Shelley Willsmore told HRD the technology shines a light on other ways to be efficient
Artificial intelligence (AI) may be at the top of the agenda in every boardroom but chief people officer of Nova Systems Australia and New Zealand, Shelley Willsmore, told HRD the technology is in the “embryonic stage,” and only as successful as your current work processes.
“It’s really interesting that there are these phases that we go through – but actually, it shines a light on the fact that a lot of our foundations remain consistent. There’s much more we need to be doing from a workforce planning perspective first," she said.
Willsmore, whose career spans more than 15 years across HR operations, added: “We need to look at what our workforce needs to be able to equipped and educated for this change as well as have capabilities in utilising governance and safety.”
It’s these factors that have lead to Nova Systems to be “more cautious” in adopting the new technology.
Stats from a recent report – released by TalentLMS and WorkTango – supports the idea of ensuring systems are in place to enact change as half of all employees say their trust in leadership is negatively impacted by change.
“Leaders say the biggest barriers to change aren’t tools or systems. They’re human and emotional. Low morale and engagement, employee resistance, and poor communication are dragging down transformation efforts,” the report states.
Employee engagement, Willsmore told HRD, is massively underpinned by the different experiences an organisation’s people – helping to create a “much more rounded business view.”
“That’s the starting point of being successful with an organisation – it’s taking time to understand what the business is about, what they’re trying to achieve and what’s going to unlock potential going forward,” she said.
“I always apply the mantra of leaving teams and organisations in a stronger position than when I joined them – and by doing that, it unlocks the potential of your people. HR’s job is to create environments, cultures, and frameworks to enable people to do their best work.”
Collaboration is also pivotal in helping drive business growth, with cross-functionality noted as a key driver of this because “that’s how you align solutions across the business,” Willsmore said.
“More brains come up with better solutions than just one – but it’s also about sharing what you’ve learnt and seen with others. If you do this, instead of coming from a theoretical basis of HR, you’re going to get better results.”
In ensuring that business goals are aligned, and unlocking the potential of employees, how those you work with feel also needs to be considered – which can be difficult.
“It’s really easy to lose touch with what the people are feeling day to day as you progress up the business,” Willsmore said. “If you’re not putting these connection points in at level one, you don’t understand what people are experiencing at different levels.”
“You can also fall into a habit of being dragged into operational activities, when really my role is focused on the strategic. I’ve got to drive performance outcomes here and now – but also need to be future-ready. You can’t prepare for that if you’re not looking at what your people are doing, how they work, and what they need.”
Willsmore’s stellar career in people management, working for companies including BAE Systems Australia and the Office of the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment, came from humble beginnings – working as a commercial trainee for multinational aerospace company BAE Systems because she “didn’t really know what to do.”
From here, Shelley embarked on several different career paths from sales and market procurement to media and communications. It was in internal communications, Willsmore jokingly outlined, that she had the “best job as a young person” working with local celebrities in the UK like motoring journalist and TV personality, Jeremy Clarkson (who let her ride in his Rolls Royce).
During her communications career, Willsmore studied a degree in English before slowly growing her career in Australia by moving into a communications manager role. It was during this time, she noted, that her love for HR was born by shaping how managers were trained and working on initiatives to develop them.
