to a survey by Nexthink, a company that develops workplace software, 64% of senior IT decision-makers at large firms expect their HR and IT functions to merge within five years. This shift is driven by the need for more integrated approaches to managing both human capital and digital tools.
Tracey Franklin, the chief people and digital technology officer at biotech company Moderna, exemplifies this new role. She oversees both HR and IT, combining traditional HR responsibilities with digital technology needs related to drug development, manufacturing, and commercialization. “I think of my role as an architect of how work is done,” she explains. “It’s about how work flows through the organization and what should be done with technology—whether that’s hardware, software, or AI—and where you complement human skills around that.”
Moderna has also partnered with OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, and trained all employees to use AI tools. “We’re saying, ‘Here are the tools to rewrite how work gets done,’” she says. “Having employees learn how to learn, be masters of AI, and recreate their own workflows.”
Before her current role, Franklin led HR at Moderna and took some IT training to prepare for her new responsibilities. While she now has two IT managers reporting to her, she emphasizes that the leader of this function doesn’t need to be an expert in either area. Instead, they must provide vision, manage resources, remove obstacles, and foster a positive culture.
Case Study: Covisian’s Integrated Approach
Covisian, a company that provides software and services for customer care, merged its IT and HR teams in April 2023 under the leadership of Fabio Sattolo, the chief people and technology officer. Previously the CTO, Sattolo believes that integrating these departments allows for a shared vision on how technology can impact people and vice versa.
One example of this integration is in call centres, where AI will play an increasing role. While humans will still answer calls and solve customer problems, they will then delegate the process of fixing issues to AI. “We are developing AI considering that a human agent will use it,” Sattolo explains. “But you also need to develop the human agent to make sure that they are aware of how to use this technology.”
Previously, HR and IT departments often had conflicting priorities. Now, with one decision-maker overseeing both, the effectiveness and speed of development have improved significantly. Sattolo notes that technical barriers can often be addressed by adapting HR processes as a workaround.
A successful initiative from the combined team was an internal job postings tool, which gave call centre agents opportunities to move into other roles within the company. The new tool doubled responses to job adverts.
Challenges and Considerations
Despite the benefits, integrating HR and IT is not without challenges. David D’Souza, director of profession at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), warns that the skillsets of HR and IT professionals are complementary but not overlapping. “Complex people issues require an understanding of organizational and situational factors, different from the specialist expertise required in IT,” he says.
Bianca Zwart, chief strategy officer at online bank Bunq, takes a different approach. At Bunq, the IT and people teams are part of the same larger team. “Both IT and HR are building systems that support the rest of the business,” she explains. The company is exploring how AI and humans can best work together, believing that close collaboration between IT and HR is a natural fit.
At Bunq, no single person is responsible for deciding whether a task should be performed by a human or AI. Instead, the company aims to empower its 700-plus employees to build the automations and AI processes they need themselves. Bunq is on track to automate 90% of its operations by the end of 2025, while continuing to hire new employees.
“We’re making people understand that they need to work in a completely different way moving forward,” Zwart says. “AI will take away repetitive tasks so they can focus on more complex problems.”