As the clock strikes 5 PM in her US time zone, signaling the end of her official workday, she steps into another realm of responsibility. Her virtual office door swings wide open to welcome her India-based colleagues who are just beginning their workday. It’s a seamless transition from one-time zone to another, a testament to the global nature of her role as an HR Head. This is just a snapshot of the work she performs daily, bridging gaps across continents and cultures to ensure the smooth functioning of her team and the organization at large.
Shipra Kamra leads the People division at Responsive, a dynamic force in cloud-based software development. Responsive stands as the global leader in strategic response management software, revolutionizing how organizations exchange critical information. Their AI-powered Responsive Platform is tailored to handle responses at scale, empowering companies worldwide to expedite growth, mitigate risk, and enhance employee experiences. With nearly 2,000 customers standardizing on Responsive for various response needs like RFPs, RFIs, DDQs, ESGs, and security questionnaires, the company relies on Shipra’s expertise to drive its human resources initiatives. During our conversation, she was gearing up for an upcoming meeting with her team based in India.
Our conversation meandered around hiring in India and the States and how Responsive is collaborating with partners like Naukri and LinkedIn to get the best talent available in India. The company has doubled hiring in the last few years reaching an overall count of close to 600 talented individuals.
Shipra passionately discussed building the right culture, development of leadership and Responsive values of See something, Say something. Here is the complete interview:
Q: As organizations face the imperative to overhaul their structures and strategies, how has Responsive approached this challenge? What steps have been taken to modernize organizational structures, revamp HR strategies, and adapt talent management practices to meet the demands of today’s dynamic business environment?
At Responsive, we’re navigating the exciting journey of a startup in hypergrowth mode. Every day presents new challenges and opportunities for us to evolve and innovate. One of our key focuses has been on overhauling our structures and strategies to ensure we’re equipped to meet the demands of our dynamic environment.
Our approach has been multifaceted. Firstly, we’re deeply committed to fostering a customer-centric culture throughout the organization. We believe that by truly understanding and prioritizing our customers’ needs, we can deliver experiences that turn them into Raving Fans.
To ensure we’re always aligned with our customers’ evolving needs, we’ve established agile practices across our HR functions. This means continuously seeking feedback, adapting roles to fit evolving requirements rather than static job descriptions, and maintaining dynamic team structures that can pivot as needed.
Empowering our employees is paramount to our success. By decentralizing decision-making and encouraging initiative-taking, we’re not only enhancing job satisfaction but also fostering a culture of innovation and responsiveness.
Additionally, we’ve streamlined our organizational hierarchy to remove unnecessary layers of approval and reduce management levels. This has resulted in faster decision-making, increased agility, and ultimately, greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Overall, our journey at Responsive is about embracing change, staying customer-focused, and empowering our teams to drive innovation. It’s an exhilarating ride, and we’re excited to see where it takes us next.
Q: How are you adapting to the demands of the talent and what sort of talent management practices you do follow at Responsive?
At Responsive, we recognize that attracting and retaining top talent is essential for our success in a rapidly evolving business landscape. To adapt to the demands of the talent market, we’ve implemented several key talent management practices aimed at creating a dynamic and supportive work environment.
Responsive places a high priority on internal mobility, recognizing the value of our employees’ institutional and product knowledge.
Instead of seeing employees leave for external opportunities, we facilitate smooth transitions to different teams, harnessing their existing expertise. We heavily invest in learning and development, providing self-paced online platforms and customized solutions such as certifications and workshops to promote career advancement.
We acknowledge that job satisfaction extends beyond financial incentives; it encompasses ongoing enrichment and personal growth, which ultimately enhances both employee well-being and organizational achievement.
The post-COVID landscape has undergone a significant transformation. Today, talent seeks a hybrid environment to flourish. While certain companies remain steadfast in their adherence to a traditional nine-to-five office setup, the conversation revolves around striking the optimal balance between hybrid and remote work models. Both approaches offer distinct advantages – physical office presence fosters teamwork and collaboration, whereas flexibility cultivates employee comfort and engagement by enabling them to juggle work and personal commitments.
Furthermore, we have embraced agile HR practices to remain responsive to our employees’ needs. This involves enhancing communication regarding the organization’s goals, providing regular updates to keep them connected, and consistently gathering feedback from employees. Additionally, we ensure that our benefits package is competitive and aligns with the evolving needs of our workforce.
Q: Things have changed post-AI. What have been the concerns inside, within the company, and outside as well in the US market and India?
This study from Deloitte says 40% of the roles that we have today will be eliminated a couple of years from now. And that’s a very big number, right? This statistic underscores the importance of preparing our workforce for the evolving landscape shaped by AI technologies. While the prospect may seem daunting, it also presents an opportunity for growth and adaptation.
Externally, particularly in the US market and India, similar concerns have arisen. There’s been a mix of anticipation and apprehension regarding the potential disruptions AI could bring to various industries and job sectors. While there’s recognition of the potential benefits in terms of efficiency gains and innovation, there’s also a need to address potential challenges such as job displacement and ethical considerations surrounding AI implementation.
I was reading one of your articles which said humans with AI will replace humans without AI. I think that is going to be the key. Currently, we are actively assessing our organizational strategies in light of these developments.
This involves evaluating how AI integration is shaping our products, identifying existing skill gaps, and determining whether our internal resources are equipped to address these needs or if external assistance is required.
Furthermore, we’re committed to ensuring that our employees possess a diverse skill set beyond AI, enabling them to thrive in the next phase of our evolution. By investing in continuous learning and development, we aim to empower our workforce to navigate the changing landscape with confidence and resilience.
Q: How have things shaped up in terms of Diversity at Responsive?
Since 2020, we’ve made attracting diverse talent a top priority. Recognizing that diversity doesn’t occur by chance, we’ve implemented targeted hiring strategies. For example, in our predominantly male sales team, we actively sought out and recruited women. Our approach extends beyond simply adding individuals of color; we identify areas where our teams lack diversity and actively seek out candidates who bring diverse perspectives and experiences. During the candidate selection process, we ensure that a portion of the applicant pool represents diversity, offering equal opportunities to all. This intentional effort has generated momentum, resulting in a notable increase in diversity representation within our organization.
I’ve heard individuals express, “I joined this company because many of the employees look like me.” This sentiment holds significant meaning because it signifies a sense of association. While inclusion involves being invited to participate, belonging is paramount. Feeling like you truly belong within a company is crucial. When employees feel a sense of belonging, they have achieved something truly meaningful.
It’s not about merely meeting quotas or checking boxes. It’s about genuinely prioritizing the needs and growth of the diverse individuals we aim to attract and retain. We’ve witnessed firsthand the positive impact of our efforts in supporting our diverse employees. Many have seen significant career advancement and personal growth within our organization. It’s not just about bringing them in; it’s about providing ongoing support and opportunities for them to thrive. We closely monitor metrics such as the progression of women and people of color within our ranks, ensuring that we remain accountable and focused on continuous improvement in these areas. It’s essential to address these issues openly and transparently, rather than sweeping them under the rug.
Shipra spoke about how creating dialogues within the company has set them on the path of improvement.
Encouraging open dialogue within our company has been a game-changer for us. I firmly believe that giving people the space to speak up is essential. In many workplaces, the fear of retaliation holds employees back from sharing their thoughts and opinions. They worry that speaking up could negatively impact their performance evaluations.
At Responsive, our core value of “See Something, Say Something” drives our efforts to cultivate an environment where dialogue and proactive steps are not just welcomed but celebrated. We prioritize creating a space where our employees feel empowered to share their feedback, whether openly or anonymously.
To facilitate this, we’ve established channels such as an email address and a digital anonymous feedback form. Every comment received through these channels holds significance for us, and I personally ensure that each one is carefully reviewed. This commitment underscores our dedication to nurturing a culture of openness and transparency, where every voice is respected and appreciated.
Q: What is a day like in the life of an HR leader?
As an HR leader, my day is incredibly diverse and dynamic. It typically starts with strategic planning and collaboration with senior leadership to ensure our HR initiatives are aligned with the organization’s objectives. This involves participating in leadership meetings to discuss ongoing projects, review progress, and prioritize tasks for the day.
Collaboration with other departments is crucial as well. I work closely with colleagues to develop and implement HR policies, procedures, benefits and programs aimed at enhancing employee engagement, performance, and retention. Analyzing HR data and metrics is also part of my routine, as it helps me identify trends, assess the effectiveness of our strategies, and make informed decisions to drive organizational success.
Throughout the day, I engage with various stakeholders, including employees, managers, and external partners. I often meet with my team members for one-on-one meetings to offer support, address any concerns they may have, or discuss opportunities for career development.
Overall, my days are filled with strategic thinking, problem-solving, and meaningful interactions with employees to support their growth and development while contributing to the overall success of the organization.
Q: Looking ahead to 2024, what are the key trends and challenges you foresee in HR? How is Responsive preparing to address these shifts?
Preparing for Technological Disruption: With the rise of AI, automation, and other technological advancements, job roles and required skills are changing. Organizations need to develop their workforce continuously to keep pace with technological disruptions. Also, analyzing the need and evaluating new HR software/ technologies to streamline processes for improving efficiencies and providing better employee experience.
Employee Value Proposition (EVP): In the competitive landscape, companies often present similar offerings to attract talent, overlooking the need to identify and emphasize their unique qualities. It’s crucial for organizations to pinpoint what sets them apart and why it’s compelling for potential employees, shaping their value proposition accordingly. Whether it’s a distinctive hybrid/remote work setup, organizational culture, compensation, or benefits, highlighting these aspects is key.
Focus on Organization Culture: The least focused item in most organizations is its culture but it is the most critical of all. It is imperative to define what organizational culture is – its values, its beliefs, operating style, decision making and success profiles of our employees. Ensuring that these are communicated regularly to all employees and integrated in the day-to-day operations of the organization. Wrong culture fit employees will create an imbalance in the system which will not only be expensive but will also require a longer time to recover from.
Groom your future leaders the right way: Redesign leadership programs to prepare new leaders, ensuring alignment with strategic goals and the evolving business environment. It’s essential to refresh training content to suit the audience, considering generational leadership ideologies and shorter attention spans. Repeating outdated content and formats will lead to reduced engagement and applicability.
- Focus on not just on the functional/job knowledge but also the soft skills such as emotional intelligence, communication, strategic thinking, conflict resolution skills for leadership roles. As an example, managing people versus writing code requires utilizing different parts of your brain.
- Promote Inclusive leadership – Design development program to foster inclusive leadership so they can manage a diverse team. Otherwise DEI matters will just be statements of organization.
- Develop a continuous learning program for leaders rather than relying on one-off sessions that fail to produce lasting impact or meaningful outcomes.
Shipra wrapped up the conversation with a powerful insight from management guru Peter Drucker: “Culture Eats Strategy For Breakfast.”
This underscores the critical role of organizational culture in determining success. No matter how well-crafted our strategies may be, if our culture is lacking, none of it will truly thrive.
Shipra Kamra is Head of People Operations at Responsive, with nearly two decades of Human Resources experience, having previously held positions at renowned companies like Nike, Target, CDK Global, and various tech organizations. Her expertise centers around collaborating with businesses to revamp both organizational and human resource strategies, talent management, and leadership development. As a dedicated HR leader, Shipra Kamra places a strong emphasis on diversity and inclusion, striving to provide equal opportunities to all individuals. Her exceptional contributions were recognized when she was named one of Oregon’s Top 50 Women Leaders in 2022 and received the HR Leadership Award from the Portland Business Journal.
