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5 Posts tagged with the future tag
Heidi Spirgi

Last week’s HR Technology Conference & Expo was a departure from previous years in many ways – seriously cool new technologies, higher levels of innovation, slicker UI’s, some of the best of commercial applications incorporated into HR applications, and mobile device integration to name a few.  But there was one overriding difference that jumped out at me in every session I attended, every conversation that I had and even in the product demos that I saw - and that was a new focus on the BUSINESS.  Yes, that word I kept hearing was “BUSINESS.” 

 

In fact, I would venture to say that for every 10 times I heard someone say “HR” at the conference, I would hear “BUSINESS” one time.  While 10:1 is not as good as it can get, it’s a far cry from a year ago when as an industry we were at roughly a 40:1 ratio.

 

The conversation at HR Technology had two new threads to it that were not there in 2007:

    1. HR technology as business solutions, not HR systems
    2. HR technology as means to connect, share and co-create across the business

 

The myopic view of HR is slowly changing and the walls between it and the business are slowly disintegrating.  Here are some snippets from 2 of the best attended sessions that give proof to this changed conversation:

 

From the 11th Annual Industy Analyst Panel:

  • General consensus amongst the analysts that HR needs to respond to the financial crisis by getting crystal clear on what will make the biggest impact on the business.  There was more attention given to aligning HR activities with business strategy than to cost containment and risk mitigation (the traditional HR and IT response to a downturn in the economy)
  • Focus on “critical roles” based on business strategy; be targeted in the way you approach talent
  • Discussion of HR technology as “productivity tools”

 

From The Industry's First Talent Management Shootout:

  • “Business people are the users of talent management suites”
  • Focus on the employee: recommended jobs based on strengths and desires; interest lists (ala Amazon)
  • Focus on the business user: mobile device integration, and action-oriented functionality
  • The C-suite view of talent

 

So congratulations to ALL who have played a role in pushing the B-word – BUSINESS – into the HR technology conversation. 

 

Who knows? Maybe next year we’ll be at a 2:1 ratio. Here’s to change…

1 Comments Permalink Tags: critical_roles, hr-technology, hcm, talent-management, talent_management, future
Neil Jensen

I admit it, I'm a tree hugger. I love to be outside and hike and bike and enjoy all that nature has to offer. I like to take my family, get out of the city, and seek out the "green" spaces. Given this passion in my life, I've also gotten keenly aware of the global climate crisis that is creeping up upon us. I've started to research alternative energy sources such as solar and wind and now follow them as they mature and begin to make a dent in the foot hold that coal and oil have on this country.

 

A good friend of mine sent me an article from the Seattle Times talking about wind energy and the growing talent crisis the industry is starting to face. In his article, "Wind Energy Hasn't Blown in Enough Workers," David Twiddy describes the talent challenges occurring in wind energy.

"Wind-power officials see a much larger obstacle coming in the form of its own work force, a highly specialized group of technicians that combines working knowledge of mechanics, hydraulics, computers and meteorology with the willingness to climb 200 feet in the air in all kinds of weather. That work force isn't keeping up with the future demand, partly because the industry is so new that the oldest independent training programs are less than five years old. The American Wind Energy Association, a Washington, D.C.-based trade group, estimates the industry employs about 20,000 people, not including those making turbines or other equipment. Future need is harder to quantify, given the uncertainties of the industry's growth. But with two-man teams generally responsible for seven to 10 turbines, the industry would need up to 800 technicians to serve the turbines expected to be installed this year alone."

This article emphases the point that the talent crisis goes beyond the retirement of the "boomers" and also extends into new technologies and the workforce needed to make them flourish. Employers today must understand that the talent pipeline can and should extend far beyond the recruiting portal or job boards. No longer is it simply enough to sit back and wait for workers to come to you. Employers must start to reach out much earlier in the process and work with colleges, trade schools, and other training organizations to influence the talent pool coming into the industry. Partnering with these organizations can have a profound effect on the quality and volume of candidates to choose from.

 

Link to article: Wind Energy Hasn't Blown in Enough Workers

0 Comments Permalink Tags: talent_management, war_for_talent, recruiting, future, hr, current-affairs
David Barron

At Knowledge Infusion, we are constantly expanding our individual and collective knowledge of the Human Capital Management and Talent Management domains. Information comes through a variety of channels including this recommendation from one of our clients.

 

The book is titled "Results" by Gary Neilson and Bruce Pasternack. I haven't read it all, but have focused on a chapter titled "The Resilient Organization". The content is interesting to me because it speaks to the same mantra that Knowledge Infusion does on the importance of vision, alignment, adaptability, and moving the  goalpost every three years.

 

Some excerpts:

 

"Flexible enough to adapt quickly to external market shifts, the Resilient organization remains steadfastly focused on and aligned behind coherent business strategy......Resilient is the healthiest of all organization types (compared to the Passive-Aggressive, the Fits and Starts, the Outgrown, the Over-managed, the Just In Time, and the Military Precision organizations). It is in good working order... They're always scanning the horizon for the next competitive battle or market innovation."

 

"Nothing exists "just because" in the Resilient organization; every position, process, and policy has a purpose...and that purpose is aligned with the strategic objectives of the enterprise." (Reminds me of Knowledge Infusion's trilogy of People, Process, and Technology).

 

This just scratches the surface...might be worth a read for you as well!!

1 Comments 0 References Permalink Tags: strategymap, strategy, organization, future, hcm, hr, customer
Suzanne Rumsey

 

This past Friday was a big day for some companies (or, at least for the their PR and HR departments).  Last Friday was the day that the Great Place to Work Institute notified companies about whether they made the Fortune Best 100 Places to Work 2008 List.  For some companies that have been applying to be on the list for a while, the day might have not been such a big deal.  For others applying for the first time, I would imagine it being a lot like when I was a high school senior receiving the first letter (either acceptance or rejection) from a college I had applied to:  I wanted to know, and I didn't want to know.

 

 

Having been witness to one company's efforts in applying for the list, and having read some of the criteria that the GP2W Institute highlights when publishing the list, I do have to ask whether or not these criteria really are indicative of a great place to work.  Please note:  I do NOT want to take anything away from the 100 companies that made the list at all.  Knowing what I know about many of them, I do not doubt that they have the right stuff to be great places to work.  I just wonder about the degree to which Fortune's article and list do justice to what it really means to be a great place to work.

 

 

At Knowldge Infusion, we work with companies all the time that are trying to improve the employee experience  - and the manager, executive, customer, stockholder, etc., experiences, too.  We talk about creating a line of sight for all employees so each and every one can see how they contribute to the bigger picture, and how technologies can enable that.  We discuss providing employees with insight into all possible career paths available to them, not just a job ladder or job family, and how technologies can enable that.  We work on strategies to ensure that the client has the talent needed to realize its business objectives and keep growing, and how technologies can enable that, too.  For us at KI, we believe a great place to work means providing people with the opportunities to realize both individual and collective value, goals, and objectives.  It means providing opportunities for managers, employees, whomever to discover and learn not only about the company, but also their place in it, and how this meshes with one's own values.  These are the conversations we have with our clients.  And, yes, these are the conversations we have amongst ourselves, too.  Being a Great Place to Work is a never-ending journey.  Come along for the ride.

 

 

P.S.  To view the 2008 list, click on this link:  http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2008/full_list/index.html

 

 

2 Comments 0 References Permalink Tags: current-affairs, future
Neil Jensen

I was told a story last week about a kick-off meeting for a software implementation that was done exclusively using virtual technologies. The vendor chose not to send the implementation team onsite, but instead did all introductions using conference call and web meeting. All future interactions are planned to be done over the web as well.

 

While I can understand how this can be an effective way to save travel time and money in the process of configuring software, I also see it running a big risk. In my opinion, nothing can replace the benefits of face-to-face human interaction. There is much to be gained by shaking hands and putting a face with the name. Starting a project such as a software implementation with a solid foundation based on common understanding can contribute to a successful outcome. Without establishing this foundation, small issues can become big issues leading to project failure.

 

While the outcome of this specific virtual kick-off meeting remains to be seen, I wonder how this practice will be adopted across the HR technology industry. With the rapid advancement of collaborative technologies, will there ever be a time when the face-to-face meeting becomes obsolete?

 

 

2 Comments 0 References Permalink Tags: hr-technology, software, saas, technology, web_2.0, future

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