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<div class="snap_preview">At Knowledge Infusion, we spend nearly everyday of our being working with organizations dealing with the issues of multiple generations working together in the workplace today and the changing demographic on a seemingly daily basis of talent supply. There is also a lot of talk about the Millennial generation and how they are responding to life in a corporate world.

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<div class="snap_preview">I personally spent today with a client "brainstorming" the future of talent and creating plans for the future as to how they will win their own WAR FOR TALENT. It got me thinking and believing that this truly will be a competitive issue like we have never seen into the future.

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<div class="snap_preview">Stanley Bing from Fortune published an entertaining, but very true, blog about the Millennials and what they might do for a career. Think about these points below, read the article, and ask yourself; "am I creating a workplace that will attract these types of people?"

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<div class="snap_preview">The workforce of the future is the Millennials. They are confused. Your employment brand and holistic talent management strategy WILL create your competitive advantage of the future.

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<div class="snap_preview">Would you advise them to go into?:

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<div class="snap_preview">Financial: Ha! One day, there may be jobs again. But now? Private equity has dried up. The banks are bleeding profusely from virtually every orifice. Would you advise an ambitious, thoughtful person to go

anywhere near a bank of any sort at this time?

Automotive: Nope.

Advertising: It's a dogs game to begin with. You're old at 35. Everybody's consolidated up the wazoo. Perhaps there are small, creative firms looking for a bright and inexperienced young face, but most people I know in this field are pressurized, desperate and very, very tired of the hamster wheel.

Public Relations: Would you tell a person on the brink of all the excitement life has to offer to go into public relations?

Business School: Would you tell a person on the brink of all the excitement life has to offer to go to business school?

Journalism: Possibly. The money is bad and it saps your spirit, writing incessantly about things that are assigned to you, rather than stuff you dream up yourself. Also, many newspapers are folding and news is being commodotized to the point where papers are 90% wire stories. Not to mention that something is rotten in the state of Journalism, as

it veers more closely every day to the brink of entertainment reporting and gossip.

Media: Yeah, but as what? An entry-level droid taking some guy his coffee? Actually, that job is now taken by a 32-year-old manager who's been around for six years and does 12 other functions. There is now not only NO free lunch, there may not be time for lunch at all.

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<div class="snap_preview">What advice would you give these people today?

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<div class="snap_preview">Another infusion of knowledge...

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Link to article

Seth Godin, one of the most popular leaders of the new world when it comes to marketing and branding recently had a post entited "Marketing HR". Seth is also the author of a great book "The Dip" that I highly recommend. Many of the Knowledge Infusion beliefs around engagement and change are detailed in Seth's book. In his post, he makes a number of great points that Knowledge Infusion is asked about and speaks about on a daily basis. A few key points being:

• HR departments were created when people ran machines and we tried to limit the number of people needed in an organization. Today's knowledge economy means that HR must be flipped on its head as it is trying to attract and retain more people, not eliminate and optimize people.

• Most HR processes were built at least 50 years ago, once again, during the manufacturing economy boom. They certainly aren't still the right processes for today.

• What HR measures today has nothing truly to do with the success of the business for the most part. It measures its ability to count and report (which most still struggle to do).

• HR has become much more embedded in the lines of business today which is a HUGE accomplishment in itself, but still is seen by many as Human Resources, not an organization driving the future of an enterprise.

Seth's point in his article is "how about renaming HR to Talent?". Seth takes a cynical point meaning that HR (or Talent) would then have to be responsible for this function of talent management, not just talk about it. Hmm.....

Love your thoughts and debate

Another infusion of knowledge...

Link to blog

Almost every client that Knowledge Infusion works with today in the HR, Talent Management and Digital HR world involves knowledge workers that service clients. Whether this be restaurant workers, hotel workers, software service technicians or clothing salespeople - service workers drive much of the economy of the world today.

SAP released a study today that backs up the above claims with more detail from 250 services firms being polled. Some of the key findings include:

• 75 percent report poor talent strategies increase risk to revenue and overall customer satisfaction

• 50 percent report top talent priorities lie in fundamental areas such as recruitment, succession planning, training and retention

• Only 20 percent of the firms polled are utilizing service performance to formulate talent strategies

• 78 percent describe their talent processes as standard or rudimentary

• 80 percent describe little to no integration of talent management, business development and resource management in their firms

I wanted to make sure that I posted this today as Knowledge Infusion is asked on a daily basis what others in the community are thinking and realizing when it comes to talent management. Use these numbers as part of your business case and justification for ongoing investments.

Another infusion of knowledge...

Link to article

The Wall Street Journal Business Technology Blog had an interesting entry late on Wednesday that hits home perfectly with the work that Knowledge Infusion has been doing in the last few weeks. It seems like this question that Ben Worthen asks is a question that is being asked to me daily, "What is the future of business software?"

There are three scenarios that are being played out in the blog entry and a new report from Forrester. The three scenarios are:

• Scenario one: Online software hasn’t really caught on, nor has open-source software. Businesses can buy products of both varieties, of course, as well as any number of niche software programs that can be integrated with other products. The catch: You’ll only be able to buy it from a couple of companies. In this scenario, the large companies have gobbled up their competitors. Not surprisingly, software hasn’t gotten any cheaper.

• Scenario two: Lots of open-source and online software here. The big guys remain big, but lose market share to Internet-based companies. Not surprisingly, software prices plunge. Businesses will have a lot of choices; the challenge will be making the right ones.

• Scenario three: Some open-source software, lots of online software, and extreme globalization. This is the all-hell-breaks-loose model. The big guys can’t keep up with the pace of change and lose market share to Google or whichever other companies can fill the void. One consequence is that tech-buying decisions shift from the tech department to workers, who get to select the software that meets their individual needs.

Forrester polled a room full of CIOs who thought scenario two was most likely.

What do you think? What would you want? Is HRMS and Talent Management software any different? Post your reply below...

Another infusion of knowledge...

Link to blog entry