By Nilesh Bhagat, CHRP

HR is and has always been considered the discipline of people practices. If you’re in HR, you are practicing implementing systems and procedures to help an organization function to its highest potential through the use of the human capital available. Most can agree with this statement.

As we move into a new era of business – one that will be in the hands of the most connected demographic ever – the role of HR as a business function is dying. This is good. HR is no longer just a ‘function’ of business. That is, it’s no longer just a division, department or component of business. Nor is it a functional web of practices – like recruitment or compensation – that augment the better known ‘drivers’ of good business, such as finance and accounting. Rather, the practice of HR now and moving forward IS business.

Let me explain.

We’re social creatures – always have been, always will be. Our very behavior depends on the cues we take from others. We’re influenced by the network of people to whom we’re connected, both directly and indirectly through others. In the past, the ways in which we could connect with these networks was limited: we could call and connect using the telephone; we could see the behavior of indirect connections through broadcasted media, like television; or we could walk to places of interest to connect in person. We could share experiences and feel connected, but in relatively limited forms. As compared to today, we weren’t all that connected to each other because the costs of connecting (i.e., the limited platforms of connection available) were higher.

What did this mean for the discipline of people practices? Well, the systems put in place were limited in their effect to the ways we could communicate. As a result, we – as individuals – were relatively isolated from much of the organizational network, and therefore the influence of others on us was fundamentally limited. The discipline of Human Resources suffered. Its role included connecting people in ways that would increase the performance of the organization; however, it could do so in limited ways because of the platforms of communication available. As a result, HR continued to be a silo among silos that ran businesses. Functional in nature and sometimes cast aside.

The rise of the web and complementary technologies that we find commonplace today has changed the landscape of our behavior. Through these, we are more connected than ever. If you want to connect with a colleague in Edmonton, Alberta, you’re a text message away. Want to see his new product prototype in action? Login to Skype and enjoy the experience. Want to share the moment with another colleague in Atlanta, Georgia? Add him to the online conversation. All this happens within minutes, if not faster, and at a cost that is relatively minimal as compared to our previous business era.

In the past, we felt what others felt when we connected with them in our limited ways. We had a sense of empathy through these connections, but that sense withered away until our next interaction. Today, we are constantly connected and, as a result, we sense and feel what one another is feeling continuously. It’s no longer HR’s ‘job’ to connect us – connectivity is ubiquitous.

We each must learn how to create our own systems of practice to deal with the issues connectedness brings to our diverse and many groups. Because connectedness concerns the interaction of people, the discipline of creating and maintaining systems to understand people is commonplace in our everyday lives.

Today and in the future, as we grow more and more connected, we must all practice HR. How are you practicing HR?

Nilesh Bhagat, CHRP, is the membership and CHRP administrator at BC HRMA. After several grueling years in school, Nilesh graduated in October 2010 from Simon Fraser University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, First Class Honors. He majored in Human Resources Management and tacked on an extended minor in Psychology. He’s a self-confessed nerd (the first step is admitting), likes to read, loves hockey and is struggling with the complexities of learning the game of golf.