India’s richly diverse talent pool is a strategic asset for SAP, says Dan Healey, SVP and Head of People for SAP Customer Success who was in India weeks ago. The multi-talented, multi-generational employee population aligns perfectly with SAP’s workforce strategy to build and sustain a team that reflects today’s realities.
In this exclusive interview with People Matters, Dan Healey and Shraddha Naik discuss how AI is transforming human capabilities and driving business growth. Shraddha, Human Resources Business Partner for SAP India, SEA, & Emerging Markets, highlights SAP’s innovative succession planning and collaboration with recruiting and talent intelligence functions, crucial for strengthening the external talent pipeline.
Here are excerpts from the conversation:
What are your observations on the Indian talent market and how does it align with SAP’s local workforce strategy?
Dan Healey: India presents an exceptional opportunity for SAP due to its diverse and multi-generational talent pool. This aligns perfectly with our strategy of building a workforce that reflects the changing realities of today’s business landscape. We are committed to fostering a culture of diversity inclusion, and innovation while leveraging intelligent solutions to enhance decision-making.
By identifying and nurturing exceptional talent, including those with hidden potential, we aim to stay ahead in the competitive talent market. We also invest in learning and development opportunities to prepare our employees for the AI era and ensure they have the skills and knowledge needed to succeed.
Could you provide an example of how SAP’s customer success team works with Indian clients to help them achieve their business objectives?
Dan Healey: India is vital to SAP’s growth, with our local team driving significant impact. We actively gather customer feedback to refine our solutions and enhance value. Our customer success team actively collects and analyzes this feedback to enhance our delivery, sales strategies, and software solutions.
An example of this is our state-of-the-art Labs in Bangalore, where we engage closely with customers to integrate their insights directly into our solutions. My recent interactions with some leaders reveal their eagerness to share insights, which highlights our commitment to being customer-focused.
Are there any specific initiatives that you are launching in India to enhance your workforce?
Shraddha Naik: Yes, we are launching a new initiative in India to enhance our succession planning. We aim to integrate external talent into our succession bench, alongside our internal pipeline, with a focus on increasing the representation of women and external candidates. This will help us build a more diverse and robust talent pool for future hiring needs. While we have a well-established global framework for succession planning, we are piloting a new approach in India, with potential expansions to Indonesia and Thailand.
We are also strengthening our collaboration with the recruiting and talent intelligence functions. This partnership is crucial for building a strong external talent pipeline, which is essential for our talent and succession planning processes.
Dan Healey: While we’re constantly evolving and never quite reaching a finish line, we’re certainly not starting from scratch. Our commitment to continuous improvement and our belief in the potential of the Indian talent market are driving our progress.
You earlier mentioned AI. What is SAP’s approach to AI and how does it fit into your workforce strategy?
Dan Healey: AI is often seen as a threat to jobs, but we believe that it will actually create new opportunities and enhance the value of human capital. When used effectively, AI can automate mundane tasks, freeing up employees to focus on more strategic and creative work.
We believe that the combination of AI and human intelligence will deliver a greater return on investment. AI can enhance processes, but it cannot replace the human connection and emotional intelligence necessary for interpreting information and building relationships.
At SAP, we view AI as a tool to augment human capabilities, not as a replacement. We are investing in learning and development to ensure that our employees are well-equipped to leverage AI in their roles.
Can you share more about how is SAP preparing for an AI-driven workforce?
Dan Healey: SAP has been proactively preparing for an AI-driven workforce by transitioning our HR functions and business processes to the cloud and redesigning our business model. This has positioned us to leverage AI more effectively, especially through our SuccessFactors portfolio.
We are focusing on several areas where AI can make a significant impact, such as job description generation, interview question formulation, learning curriculum recommendations, CV data extraction, and performance and development recommendations.
So, how does SAP measure the impact of its AI-driven workforce preparations on both employees and customers?
Dan Healey: We continually assess our HR portfolio investments based on the evolving needs of our people and focus on delivering a work experience that is intuitive, personal, and reliable.
We listen closely to our employees to understand their priorities and ensure that our initiatives are aligned with their needs. For example, we are focusing on developing “ready-enough” leaders who can adapt and grow, reflecting the diverse five-generation workforce we have at SAP.
We strive to align our focus with what enables us to attract, retain, and reward our people effectively and transparently. By doing so, we believe that we can create a positive and engaging work experience for our employees and deliver value to our customers.
Can you talk about some of the tools and technologies you use to boost employee engagement?
Dan Healey: At SAP, we’ve significantly raised our employee engagement scores by actively listening to our team and acting on their feedback. We run global surveys, called “Unfiltered,” three times a year to gather honest input on job satisfaction, wellness, work-life balance, and managerial support.
Our engagement scores have steadily climbed to the mid-80s across our 100,000 employees. We don’t just collect feedback; we analyse it with our leaders to create actionable plans that address concerns.