Artificial Intelligence for Human Resources Management

Draft proposal
Name


Student Number


Course

MSc in Human Resource Management and Development

Table of Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u Effects of Artificial Intelligence on Human Resources Management UN PAGEREF _Toc18171097 \h 2Context of the study and Aim: PAGEREF _Toc18171098 \h 2Aim PAGEREF _Toc18171099 \h 3Objectives PAGEREF _Toc18171100 \h 4Research Question PAGEREF _Toc18171101 \h 4Literature Review PAGEREF _Toc18171102 \h 5Research Methodology PAGEREF _Toc18171103 \h 9Limitations of the study PAGEREF _Toc18171104 \h 9References PAGEREF _Toc18171105 \h 11
Effects of Artificial Intelligence on Human Resources Management UN
Context of the study and Aim:
Technology is powering innovation and enabling organizations to move to new heights. Digital innovation continues to transform and create utility that propels and guides the future for companies and the world CITATION Wei19 \l 1033 (Wei, et al., 2019) CITATION Wes18 \l 1033 (West & Allen, 2018). One of the most influential technologies is AI which is compounded by ERP and cloud computing. Combining AI and cloud computing continues to change and influence the world and organizations. CITATION Lou18 \l 1033 (Loucks, 2018) notes that by 2019, more companies will have adopted or obtained “AI capabilities through cloud-based enterprise software, and 65 percent will create AI applications using cloud-based development services” He continues to cite Deloitte noting that it predicts high “penetration rates of enterprise software with integrated AI and cloud-based platforms will reach an estimated 87 percent and 83 percent” by the year 2020. Cumulatively, these technologies give an organization an edge in its respective industries. The launching of different ERPs, AI, and automation, could radically change the workplace and Human Resource Management. In the HRM context, AI typically refers to data that is processed by algorithms to make decisions CITATION Cap18 \l 1033 (Cappelli, et al., 2018). Smarter people analytics is a field within AI that confirms that AI will lead to major changes in the human resource department CITATION Nic18 \l 1033 (Nicastro, 2018). Other areas in the HRM that AI has made great changes are hiring and employee engagement CITATION Bha19 \l 1033 (Bhardwaj, 2019). The recruitment process has been streamlined and transformed from being a cumbersome task to one that takes a few minutes.
The United Nations has also adopted these technologies to streamline its operations and deliver on its objective to deliver better services. Before the implementation of its new AI system which is also an ERP system, the UN had legacy systems that slowed its service delivery. The new system dabbed UMOJA brings all the departments together CITATION UMO16 \l 1033 (UMOJA, 2016).
In 2015 the United Nations Secretariat launched UMOJA as an ERP where all staff members have access to Employee-Self-Service (ESS) and MSS (Manager self-service). Most of United Nations Agencies are using AI (UMOJA) and advanced data analytics for recruiting and hiring CITATION UMO16 \l 1033 (UMOJA, 2016).
Self-service is the front-end tool used to provide access to end-users that need role and process-based access to the system. Self-service technology is web-based, allowing a large number of users to access the system without the installation or technology requirements to support the client software used by power and super users in the system CITATION Hil13 \l 1033 (Hilton, et al., 2013). In his article, CITATION Zie19 \l 1033 (Zielinski, 2019) notes that the introduction of ESS and MSS in the HR departments serves to “improve service, reduce labor costs and shift responsibility for handling routine transactions from HR to employees, managers, and job candidates.” Employees can now do simple things like review their vacation days and have their questions about things like their health benefits answered. CITATION Jun17 \l 1033 (JungoHR, 2017) also indicates that ESS has made employee self-service portals possible. These are developments that were not deemed possible but through the introduction of AI, they have become possible.
Aim
The aim of this research is to establish the effects of adopting UMOJA in managing human resources in the UN.
Objectives
To achieve the aim, the following objectives are formulated:
1.To find out the role of UMOJA to the UN in relation to HRM.
2.To find out the benefits of UMOJA to the UN Managers and top management.
3.To find out if there have been negative effects of migrating HRM processes to the UMOJA system
Research Question
The aim of the dissertation is to verify the UN efficiency gain “which is not clear as of today” and how much it has affected the role of HR staff?
Literature Review
AI continues to revolutionize the world in ways that have not been seen before. The possibilities and opportunities that AI makes available continue to create a mystery in the world. Currently, the future state of the world is unknown because of the possibilities that have been conceived by AI. Organization functions have been revamped and been made more effective and efficient because of the introduction of AI CITATION Wil18 \l 1033 (Wilson & Daugherty, 2018). The human resource function has seen a number of changes that have reorganized and reshaped the function’s outlook. What people are slowly coming to terms with is the fact that AI is not a “future concept to work towards – it is already a mainstay in our workplaces as more and more organizations leverage AI to improve the overall employee experience and business performance” CITATION Nun19 \l 1033 (Nunn, 2019). The human resource sector which is not a field that people foresaw being technologically revamped has seen a tremendous change. One way that AI has changed the human resource department is by making the field more streamlined and efficient. There is also the idea of skill shifts that has been greatly revamped by automation and artificial intelligence CITATION Bug18 \l 1033 (Bughin, 2018) CITATION Cap18 \l 1033 (Cappelli, et al., 2018). Companies are slowly but permanently being forced to rethink and change their strategies.
First of all, an understanding of the human resource sector is crucial. The human resource sector according to CITATION Rei18 \l 1033 (Reilly, 2018) is “the bread and butter support to the organization,” and includes crucial aspects of the organization like “recruitment, training, casework, remuneration, and performance management.” AI, on the other hand, “refers to a broad class of technologies that allow a computer to perform tasks that normally require cognition, including decision-making” (Tambe, Cappeli, and Yakubovich, 2018). The introduction of AI into the human resource function seeks to streamline and introduce efficiency in the processes of recruitment, training, casework, remuneration, and performance management. AI has in so many ways influenced the human resource department and greatly impacted the different functions within the department CITATION Yaw19 \l 1033 (Yawalkar, 2019).
One way that AI has managed to impact or drive change in the human resource department is by streamlining the recruitment process. CITATION Yaw19 \l 1033 (Yawalkar, 2019) notes that AI has greatly impacted and changed the recruitment process. Today, companies are using AI to help screen job candidates, to auto-generate messages to potential candidates, and to schedule interviews with potential candidates. Aside from the above, AI has also been used to generate data specific to candidates and to gauge their competency levels based on data fed into the system CITATION Yaw19 \l 1033 (Yawalkar, 2019). For example, AI can be used to search the internet for potential candidates. These systems check the internet for potential candidates and compare experts with the data variables made available. In the end, an organization gets to meet the top level or the most qualified candidates for a particular job. Instead of going through a gruesome interview process where a lot of people are involved, an AI-powered system is used to find candidates with a qualified resume.
Another way that AI has made great steps is helping to bridge skill gaps. Skill gaps are existent in every organization and Nunn (2019) notes that these exist because of unrealistic expectations. When a firm is suffering from the existence of a difference between the skill set possessed by individuals in the firm and the skills demanded by a job, growth is halted. AI can help eliminate the skill gaps existent in companies. Data analytics is one area in which AI seeks to use to revolutionize organizational functions. Nunn continues to say that in bridging the skill gaps, “job description, business goals, and company values are all taken into account, along with possible future skills needed.” The human resource department is known to deal with large amounts of people data and CITATION Mal17 \l 1033 (Malisetty, et al., 2017) note that this is perfect for forecasting. Predictive analytics is a crucial asset for any company’s growth prospects. The HR department can make use of the information generated by predictive analytics to facilitate better decision-making.
Aside from the above, AI can...