On 11 May 2023, the 4th HR Innovation Campus took place at Kraftwerk Zurich. In ten barcamp sessions, around 80 HR managers discussed topics that are of concern to the Swiss HR community - for example, whether chat GPT and co. are making people superfluous.
Anja Buser, HR Strategies at HR Campus, and Felix Anderegg, Technology Consulting at HR Campus, led the HR Innovation Campus with a great deal of humour. This year they even had reinforcements. ChatGPT welcomed the guests as co-moderator and promised the participants that they would also have something to laugh about in between. This is how the unofficial motto came into being. The presenters performed their favourite jokes and explained to those present what happens to a raccoon who goes to the gym too often. The answer can be found at the end of the article.
Why does the HR Innovation Campus exist?
Philippe Dutkiewicz, member of the HR Campus Executive Board, welcomed the guests and opened the event by saying that it was a very exciting time to be working in HR. He was convinced that HR is essential, especially when it comes to overcoming challenges such as the shortage of skilled labour. He answers the question of why the HR Innovation Campus exists as follows: "We believe in the people in HR, because there is a lot of strength and good ideas in these departments. The good ideas have to come from within in order to solve the challenges we face today. And we want to be part of the solution process". The HR Innovation Campus is part of this and is there to offer HR People Community a space for open dialogue and to support the aforementioned power of this community. Another part is the free knowledge platform HR Cosmos , where questions are asked by the community and answered by experts such as lawyers and other HR professionals. If there are still gaps in knowledge, Swiss HR Academy , with which a co-operation exists, offers various services to close these gaps.
Anja Buser and Felix Anderegg moderated the event with humour.
Will Digitalisation Make People Superfluous?
Christoph Holz believes that society is facing further structural change following the changes of recent years. It has been established that working from home is even more productive and it has been recognised that a different management style is required. This raises the question of whether companies in their current form are still necessary. The keynote speaker went on to explain that we are in a process of change. According to studies, over 300 professions are threatened by technological developments and Digitalisation. Using the example of the Digitalisation of the postal service, he refuted this statement and showed that things always turn out differently than you think. It was originally assumed that the digitalisation of the postal service would save a lot of work and thus put jobs at risk. The exact opposite has happened: We are working many times more efficiently and the work has not become less
There is no question that Digitalisation makes many things superfluous. So what is left? Holz answers this question: people. Things like creativity, empathy and personal responsibility will remain and cannot be digitalised. Digitalisation has taught us more than ever before about what it means to be human. Christoph concludes with the following words: "Digitalisation is not a dictatorship." It offers us enormous room for manoeuvre, which we should focus on. And on what is important and what defines us as people.
Inspiring discussions at the Barcamp sessions
The topics of the Barcamp sessions were determined by the participants themselves and they joined the respective sessions according to their interests. Topics such as natural versus artificial intelligence and new work & new leadership were discussed. Which skills will be in demand in the future, what impact Digitalisation will have on corporate culture and whether "jobs" will still be filled at all were other exciting questions that were discussed in a lively manner.
The participants agreed that a rethink is needed. There is no one or THE solution for every challenge. Depending on the Industry or specific area, different and/or new approaches must be found. What works for one does not necessarily have to work everywhere - and vice versa. An open approach to challenges, "out-of-the-box" thinking and a willingness to try out new things are essential for companies that want to be successful in times of a shortage of skilled labour.
Christoph Holz inspired the participants with his thought experiments.
Outlook for the HR Innovation Campus 2024
After an exciting afternoon, the Innovation Campus drew to a close. Esmir Davorovic and Lena Schwerzmann, Community Manager of HR Cosmos, bid farewell to the guests and gave them a preview of the next event. As the largest free online HR knowledge platform in Switzerland pursues exactly the same goal as the HR Innovation Campus - to offer the community a platform - the next exchange of ideas will take place under the umbrella of HR Cosmos. So guests can look forward to new discussions, new solutions and new jokes.
And what happens to a raccoon that goes to the gym too often? The solution is: he becomes a washing machine!
More impressions of the HR Innovation Campus 2023:
HR Innovation Campus 2023
HR Innovation Campus 2023
HR Innovation Campus 2023
HR Innovation Campus 2023
HR Innovation Campus 2023
HR Innovation Campus 2023
HR Innovation Campus 2023