JANUARY 2025HR TECH OUTLOOK8In My OpinionIsabel Montes, Vice President Human Resources, South America, Newmont CorporationVIEWING CHANGE MANAGEMENT THROUGH THE PEOPLE-CENTRIC LENSIsabel Montes, who is currently Newmont's vice president of human resources for the South America Region, took an unexpected leap into the HR world when she graduated as an industrial engineer from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Colombia. Montes was selected by Procter & Gamble to join their HR internship program, which opened the doors for her to understand the HR arena and change management. While at Procter & Gamble, Montes gained immense experience and soon joined Arthur Andersen as a senior business consultant. She moved to the U.S. 22 years ago, got her master's in HR from Chapman University, and started working for Starbucks. There, she held different roles, including the HR and learning director for Latin America. Her skills, expertise, and leadership helped the company build the brand across 22 countries, establishing it as a critical retail player, not only from the product and customer perspective but also from the people practices point of view. In 2022, Montes joined Newmont, where she was attracted to the opportunity to help evolve people's practices in the mining industry. Montes' current role at Newmont involves leading the People Function for operating sites in Mexico, Suriname, Peru, and Argentina. She is responsible for setting the People vision for the region, evolving people practices, and developing leaders within the business. Leading Trends within the Change Management SpaceOne of the biggest trends that excites me in the HR space is the notion that change is not limited to being a top-down effort. It has drastically evolved to become a bottom-up endeavor as well. It is necessary to start with the individual and ensure that every person impacted by the change has the space to navigate it. It is also essential to consider that change is an individual's journey that leaders must support.With the growing significance of psychological safety and vulnerability concepts, leaders must understand the experience they are offering. They need to tailor that in terms of how each team member is navigating change and help them transition. A one-size-fits-all approach is no longer valid for making change happen. And the organization behind those leaders must provide the tools and skills to make it possible. Ultimately, what we want is to drive change and support our people to thrive through change- because we depend on the success of the change to deliver on Newmont's purpose of creating value and improving lives through sustainable and responsible mining.Significance of a Contingency Plan for OrganizationsIn my opinion, contingency is all about the concept of having a growth mindset and accepting the fact that it is all about `trial and error.' It is essential to assure team members that there is no consequence in failed attempts and to have backup plans ready to incorporate learnings into revised approaches. Focusing on a strong `resistance' plan is also necessary to Isabel MontesBy
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