Market View

Adaptive HR in a Dynamic World: Navigating Diversity, Jurisdiction, and the Modern Workforce

Interview with

James Grinnell

Group People Director, Currie & Brown

About James Grinnell

James Grinnell is the Group People Director at Currie and Brown, a global construction and asset management consultancy. In this role, he is responsible for all aspects of human resources across the company's 2,500 employees in 25 countries, including hiring, workforce engagement and development, compensation and benefits, culture shaping, and more. He also sits on the executive Global Management Team, involved in high-level decision making and strategy for the company.

Given the complexities of today's world, what role does being adaptive in your HR approach play in delivering a successful outcome?

Adaptive HR is fundamentally about listening, understanding contexts and perspectives, and acting upon them. If you approach things one-dimensionally then inevitably you're not going to be quick and agile, reflecting all the challenges and nuances that come up in a modern working environment. For example our HR and recruitment approaches have to differ across the globe. In Asia Pacific, culture distinctions necessitate a different approach to the practices we employ in the setting of North America. This requires us to adapt our methods to each market's specific norms and trends, though we ensure uniformity in fundamental aspects such as training availability and employee support. To me, adaptive HR signifies a deep commitment to understanding - it's about getting feedback and opinion and viewpoint, and recognising what's fundamentally important for us and being prepared to do things a little bit differently.

How do you anticipate the future of HR management given the rapid changes in the work environment?

Inevitably data has become an imperative - we're seeing more readily available data, and that HR must leverage that data to make informed decisions, and leveraging the HR technology to be as efficient as possible. I think as a function HR needs to take more of a seat at the table, it needs to be driving decisions, it's the core of the business, and HR can use the data to drive organisations moving forwards. To me that's absolutely essential.

Couple that with the increasing importance of the employee experience. We are seeing that our people want more than just a job, they want an organisation with vision and purpose where their skills are harnessed to their maximum potential. HR must deliver a compelling talent strategy, looking at cross-fertilizing skills so people don't feel they are in silos but have opportunities to learn. It’s about creating an agile workforce. I think all of this comes together in the changing role of the HR function.

What role does technology play in ensuring your HR strategies remain current and effective?

HR technology plays a crucial role in ensuring human resources strategies stay current and effective. When you make the strategic decision to invest in technology it's probably something you don't do that often and you've got to get it right. You've got to find the solution that is right for your business and you're doing it at the right time. And that the solution can evolve and adapt as your organisational needs change.

Technology can efficiently inform, streamline processes, and help navigate complex HR issues. It is an indispensable ally. It's got to be top of the agenda for any HR department to see where tech can support them and benefit them. Taking a strategic outlook, HR can utilise technology to fit their needs, deliver to stakeholders and support the business. Viewing technology through this lens allows HR to leverage it as a vital asset.

How important and how do you ensure your HR platform remains flexible and adaptive to the changing needs of your business?

It's of paramount importance because it's about efficiency, not just about doing things differently, but delivering a genuine commercial benefit. If the HR technology is a good fit for your organisation, it can reduce laborious tasks, freeing up resources for value-add workforce engagement and business impact. For us, it's understanding challenges, repetitive activities that could leverage automation or be supported by technology because that enables consideration of where it can provide organisational benefit.

What are your top priorities when considering an HR solution?

Defining the why and what problem it will solve, not just through HR’s eyes but consulting business stakeholders on what challenges a system could help address. It must be a genuine business benefit, to understand how HR can solve problems and provide insights. Second is stakeholder engagement - there are nuances and datasets that differ by country, sometimes due to legislation or local processes. Understanding that upfront, bringing people on the journey through consultation, taking time to define system needs and local nuances would be key - treat it as your top project and invest the time.

How important is having a unified system?

I think flexibility is important for two reasons. Flexibility is critical so that a system rollout isn't seen as imposed by corporate without considering regional differences. If a centralised one-size-fits-all system is declared as the approach without doubt there will be overlooked local nuances that are important. But also, imposing a system risks losing people's support if it doesn't fit local needs. The corporate head office can't just declare "that's how it is" without undoubtedly overlooking regional and local needs. Imposition guarantees people won't come on the journey, saying it only works for head office. With any new system, losing trust means losing change adoption. That's number one.

About Currie and Brown

Currie & Brown is a world-leading provider of cost management, project management and advisory services, covering the full range of public and private sectors. Our purpose is to add value that makes building a better future possible. We help clients navigate volatility and unpredictability, providing the certainty that enables better, more sustainable built environments for all. Our services reflect the complexity of physical assets’ uses and integrated lifecycles, addressing every aspect, from concept, design and construction, to the assessment of best-value options for ongoing use, maintenance, operation and eventually deconstruction.

With principal offices in London, Dubai, Riyadh, Hong Kong, Mumbai, New York and Shanghai, we operate across 70 offices throughout the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, India and the Middle East.

Currie & Brown is a part of the Sidara collaborative.