The Futurist: Sense early and respond swiftly, says IDA's HR chief

As we move towards 2026, leaders must drop the illusion that they can know everything - because they can’t, affirms Lau Yin Cheng, chief HR and OD, Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA).

Organisations must see themselves in the future as being part of a larger ecosystem, interconnected to other stakeholders and not operating in isolation.

Leaders must drop the illusion that they can know everything, because they can’t. They need to tap on the collective wisdom of individuals to deal with complexities and re-look at how they structure their organisations.

Individuals also have to allocate sufficient time for self-care to achieve the balance and centredness required in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environment as well as be willing to learn new skills.

The role of the HR and OD function is to partner our organisations, our leaders and our people in understanding, accepting and adapting to these trends.

The future is characterised by exponential changes. What we see today as mere pilots or start-ups will become mainstream sooner than we think and feel. So sensing early and responding swiftly is the key to success.

The June 2016 issue of Human Resources magazine is a special edition, bringing you interviews with 32 HR leaders, with their predictions on the future of HR.

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