Knowledge Infuser

Very Interesting - Knowledge Infusion and IHRIM Announce Annual Survey Results

jason.averbook — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 10:31:17 GMT

Knowledge Infusion and IHRIM have had a deep partnership over the last four years (since KI's inception) in delivering a yearly survey of its members to the community. This year we took a bit of a different approach; the approach not only looking at STRATEGY, but more importantly, the ability for organization's to EXECUTE that strategy and where they were seeing success and where they were feeling pain. Well, the results were even more interesting than we thought they might be. A few highlights (lowlights?):

Less than 1/3 of organizations surveyed say they are delivering excellent or above average HR services. Hmmm*
Less than 10% said they believed their employees were satisfied with HR and Talent Management technologies. Hmmm*
Over 60% said they do not have a formal governance process for making HR and Talent Management decisions. Hmmm*
Over 60% said they do not have the necessary budget to communicate, train and drive adoption. Hmmm*
Some good news, 20% said they had an aligned HR technology strategy to the business, up from 12% last year. Yes, 20% is not great, but much better than 12%.*

What does all of this mean? What should you do?

One of the things we continue to work with our clients on is that software today is like a "perpetual beta". You don't just stand it up and move on to the next module. Deployments of software in 2008 and beyond require different skills, different logic and most importantly, different focus on the workforce vs. the HR department to drive success. 2008 will be a good year for talent management software sales and MUST be a turning point as to how organizations actually deploy the software they buy.

Take a read of the press release here and look for more details plus many webinars to help you improve these numbers into the future. Send me a comment if you have specific questions.

Link to Press Release

Another infusion of knowledge...

Workforce Intelligence / Analytics - HR Measures

jason.averbook — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:26:20 GMT

Great to see HR and Talent Management getting the attention of the business bloggers and press. The soon to be released Conference Board detailed on the link below will create some renewed spark in the industry on the connection between HR and true business results.

At Knowledge Infusion, our tagline has always been "the other side of the equation", or the true business value that HR through true Human Capital Management practices can bring an organization by creating measure and metrics that truly support the business. We currently have a number of services and initiatives underway that will help organizations continue to prove this claim.

From the blog post:

The human resources folks at Capital One, for example, not only do the all the usual hiring, paperwork and employee performance evaluations, but also have a “workforce analytics function.” Using EBHR they have developed quantitative measures that establish links between touchy-feely HR policies like the executive coaching program and key performance metrics such as “teller attrition, customer satisfaction, and revenues per account at retail branches.”

I especially love the quote at the end of the post.."Is HR possibly the most overlooked means of establishing competitive advantage?" We firmly believe the answer is yes and continue to help HR prove how it can help firmly establish itself in the position of proving this. Strong statement, but love it. YOUR THOUGHTS?

Link to blog post

Another infusion of knowledge...

Where should IT get it's future talent?

jason.averbook — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 20:26:46 GMT

Interesting piece from InformationWeek. In almost every organization we are working with at Knowledge Infusion, we are being asked to help create roles and job descriptions for HR, Talent Management and IT professionals. This IW article is a must read for anyone thinking about talent and the IT function.

Another infusion of knowledge...

Link to article

America's Human Capital Is Tested

jason.averbook — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 04:02:43 GMT

After a day of speaking today about the lack of talent found in retailers and service businesses around the United States, this article from the Financial Times caught my eye. Knowledge Infusion works with organizations to put in place strategies to attract, assess, develop and deploy talent; but is there enough? A few exerpts from the article I found interesting:

Over the coming years, baby-boomers departing from the labour force will have better educational qualifications than the younger workers replacing them. If the ultimate source of an economy's ability to grow and prosper is its human capital, the US is in trouble.
Broadly speaking, educational quality has topped out - and on at least one measure, it is actually deteriorating. In 2006, Americans aged 55-59 collectively possessed more masters degrees, professional degrees and doctorates than Americans aged 30-34. This impending loss of educational capital is entirely outside the country's experience.
If the US is unable to mend its failing school system, and unwilling to open its doors wider to skilled immigrants, then much of the current gloom about its longer-term economic prospects may, for once, turn out to be justified.

For anyone who does not believe that talent management will be a key component of business in the US and Global economies for the next twenty years, all one has to do is read this article. HR departments will be hard-pressed to meet the demands of their business counterparts based on the supply that will be available to them. Talent management is not a HR function, but is a growing, desperately seeking an owner part of every organization worldwide.

Link to Financial Times article

Another infusion of knowledge...

It's a small world

jason.averbook — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 11:22:41 GMT

IHRIM

Knowledge Infusion is just finishing up a very very successful few days as it comes to changing the industry at IHRIM 2008 in Orlando. I have never seen so many hot, sweaty and tired kids - as mine would be, as I did this trip to Orlando; and no, these were not the IHRIM attendees. I once again commend the IHRIM organization for continuing to try to service the old HR technology paradigms while continuing to think about how to innovate moving forward. President of IHRIM, Jacqueline Kuhn and team are continuing to evolve the organization and to Jackie, thank you for being such a great leader.

Global Talent Management

Next, I wanted you all to see an interesting article from the International Herald Tribune about the recruiting, succession and staffing efforts of Europeans today. This is another example of something we say at Knowledge Infusion, Talent Management as a whole has to be thought of globally, even if all processes and functions don't act the same. The talent availability doesn't align with the progressive nature of change and needs in organizations. We each need to go outside of our normal hiring pockets to find the right people. Take a read and let me know your thoughts.

Have a great day. Another infusion of knowledge...

Link to Europeans Go Global

Will HR and Talent Management ever be MOBILE?

jason.averbook — Tue, 27 May 2008 15:14:03 GMT

After a quick read this morning of the article below from InformationWeek discussing the 50% growth in Windows Mobile licenses over the next 2 years; a quick thought came to mind that I wanted to open a discussion about.

"Do you think HR and Talent Management processes will be truly executed by the workforce on mobile devices? If so, when?"

This whole concept is a big piece of the Knowledge Infusion Digital HR StrategyMap that we offer to organizations around the world. The question, how do we align our existing technology investments with the direction that technology is moving and with the generational changes occuring in the workforce?

Take a read of the article and let me know your thoughts? Mobile HR? Security?

We need to rethink a few things....

Another infusion of knowledge...

Link to article

Taleo acquires Vurv - What should you do?

jason.averbook — Tue, 06 May 2008 11:44:53 GMT

Look, Learn and Listen!!

This morning we hear news of Taleo acquiring Vurv to create a combined company that will continue to be a major player in the talent management technology space now and into the future. This is a good move for the industry when it comes to innovation and customer satisfaction as we continue to watch vendors focus on "what is in the best interest of the customer - now and into the future."

Knowledge Infusion has many, many clients that have either Taleo or Vurv or both. This posting is directed at them but even more directed to the entire market at large. While market consolidation drives many acquisitions, this acquisition has the potential to create the worlds largest (if not already - depending on definition) and best talent management vendor in the space. What does this mean to you?

The combined company will have greater strengths than each of the companies standing on their own. This means that if you are a Taleo customer or a Vurv customer / or prospect; in the long term you will see great benefit from this move.
An acquisition of this size takes time to happen, think through, and create a unified set of products and services to take to market. Taleo has an excellent leadership team to make this happen, and we expect nothing less from them into the near future.
The products that you are already using will not change anytime soon. What this means is "DON'T PANIC" and start a bunch of vendor evaluations to leave the combined company. You are part of a new family and it will take a few months before you start to hear and see the combined synergies of the companies either become very positive or not to your liking. Either way, it is WAY TOO early to do anything such as think of switching vendors. That hurts our market and reputation as HR professionals more then anything.
The talent management marketplace is still VERY new in the world. There will be more consolidations such as this and many more new entrants into the space. What is important is that you look back TODAY at your HR and Talent Management technology strategy and realize that if created correctly, this move has zero impact and could in the long term have very positive impacts on truly being able to measure the value of human capital in your organization.

Nonetheless, acquisitions cause turmoil in the short term. From a Knowledge Infusion standpoint, we are here to help you understand the market, the choices and how to make the best choice for your organization long-term. If you have specific questions or just want to talk through the issues, please do not hesitate to call me directly and I will make sure you are directed to someone who can Look, Learn and Listen AND THEN help you make strategic, long term decisions and not short term, tactical decisions.

Jason Averbook (jason.averbook@knowledge-infusion.com)

Chief Executive Officer, Knowledge Infusion, (925-922-2266)

Another infusion of knowledge...

Motivation and Management

jason.averbook — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:30:12 GMT

Investors in People (IIP) recently published an interesting piece of research that caught the eyes of Knowledge Infusion. We continually build Talent Management strategies for organizations that look at how the existing talent is feeling within an organization, how the outside world views an organization from an "employer of choice" standpoint and how the existing workforce is driving true business results.

The IIP study revealed some interesting highlights such as:

De-motivation is highest within larger companies with 39% of people
in organizations of 5,000 or more say that they are either not very or
not at all motivated compared to 30% in organizations of between 50 and
250 people.
43% of those surveyed are considering taking action and leaving
their job in the next 12 months, with those that have been in their job
for one to two years most likely to want to do so (48%).
The top three de-motivating factors for employees were:
unreasonable workload (18%), feeling underpaid (18%) and lack of clear
career path (17%)
For those that have been in their role for one to two years, lack
of a clear career path (24%) was the most de-motivating factor, greater
than workload (17%) or pay (16%).

These figures were even lower (or more depressing) for the public sector. Even though these figures are from the UK, look for them to be similar or even greater in the United States.

Take a look at your overall talent management approach and what you are doing to drive your workforce. Are you letting them build their own career paths? Are you letting your workforce collaborate with each other to stay engaged?

Some things to think about..Click below for a link to the IIP...

Another infusion of knowledge...

Investors In People

Friday April 11th, 2008 - Princeton, NJ

jason.averbook — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 11:44:57 GMT

Friday AM finds me in Princeton after a great day of strategy in Richmond, Virginia yesterday. The big takeaway from a Knowledge Infusion and HR/Talent Management perspective, "Don't let your technology be a boat anchor, transform it into a speedboat."

In today's changing world and how fast the economy and business drivers are transforming, the mentality of a speedboat vs. boat anchor is the analogy that comes to mind.

Stay tuned next week for a number of major announcements from Knowledge Infusion regarding new service offerings related to some exciting new technologies along with some great new work from the KI Center of Excellence.

Hope you have a great Friday and a great weekend and remember, whether in a snowstorm or a great spring day, position your HR and Talent Management technology strategy as a speedboat, not an anchor.

Another infusion of knowledge...

Circuit City Swings to Q4 Profit - So?

jason.averbook — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 01:27:44 GMT

Today, Circuit City, a retailer in the US announced that during Q4, they achieved a profit. You might ask, so what is the big deal about this and why are you writing about it in The Infuser. Well, this one paragraph is why we chose this news item today:

The CEO, Philip Schoonover said this to a large group of investors and analysts today waiting to hear that the company was bleeding more than ever. Instead, a PROFIT and TALENT?

While the company is NO WHERE NEAR out of the weeds and has a ton of work to do to turn itself around compared to some of it's competitors in the space, hats off to the CEO today for calling out TALENT as one of the drivers that will turn the company around into the future. Too few CEO's recognize this today and even fewer call it out in public. Look for this to drastically change into the future.

A down economy? Are we in one? If so, look for even more call outs about "right talent, right place, right time." I had the opportunity to talk to a reporter from The Wall Street Journal today and one of the things that we both agreed upon was that talent management and the visibility a CEO needs is higher than ever and organizations that are not focusing on this today might as well be prepared to be in his "Losers" column weekly. This has been a strategy of Knowledge Infusion for the past 18 months when working with our customers and I firmly believe that our customers are in a better place compared to their competitors tied to our efforts.

Circuit City executives did well today to call out talent. Let's hope that they truly do have the TALENT to turnaround the organization and they can prove the talent did it. We all need many more case studies on this top of mind topic.

Another infusion of knowledge....

Link to Forbes article

Think Globally, Act Locally

jason.averbook — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 01:03:28 GMT

While speaking at a HR conference in Bermuda today for one of the largest hospitality organizations in the world, the theme of the event that was repeated over and over again was "think globally, act locally."

This theme is the theme that Knowledge Infusion uses on a daily basis when working with client whether operations solely in the US or whether a multi-national, global enterprise with locations all over the world. Talent Management is a global function and continues to change the face of HR forever. Whether dealing with regulations or local unions, HR for the most part has been able to focus on where the business does business. This is no longer as organizations strive for any competitive advantage in recruiting talent from around the world.

On the SuccessFactors blog today, Erik Berggren does a good job of recapping this theme as well and a read for all looking at talent management and the impact that technology MUST have today for HR to be successful.

HR is a global operation and will be from this point forward. It is an imperative to build your HR and talent management technology strategy in this way or you will lose competitive advantage very quickly.

Another infusion of knowledge...

Link to SuccessFactors blog entry today

What's a Millennial To Do?

jason.averbook — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 05:04:44 GMT

<div class="snap_preview">!http://www.knowledgeinfusion.com/coe/servlet/JiveServlet/downloadImage/1078/2008 -03-27_0053.png!

</div>

<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.

</div>

<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.

</div>

<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?"

</div>

<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.

</div>

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

</div>

<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.

</div>

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

</div>

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

</div>

Link to article

Change the name of HR?

jason.averbook — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 03:31:37 GMT

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

HR Technology - "Who First Called It Talent Management"

jason.averbook — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 17:27:44 GMT

Great HREOnline article by Bill Kutik. I wanted to make sure all regular readers of the Infuser had this link. Bill does an amazing and colorful job of discussing this space and helping us understand more about Softscape and truly their heritage and direction they are heading. We at Knowledge Infusion are asked daily about the heritage and drive behind vendors, click below to learn about Softscape.

Thanks for a great piece Bill

Another infusion of knowledge...

Link to Bill article

Services Firms MUST Foster People to Boost Profits Amid Economic Slowdown

jason.averbook — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 19:09:50 GMT

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