As former President and currently the Court of Fellows Member, I rejoiced with Malaysian Institute of Human Resource Management (MIHRM) 50 years (1976-2026) of shaping HR excellence. No once can fully forecast the future. But we can identify possible inflection points like to shape it for the next 50 years. Andy Grove, former CEO Intel, defined inflection point as “a time in the life of a business when its fundamentals are about to change.” External conditions create inflection point that represent either opportunities or threats. HR currently faces several key points that may offer insights into the future.
In my studies as management & HR educator, I discovered there are a number of societal environmental factors that will place pressure on HR to respond: technology: general AI, Gen AI, agentic AI; geopolitical trends, global conflicts; HR regulatory attention; political polarization; sustainability development goals; multigenerational workplaces; mental health concerns affecting staff engagement; uncertainty, rapid change; cultural gaps, labor shortages. These environmental trends are bringing about major changes not only in society but in the workplace. HR has always evolved to react to changing conditions.
In a nutshell, artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic buzzword in HR. It is already actively reshaping how companies attract, develop, and retain talent, while also redefining roles, performance, and overall employee experience. AI is revolutionizing hiring - shifting recruitment from intuition-based to intelligence-based. AI-powered visibility helps HR move from reactive to proactive talent management. AI takes L&D from one-size-fits-all to tailor made outcome-driven learning. AI modernizes how we understand & improve performance. These are not the only evolutions required for HR to external action.
But if the profession responses successfully, it will increasingly make a difference. In this vein, my top 3 predictions for the discipline moving into the next decade & beyond. First, HR choices will increasingly rely on evidence and research. Second, AI will become a means to stakeholder value, enabling better decisions & improved processes. Lastly, progress will be made towards increased HR contribution with specific ideas and mindsets to personal situation.
Zulkifly Baharom (hajizul50@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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