It has amused me for some time how IT and HR have, and still, remain the Chameleons of the organisation. And they have also remained the two functions that really have struggled to get C-Suite attention. But today, and going forward, that has to change.
When we had Data Processing (DP) on the IT side, we had Personnel on the HR side. When Personnel became Human Resources (HR), IT became, well Information Technology (IT). Although many attempts were made to change this to ICT (Information and Communication Technology). When HR became Human Capital (HC), IT became Information Services (IS). Though neither name really “stuck”. And we are now going through another metamorphosis in both areas.
The reason is that organisations today rely more and more on digital business, and with that comes skilled people. The two Chameleons are set to become the life-blood of organisations of the future. But can they find a name that sticks. After a quick search, here are a few examples of what they could be:
| For HR | On the IT side |
| People Operations
People @ {company name} Employee Experience Employee Success People Experience (PX) |
Technology Solutions
Business Technology Service Delivery (Hmmm?) Business Information and Technology Services Digital Business Services Innovation and Technology |
From these lists it is clear that the chameleons don’t really know what “colour” they should be. Is it because the branches that they are sitting on don’t yet understand what they should be? Just wondering!