Natter sat down with Dr. Christian Schmeichel, SVP and Global Head of People & Culture Services at SAP, for a frank conversation about the impact of AI on the workforce. He lets us know why he’s excited for what lies ahead and is opting for experimentation.
Christian has more than 20 years of experience in various senior HR executive positions at SAP.
Prior to his current responsibility, he held a rare C-suite role as Chief Future of Work Officer that put SAP ahead of the pack when navigating the future of HR in the new world of work. HR transformation is coming thick and fast. Christian has been been responsible for designing future-forward people and workplace practices powered by technology and started in the wake of the global pandemic just twelve months before ChatGPT made GenAI instantly accessible across the globe.
When it comes to preparing SAP’s employee base of 100,000+ people for a future alongside GenAI, Christian is mindful of the scale of transformation ahead. But rather than endless strategy sessions, he’s getting practical and choosing to nurture a mindset of curiosity and growth for his organization by prioritising skills-development, making the benefits of AI tangible for his teams.
"We need to bring the bread-and-butter business of HR to the next level, powered by AI.”
Christian is clear that the HR function needs to evolve with AI at the core, embracing uncertainty rather than bracing for uncertainty. He suggests that everything should be questioned. “How do we recruit, how do we train and how do we reward this new future workforce which will also have AI in it?” As strategic work takes place to answer these wider organisational questions, Christian emphasises the importance of HR leaders taking a look in the mirror; “We need to build a talent strategy for the business, but we need to have a talent strategy for HR in the AI era. This means we will need to have completely new skills, not just new technology.”
"AI offers the opportunity to leapfrog the time of education.”
Christian notes that upskilling both within the HR function and across the organisation should not be underestimated in order to realise the benefits of GenAI. “Where machines distract at the moment, this will change in the future. AI will reduce routine tasks and enhance communication. It will break down barriers and save time by reducing the repetitive workload of employees.” But Christian acknowledges that “the workforce requires new skills and capabilities” and that these moments can bring about a fear of change including anxieties that AI will take over.
To get future-ready, Christian has been experimenting with AI-powered learning sessions at SAP, dedicating a full learning day to his team to get their hands on AI-powered tools earlier this year. “ChatGPT created the agenda and we generated an AI avatar to host the session for us. We also did prompt engineering experimentation together. These sessions engage people while also being super practical and tangible".
"It’s important to create awareness for what AI can do at this moment, but also what it can’t do and the human things that differentiate us.”
While it can be easy to get caught up in the buzz of new GenAI tools, Christian remains adamant that the ‘human touch’ within HR must never be neglected. “A lot of people see AI as the ultimate silver bullet to find synergies to free up time to do the value add work. But you have to be mindful about how you take that time and not fill it back in with similar tasks.”
He instead suggests that time created could increase human empathy in the workplace with more space for interaction and understanding. Confident use of AI will be an essential skill within the HR function, as will the skill of knowing when to step out from behind the technology. “Personal topics where people will expect some form of consultation” will clearly require human interaction, but it’s also important for HR individuals to “make these interactions more meaningful and bring the personal touch in order to distinguish yourself”.
Christian notes that there has never before been “a time where it is so exciting to work in the HR space.” He cites the introduction of GenAI as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” emphasising that “if we commit to bringing AI into the minds and hearts of our people, we can create a mindset of curiosity and growth.”
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This conversation formed part of Natter’s latest research report:
Leading the GenAI Generation: The Evolving Role of the CHRO from Boardroom to Frontline
People and HR C-Suites from fourteen countries across six continents engaged in conversations on Natter. Over seven million employees were represented, and over 700 conversational ideas and insights were generated.The report summarizes the output of those conversations and outlines how CHROs are preparing themselves for GenAI.
To access the full report, click here.
