tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9559701386179746342024-02-08T14:50:22.405-05:00HRTechTruthIt's a small world, but I wouldn't want to paint it. - Stephen WrightSteve Goldberg, Principal Advisorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09823239008771223987noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955970138617974634.post-73484608959238138372017-10-08T10:29:00.000-04:002017-10-08T10:29:30.305-04:003 Things that MUST be Emphasized on HR Technology Implementations
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">1. The “what's in it for me” perspective of each category of user</span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">HR
Systems have been getting procured and successfully implemented for decades,
but sometimes, neither the organization nor the products being implemented are
totally ready. This of course can result in roll-outs needing to be revisited
or halted mid-stream, essentially pouring some degree of financial investment
down the drain. Organizational readiness can relate to other strategic
initiatives that are perceived as more important, causing project resourcing
challenges or distractions. It can also relate to new or improved skills or competencies
needed in areas such as HR analytics, software release management or HR process
optimization. And speaking of process improvements, another aspect of readiness
is whether some or all of the HR processes being automated are flawed, and
consequently should first be optimized before new systems are deployed. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Organizational
readiness is one aspect of a broader and ideally “best fit” change management
program that should accompany all strategic initiatives, including HR
Technology deployments. The correlations between degree of incorporating
effective change management into these projects and their eventual success (measured
by user adoption or more direct business benefits like cost savings, efficiency
gains and better talent management outcomes) has been well chronicled. And more
broadly, HR Technology industry research firms like Sierra Cedar </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black;">have
consistently found that</span></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> “HR organizations that support a
Culture of Change Management are four times more likely to be delivering
noticeable strategic value to their organization versus organizations that
practice minimal to no Change Management.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Of
equal importance, there is also the fundamental change management principle of
emphasizing the “what’s in it for me?” perspective of all those who will use or
be impacted by the new system. This is a major part of assessing readiness at
individual levels, and more specifically, must be in the forefront when developing
and communicating the “case for change” -- a common phrase used within the
change management discipline. Additionally, the reality is that new technology
of all kinds are frequently over-sold by solution vendors with respect to the
end-user experience, key capabilities, how they work with other tools, etc.
Unfortunately this can cause these initiatives to then get over-hyped by
project sponsors, making the “what’s in it for me?” angle that much more
important to stress; i.e., past experiences with other technology roll-outs
might have led to some residual cynicism.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Simply
put, a compelling communications framework should be developed that enables all
stakeholders and impacted parties (<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">employees,
applicants, HR specialists and business partners, line managers, executives,
relevant external partners, etc.) to readily map the new enterprise technology asset
to benefits they will personally experience, some of which are universal
benefits like “saving time”, but others are more stakeholder group or even person-specific,
such as helping to progress one’s career, or just perform better in their role.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--></span></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">2. The importance of end-users being in control of, and
accountable for, data quality</span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Worldwide
spending on HR software and related services will approach $20 billion over the
next few years (“20 by 2020” is supported by many analyst firms covering this
domain). This has been propelled by a confluence of significant factors
including organizations jumping on the SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) bandwagon,
likely to avoid costly and disruptive upgrade cycles (associated with on
premise-installed enterprise software), have more predictable spends on HR
Technology, and benefit from the experiences and learnings of other customers
-- since all are using the same version and flavor of the product in the cloud
model. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">SaaS
is clearly not the only driver of market expansion. HR / HCM platforms and
tools have evolved dramatically in areas such as analytics (including
predictive analytics), offering much more intuitive and engaging
(“consumer-like”) user experiences, adopting mobile as the predominant access
and usage device, leveraging social capabilities and data in recruiting,
development and employee engagement … and more recently, adding early-stage
capabilities around AI, chatbots, cognitive computing, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Notwithstanding
these significant advances driving the market, the biggest “Achilles’ heel”
that continues to limit the range of business benefits from these investments
in many customer organizations is inadequate attention to data quality. Therefore,
a data ownership, accountability and integrity assurance plan MUST be a central
part of every HR Technology rollout; and ownership should ideally be in the
hands of the person who has the biggest vested interest in the data being
correct! <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Internal
service level agreements or “SLA’s” can also help quite a bit in ensuring data
quality, and frankly, avoiding a lack of confidence in the system when bad data
is really the culprit. As examples, line managers and employees should be
formally expected to update certain data elements that they own when particular
events occur like a department transfer or address change, respectively; and
the SLA metrics should specify a quick window for updating or initiating the
transaction.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">3. Finally, focusing on business drivers, how they might be
changing over time, and how the new HR system will stay aligned</span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Successful
organizations are usually very fluid, or to cite an over-used cliché, the only
constant is change. When planning an HR Technology rollout, both planned <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and potential</i> changes must be considered
and factored-into the enterprise solutions being brought in; i.e., how scalable
and adaptable is the software to a broad range of events and/or business
decisions that might occur. Whether the change driver is a decision to expand
into new markets, pursue a growth through M&A strategy, a move to outsource
non-core functions, or simply invest more heavily in talent management programs,
the software vendor’s current offerings and planned product roadmap must be
evaluated against these possible scenarios to ensure on-going “functionality
and capability fit.” In the absence of doing this, the shelf life of the new
technology will probably be short-changed. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
Steve Goldberg, Principal Advisorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09823239008771223987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955970138617974634.post-62437821027333172782017-10-08T10:26:00.003-04:002017-10-08T10:26:49.643-04:00Core HRMS vs. TMS vs. BoB's -- The Key Trade-Offs<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The
HR Technology landscape is filled with a lot of jargon, and frankly, most of it
benefits marketing executives within HR/HCM solution providers more than those procuring
one of these solutions. Some of the jargon is wrapped in acronyms such as SaaS
(Software-as-a-Service), ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) Systems or ATS
(Applicant Tracking System). SaaS refers to the hot trend in recent years to “rent”
vs. purchase HR software applications, typically through the cloud delivery
model where every customer is using the same “instance” or version of the
software. ERP platforms (e.g., in HR, Finance, etc.) are the technology
platforms for running business processes and managing related transactions. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">These
systems include a data model, processing and workflow rules and end-user security
permissions. ERP’s also interface or talk to other systems inside and external
to the organization. Finally, ATS tools came on the scene in the 80’s and more
recently offer innovations allowing more proactive and personalized outreach to
both active and passive job candidates. ATS’s track candidates through the
sourcing, screening and eventually hiring/on-boarding process; and now often
include or plug into tools/technologies for video interviewing, social
sourcing, behavioral assessments, job simulations and employee referrals. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">HR Technology
“Category Jargon”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="Default" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Arguably the most important jargon heard in the HR Technology
domain refers to the type of solution being discussed. We’re not referring here
to functional solution types such as recruiting, performance management or
learning solutions. “Type” in this case relates to the category of solution. Why
is this so important? Well, it’s a great place to start a conversation with an
HR Technology vendor, from which many other key questions should logically
follow. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="Default" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For example, once you’re told a solution provider operates in the
“HR-ERP” market or its alternative label, “Core HRMS “ (Human Resource
Management System) space, you immediately know they offer a transactional HR
platform and “system of record” for recording relevant data and enabling
analyses around all events in the “hire to retire” employee life cycle. You can
also associate this category of HR system with passing presumably validated
data to systems used by other corporate functions and external service
providers. Typical vendors mentioned in this category are Oracle, SAP
SuccessFactors, Workday, ADP, Infor, Kronos, Ceridian, Ramco Systems, Zenefits,
etc.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="Default" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">If, however, you were getting a presentation from a Talent
Management Suite or “TMS” provider (popular vendors include Saba, Cornerstone
OnDemand, PeopleFluent, Silkroad Technology, etc.), you won’t hear much talk
about a system of record for employee life cycle events and transactions, but
will likely learn about their best of breed, functionally deep modules that are
tightly integrated. A TMS is essentially the coupling -- through various
degrees of “tight integration” and through various degrees of offering a common
user experience – of individual modules each designed for automating a specific
HR process like recruiting, learning or performance management. The relative
extent of tight integration and common user experience (look and feel) across the
different modules is typically tied to whether all the modules were organically
built by the same vendor, or whether some were acquired and are being brought
into a common solution framework over time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="Default" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The main difference between a Core HRMS or HR-ERP platform and a
TMS are twofold: The former includes the system of record for employee life
cycle transactions and is fairly broad in functionality; and the latter <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">excludes</i> the broad transactional HR recordkeeping
but tends to offer deeper functionality for achieving best-in-class HR process
design and support. Finally, Best-of-Breeds are simply the category of HR Tech
solution where single or “point” solutions are offered for automating and
enabling just one HR process area, such as the aforementioned ATS for
recruiting automation. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="Default" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The Swinging
Pendulum<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="Default" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Those operating in the HR Tech domain for some time likely know
exactly what this section header is referring to, namely that many customer
organizations go through “preference cycles”, which can take a few years or
considerably longer before pursuing another HR Tech strategic path. Many
customers will seek to consolidate disparate solutions from different vendors,
and migrate to a unified solution from one vendor, after complaints from
end-users about things like redundant data entry, having to learn multiple user
interfaces or “TCO” (total cost of ownership) in general. On the other hand, a
subset of HR Tech customers find themselves going in the opposite direction, again,
usually after enough complaints from end-users. These organizations then pursue
a strategy of deploying specialist or best of breed solutions, or solution
suites. This direction is sometimes viewed as essential for handling HR process
pain points that are not being adequately addressed by the incumbent, core HRMS
platform, or perhaps to align better with HR process nuances needed by their
business. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="Default" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Pendulum swings can also result from factors not very related to
the virtues or gaps of particular HR software products. Case in point: a new
executive in the mix simply prefers another HR Tech solution or strategic
approach based on their previous experiences. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Steve Goldberg, Principal Advisorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09823239008771223987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955970138617974634.post-25066711439219476502017-10-08T10:23:00.000-04:002017-10-08T10:23:01.385-04:00Modern ATS’s (Applicant Tracking Systems) … What’s Changed? <strike></strike><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Technology
that automates and optimizes the recruiting process can certainly be confusing
with respect to solution labels and categories. Applicant Tracking Systems or
ATS’s can now find, source, proactively engage and evaluate the suitability of prospective
talent, including those not “on the market” or passive candidates. The subset
of ATS’s that include “Recruitment Marketing” capabilities can then be leveraged
to stay connected to targeted talent, create communities of value to keep them
engaged, communicate personalized messages that market an organization’s brand
and culture, and track what types of communications and outreach efforts work
best with different types of candidates and roles. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="HfSContent" style="margin: 6pt 0in 12pt;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc331581632;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Really? Yes, really! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc331581632;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This is one of the main ways ATS’s (aka Talent Acquisition
Technology) evolved in recent years. While <span style="color: #333333;">a
traditional ATS automates the application process for candidates, recruiters
and hiring managers, and provides a repository to search for relevant
applicants, it doesn’t allow you to market to your candidates. A CRM capability
-- within or outside an ATS -- allows you to create a private talent pool and
automate the nurturing of job candidates. The two tools serve different, but
interconnected purposes and they complement each other. Today’s active
candidate is tomorrow’s passive candidate and CRM functionality helps you
easily deliver the right message, to the right people, at the right time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc331581632;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc331581632;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Recruiters now utilize technology (sometimes included within an
ATS platform) to go where potentially relevant talent is, and not just
prominent social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest,
Instagram and YouTube, but also discussion boards, on-line forums and blogging
sites where comments can be as useful as the posts themselves for identifying
exceptional talent. Of course social media and mobile computing go hand-in-hand
with almost all early-career job seekers and passive candidates, and with
arguably the majority of mid and later-career talent as well. <b>These are the
vehicles for starting the engagement process with relevant candidates, but
inherent system intelligence is often what closes the deal in terms of getting
the best talent to consider a certain organization and/or role</b>. <b>It’s the
system intelligence, a vital component missing from the first wave of ATS’s on
the market, which guides the employer / recruiter on the best ways to engage
with each person on their radar … what message will resonate and entice the
most, across content, style, medium and frequency.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="HfSContent" style="margin: 6pt 0in 12pt;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc331581632;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Additionally, the screening and interview process can now readily be
technology-enabled with video interviews, sometimes built around validated
predictive communication patterns; and these systems don’t stop delivering
value when a hire is made, as analytics can now link job performance and
retention back to sourcing channels and screening methods to highlight those that
are most effective for different roles.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<strong><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc331581632;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">Navigating
a Complicated Vendor Landscape</span></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc331581632;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></strong><br />
<br />
<div class="HfSContent" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in 12pt;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc331581632;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">There
are likely at least 15 Applicant Tracking System (“ATS”) purveyors with a 1%
market share or greater, led by such established players as Taleo/Oracle with
perhaps over a 30% market share, Brassring (Kenexa, IBM), iCims, Jobvite, ADP,
SAP/SuccessFactors, PeopleFluent and Silkroad. Additionally, the landscape
includes other relatively mature ATS offerings from PeopleSoft, Ultimate
Software, Lumesse and Kronos … plus more recently launched recruiting solutions
from HCM<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>powerhouses Cornerstone
OnDemand and Workday. Additionally, several smaller operators are gaining
serious traction such as Greenhouse, Lever, SmartRecruiters, HireBridge, ATS
OnDemand, PCRecruiter and ApplicantPro. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc331581632;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">And<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>rounding-out the broader solution category
are the well-known brands with a heritage in job boards -- Monster,
CareerBuilder and Dice … and the emerging recruitment marketing sub-category
players Avature, Jibe, Broadbean, Findly, Smashfly, Talemetry, etc. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc331581632;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Obviously it’s a fairly cluttered and complex
recruiting technology market; which is why it’s recommended that prospective
customers go through the typically laborious due diligence process of mapping
their most acute talent acquisition pain points and challenges to solution
vendors with relevant capabilities</span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">
– as tangibly demonstrated in product demo’s. Narrowing the field to a short
list for detailed evaluation should then involve examining factors such as
product investment patterns, efficacy of the vendor’s customer success model,
pricing, proposed SLA frameworks, findings from customer reference calls -- and
the sometimes (perilously) overlooked -- alignment of company cultures.</span></span></div>
Steve Goldberg, Principal Advisorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09823239008771223987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955970138617974634.post-89714694590264880532017-10-08T10:18:00.000-04:002017-10-08T10:18:05.228-04:0012 HR Tech Capabilities That are Changing the HR Domain<span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;">Talent management processes are about effectively recruiting, developing, evaluating, rewarding, retaining and otherwise maximizing the engagement and contribution of all employees. The role HR technology plays in achieving this has never been more prominent than it is today.
<br />
Eight to ten years ago, HR tech processes were automated but disconnected, analytics were available only to expert users through separate tools, different talent strategies per workforce segments were just a vision, and user experiences were anything but engaging. <br />
<br />
Things changed roughly six years ago, when the two largest talent management software players, SuccessFactors and Taleo, got acquired by the two biggest HR-ERP or HRMS vendors, SAP and Oracle. This certainly opened up HR tech vendor R&D budgets to continue innovating outside of employee life cycle transactions. <br />
<br />
Another innovation catalyst was capital infusions (via IPO, private equity, etc.) at leading talent management suite providers, like Cornerstone OnDemand, PeopleFluent, SumTotal Systems (now part of SkillSoft), Saba, Halogen Software, Silkroad, etc. <br />
<br />
These factors, plus newer HR tech market entrants and continued momentum at mid-market players or payroll/workforce management-focused companies like Ultimate Software, ADP, Ceridian, Kronos and Ramco, lifted the market in terms of many higher-impact "TM" capabilities. <br />
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Yes, it can finally be said that talent management technology has reached maturity! So what are some of the newer talent management technology capabilities that have impressed us?<br />
</span><br /></span><strong>12 CAPABILITIES MAKING A DIFFERENCE</strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;">1. </span></span><b>Year-round coaching </b><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;">can now be part of the performance management and improvement model.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;">2. </span></span><b>Personalized rewards and retention schemes </b><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;">allow investments in employees to have maximum impact.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;">3. </span></span><b>Culture fit </b><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;">and team fit can be added to the assessment of candidate and employee suitability.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;">4. </span></span><b>Gamification </b><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;">is among the newer "hooks" that don’t just find but actually engage candidates. Engaging candidates, particularly passive candidates, is a winning recruiting strategy.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;">5. </span></span><b>Job simulations </b><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;">have also been added to the recruiting toolkit, which not only helps with assessing candidates but allows candidates to realistically decide if they want to pursue a job with specific challenges. These can now be experienced, not just discussed.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;">6. </span></span><b>Video interviewing</b><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;">, which may include embedded predictive capabilities, is now dominating the talent recruitment space.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;">7. The video medium is also getting widely adopted in learning, including </span></span><b>video on-demand learning and social learning</b><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;">. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;">8. </span></span><b>Social network analysis </b><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;">is the ability to identify who influences whom within the organization. This capability helps with change management, as knowing the "influencer nodes" is key.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;">9. </span></span><b>Sentiment analysis/climate measurement </b><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;">– using algorithms against unstructured data in emails, for example (in the aggregate, not at the individual level, as that would breach privacy regulations) – is quite valuable in keeping a finger on the pulse of employee engagement. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;">10. </span></span><b>Gig economy management </b><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;">empowers employers to manage non-employees and contractors – who often serve as an extension of the workforce – just like traditional employees, when appropriate. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;">11. </span></span><b>Career pathing</b><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;">, a capability offered mostly by niche HR tech vendors, enables employees to work with their manager in progressing their careers. The system analyzes which job roles lead to other roles, how long the process might take, what skills might be leveraged, etc. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;">12. </span></span><b>Prescriptive analytics </b><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;">can now guide managers about what actions to take to dissuade key employees from leaving, among other things.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;"><span style="font-family: Myriad Pro,Myriad Pro;">The 12 trends above are parts of the bigger theme emerging in talent management technology: integrated talent management. Analyst firms like Bersin & Associates (now owned by Deloitte) have published research showing that when talent management processes, technology components and – less we forget – teams or departments within HR functions are meaningfully and integrally linked, the business impact is often dramatic. Focus areas such as employee retention and employee productivity (e.g., revenue per employee) are noticeably higher in organizations that achieve a high degree of talent management integration. <br />
<br />
When the same core and leadership competencies are used to hire, evaluate and develop employees, a foundational level of integrated talent management has been established. Then, when the outputs of one process, such as performance management, automatically become inputs to other processes, like learning & development and succession planning, a greater level of talent management integration can drive major efficiency gains.<br />
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</span></span>Steve Goldberg, Principal Advisorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09823239008771223987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955970138617974634.post-61143204913931884322017-10-08T10:10:00.000-04:002017-10-18T11:59:35.798-04:00De-Mystifying AI, RPA, Bots and IoT in HR<span class="hs_cos_wrapper hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field hs_cos_wrapper_type_rich_text" data-hs-cos-general-type="meta_field" data-hs-cos-type="rich_text" id="hs_cos_wrapper_post_body"></span><div class="post-entry-content">
<span class="hs_cos_wrapper hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field hs_cos_wrapper_type_rich_text" data-hs-cos-general-type="meta_field" data-hs-cos-type="rich_text" id="hs_cos_wrapper_post_body">There’s no shortage of buzz these days about AI (Artificial Intelligence) and RPA (Robotic Process Automaton), and the HR / HCM domain is quickly establishing itself as one of the most logical places in an organization to apply these innovative capabilities. This is because HR processes such as benefits administration, payroll operations, on-boarding, PTO and leave requests, time recording aspects, compliance obligations, policy explanations and other HR Help Desk queries are largely predictable and repeatable.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<span class="hs_cos_wrapper hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field hs_cos_wrapper_type_rich_text" data-hs-cos-general-type="meta_field" data-hs-cos-type="rich_text" id="hs_cos_wrapper_post_body">Thus far all the attention being given to these emerging technologies hasn’t necessarily served to bring a lot of clarity to what these various “digital era” terms mean. Nor has the buzz managed to clarify what the realistic opportunities are for capturing efficiencies while also enhancing the employee experience – for all organizations, not just the largest ones.</span><br />
<span class="hs_cos_wrapper hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field hs_cos_wrapper_type_rich_text" data-hs-cos-general-type="meta_field" data-hs-cos-type="rich_text" id="hs_cos_wrapper_post_body">So let’s do both: Offer a few clear definitions, and provide some examples of applying these capabilities in HR.</span><br />
<span class="hs_cos_wrapper hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field hs_cos_wrapper_type_rich_text" data-hs-cos-general-type="meta_field" data-hs-cos-type="rich_text" id="hs_cos_wrapper_post_body"><strong></strong></span><br />
<span class="hs_cos_wrapper hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field hs_cos_wrapper_type_rich_text" data-hs-cos-general-type="meta_field" data-hs-cos-type="rich_text" id="hs_cos_wrapper_post_body"><strong>“White Hot” Digital Era Terms</strong></span><br />
<span class="hs_cos_wrapper hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field hs_cos_wrapper_type_rich_text" data-hs-cos-general-type="meta_field" data-hs-cos-type="rich_text" id="hs_cos_wrapper_post_body"><strong></strong></span><br />
<span class="hs_cos_wrapper hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field hs_cos_wrapper_type_rich_text" data-hs-cos-general-type="meta_field" data-hs-cos-type="rich_text" id="hs_cos_wrapper_post_body"><strong>AI</strong> is the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines such as computer systems. These processes include learning (e.g., curating or acquiring information and understanding how to use the information), reasoning (applying logic based on the rules presented) and self-correction. In simulating the way people think, solve problems and perform tasks, AI is essentially bringing together cognitive and machine learning capabilities, sometimes within a predictive or algorithmic framework, all powered by programmed business rules. Additionally, the three core variables that characterize AI use cases are: Whether the data used is structured or unstructured (examples of the latter include social media, blogs, resumes and emails), whether the rules applied are static or dynamic, and the degree of complexity of tasks to be performed.</span><br />
<span class="hs_cos_wrapper hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field hs_cos_wrapper_type_rich_text" data-hs-cos-general-type="meta_field" data-hs-cos-type="rich_text" id="hs_cos_wrapper_post_body"><strong></strong></span><br />
<span class="hs_cos_wrapper hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field hs_cos_wrapper_type_rich_text" data-hs-cos-general-type="meta_field" data-hs-cos-type="rich_text" id="hs_cos_wrapper_post_body"><strong>RPA</strong> is a manifestation of AI in which technology simulates humans performing repetitive, rules-based tasks. Within the HR arena, automating an on-boarding process or the collection and validation of payroll transactional data are prototypical RPA applications that will absolutely become more prevalent. Early RPA examples are more readily found outside the HR domain however, including the standard or exception-based processing of invoices or expense reports. Here the RPA program determines if certain invoice or expense report exceptions can still be processed since they meet other over-riding criteria, or perhaps they follow a learned pattern or past configuration of data. While RPA can run routine operations such as opening emails and attachments, copying and pasting data to complete forms, moving or consolidating files, etc., one of the more impactful contributions of RPA in any domain involves activities such as finding, collecting, merging and manipulating data, connecting to systems and performing calculations – usually much faster than humans. What distinguishes RPA from traditional IT programming is RPA's ability to be aware, and to adapt.</span><br />
<span class="hs_cos_wrapper hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field hs_cos_wrapper_type_rich_text" data-hs-cos-general-type="meta_field" data-hs-cos-type="rich_text" id="hs_cos_wrapper_post_body"><strong></strong></span><br />
<span class="hs_cos_wrapper hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field hs_cos_wrapper_type_rich_text" data-hs-cos-general-type="meta_field" data-hs-cos-type="rich_text" id="hs_cos_wrapper_post_body"><strong>Chatbots or Bots </strong>are a form of basic, rules-driven AI that utilize Natural Language Processing (NLP) and popular messaging applications such as Slack and Microsoft Teams, in conjunction with end-users texting on computers or smart-phones (for now, voice is coming soon). Early uses of bots in HR involve communicating around applying for a job or inquiring into the status of a job application, obtaining company policy info, checking and applying PTO balances, managers asking “who is on duty now?”, an employee asking “when does benefits enrollment begin” or “will my first check be directly deposited”, etc. And we will soon see “super-charged” bots that leverage more sophisticated AI capabilities of self-learning, working with unstructured data and more complex rules, including rules that achieve a personalized experience based on HR data available.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="hs_cos_wrapper hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field hs_cos_wrapper_type_rich_text" data-hs-cos-general-type="meta_field" data-hs-cos-type="rich_text" id="hs_cos_wrapper_post_body">Internet of Things (<strong>IoT</strong>) is a process in which people, machines, and devices such as sensors are connected to one another via a single network in order to automatically exchange data without any manual / human involvement. IoT in the HR space is sometimes referred to as the “connected worker”; and in the future it will be used to track the productivity of workers in the field, assign tasks based on the nearest (or fittest) worker, tie scheduling to customer flow, and even offer real-time training after certain types of accidents occur.</span><br />
<span class="hs_cos_wrapper hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field hs_cos_wrapper_type_rich_text" data-hs-cos-general-type="meta_field" data-hs-cos-type="rich_text" id="hs_cos_wrapper_post_body"><strong></strong></span><br />
<span class="hs_cos_wrapper hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field hs_cos_wrapper_type_rich_text" data-hs-cos-general-type="meta_field" data-hs-cos-type="rich_text" id="hs_cos_wrapper_post_body"><strong>RPA Opportunities in HR (Especially Payroll) are Plentiful</strong></span><br />
<span class="hs_cos_wrapper hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field hs_cos_wrapper_type_rich_text" data-hs-cos-general-type="meta_field" data-hs-cos-type="rich_text" id="hs_cos_wrapper_post_body">Returning to the RPA topic, here is a simple way to classify potential use cases specifically in Payroll -- given how data-intensive that function’s is:</span><br />
<br />
<span class="hs_cos_wrapper hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field hs_cos_wrapper_type_rich_text" data-hs-cos-general-type="meta_field" data-hs-cos-type="rich_text" id="hs_cos_wrapper_post_body">“Do” capabilities describes the use of RPA to move and manipulate payroll data without human involvement; e.g., consolidating payroll input or transactional data from different sources. “Do and think” capabilities include the machine flagging and fixing hundreds of data issues pre-payroll run (very quickly and accurately!). And “learn” capabilities are an RPA capability in payroll processing that’s still being tested and improved upon (as with machine learning in most areas). One interesting (“learn”) use case is the ability to anticipate spikes in payroll processing based on time of year, hiring spikes, business cycles or new regulations, and then guide the organization in achieving adequate staffing levels.</span><br />
<span class="hs_cos_wrapper hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field hs_cos_wrapper_type_rich_text" data-hs-cos-general-type="meta_field" data-hs-cos-type="rich_text" id="hs_cos_wrapper_post_body"><strong style="background-color: transparent;"></strong></span><br />
<span class="hs_cos_wrapper hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field hs_cos_wrapper_type_rich_text" data-hs-cos-general-type="meta_field" data-hs-cos-type="rich_text" id="hs_cos_wrapper_post_body"><strong style="background-color: transparent;">Final Thoughts</strong></span><br />
<span class="hs_cos_wrapper hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field hs_cos_wrapper_type_rich_text" data-hs-cos-general-type="meta_field" data-hs-cos-type="rich_text" id="hs_cos_wrapper_post_body">While both RPA and Bots deployments are in almost every medium and larger company HR Department’s 1-2 year operating plan, RPA (vs. Bots) examples will probably be more plentiful, at least in the near term. The reason is that change management in support of RPA initiatives typically involves services teams more than those being serviced. The former is obviously a much smaller group to win the support of.</span></div>
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</span><br />Steve Goldberg, Principal Advisorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09823239008771223987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955970138617974634.post-82735148098490119582017-08-25T10:25:00.003-04:002017-08-25T10:27:13.457-04:00Placing HCM Stewardship Where it Belongs: Outside of HR!In retail, capturing data in real-time at the Point of Sale (POS) leads to
better stock replenishment and more informed customer interactions and
experiences. Now take that same concept into business operations with HR and
employees, where transaction or event participants similarly have the biggest
vested interest in achieving maximum data accuracy and transaction processing
speed.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
The principles of real-time data updates and logical transaction ownership
led to a lot of new Employee and Manager Self Service functionality in the
early days of HCM systems. Let’s also remember, though, that self-sufficiency
-- as in not having to deal with the occasional black hole that some HR
Departments are identified with -- is also directly correlated with stakeholder
or customer satisfaction.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
All of this “transactional mumbo jumbo” can be boiled down to one phrase:
Human Capital Management stewardship … and also perhaps one question: Where
should primary HCM ownership lie? The “HR as necessary interloper to keep the
company out of trouble” model hasn’t really endeared itself to many outside of
those running professional HR organizations. So why keep “workforce management
activities to drive enterprise value,” aka HCM, strictly in the hands of the HR
Department? No reason. It’s a stupid waste of resources – both financial
and human.<br />
<br />
<strong>HR adds the most value, by far, when it enables line managers to be
effective stewards of HCM </strong><br />
<br />
How do you as an HR professional accomplish this?<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
(1) by truly understanding the business of your internal line manager
customers<br />
(2) by being a trusted advisor when it comes to HCM-related opportunities and
risks (both -- not just risks!)<br />
(3) by syndicating best practices, tools, standards and innovations related to
HCM across the organization … whether an HR-borne idea, an internal customer’s
idea or something learned at a professional HR organization’s conference.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
Business leaders don’t just have P&L responsibility. They interact with
their teams every day, in all situations, and they ideally have the “HCM
acumen” to know what will drive employee engagement, retention and productivity
… or conversely, what will impede these outcomes and how to mitigate those
impediments.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: 14pt;">Bottom Line: HR
Departments must place a huge emphasis on line manager enablement, thereby
shifting HCM stewardship to where it belongs – to team leaders, department
managers, and senior executives. HR Departments should enable, or get out of
the way.</span></strong><o:p></o:p>Steve Goldberg, Principal Advisorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09823239008771223987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955970138617974634.post-47033152483058276912017-08-25T10:23:00.001-04:002017-08-25T10:23:38.112-04:00Another “SRO” Crowd for an AI Presentation, But at a Payroll Conference?
A standing room only crowd for an industry conference’s AI session,
something seen with great regularity these days. But it's actually from an <a href="http://www.americanpayroll.org/congress/congress-expo/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">American
Payroll Association event</span></a> in Orlando. You read that correctly.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
While the payroll function and services market likely weren’t among the
first AI or RPA candidates written on white boards in innovation labs, this
obvious level of interest might suggest a “can’t see the forest through the
trees” dynamic operating in some of those innovation labs. Back-office
corporate functions such as payroll are in fact fertile ground for RPA and
intelligent automation overall, given the preponderance of recurring manual
tasks and transactions not dependent on person-to-person interaction.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
Innovation labs are now on the case.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
The speaker for this session called “Prepare Your Teams for the Future of
Payroll: Robotics, Automation & Shared Services” was Brian Radin, President
of global payroll services provider <a href="https://www.cloudpay.net/"><span style="color: blue;">CloudPay</span></a>
and long-time entrepreneur in the HR Tech space as well. Brian immediately got
everyone’s attention by factually reporting that the number of bank teller jobs
did not decrease in the years following the introduction of ATM machines.
Teller numbers actually went up due to shifting staff costs to support new,
higher value services within retail branches, which ultimately allowed more
local branches to open up, tellers in tow.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
Using AI in the realm of HR operations, including cognitive computing and
RPA (Robotic Process Automation) or bots, has been explored in my blog posts. Radin’s session focused specifically on AI’s current
and future use in payroll operations, including via services providers like
CloudPay.<br />
<br />
<strong>Some Easy Questions, Some Hard Ones</strong><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
Radin’s talk directly addressed some key questions about “AI in Payroll”;
e.g., how can (or will) these capabilities help payroll clients spend less time
on manually intensive, routine or recurring tasks, ones that machines can often
handle with more alacrity? And are there other tasks where resourcing can be
toggled between human and bot staff depending on availability? Here the
presenter highlighted examples like data validations and checks pre and
post-payroll run (payroll has quite a few of those), machines fixing errors or
automating the consolidation of data, and of course, chatbots to answer
recurring questions like “what is my accrued PTO?” or “when will I receive my
first check?” (Questions which come up hundreds of times per year.) Allowing
RPA tools to handle these will benefit clients of providers like CloudPay and
any other vendor investing in these capabilities. And as far as highlighting a
“resourcing agnostic” (bot or person) type of activity in payroll, the example
given was using people or bot staff to train new staff.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
One of the highlights of the session for me was listening to questions
attendees were posing at the podium afterward, away from the large audience.
One gentleman told Radin that training and re-skilling of staff were already
going on in his company in areas where RPA would be heavily leveraged, but it
sometimes provided only a year or so of “job runway” for employees until RPA
would impact their next job. Then re-skilling would have to start again.
Radin’s response was both admirable and accurate: “Re-skilling decisions in the
RPA era is very much a work in progress.”<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<strong>Machines that Do, Do and Think, and Learn</strong><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
CloudPay’s VP Marketing, David Barak, elaborated for me after the session on
Radin’s slide which highlighted these three different categories of RPA
capabilities: “Do” describes the use of RPA to move and manipulate payroll data
without human involvement, as one example. “Do and think” capabilities include
the machine flagging and fixing hundreds of data issues pre-payroll run; and
while “Learn” is an RPA capability in payroll processing that’s still being
tested and improved upon (as with machine learning in most areas), it includes
anticipating spikes in payroll processing costs based on time of year, business
cycles, new regulations, etc. This information can then guide the customer in
optimizing staffing levels.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: 14pt;">Bottom Line:</span></strong>
Payroll departments and services provider clients will increasingly benefit
from emerging RPA and cognitive capabilities. It will probably be a few steps
forward and a couple backward until something akin to a “human/bot hybrid
resourcing homeostasis” is figured out – in general, and also reflecting
specific customer contexts. Predicting how far / how fast with any precision,
in any industry or discipline, is almost a total crapshoot. One thing we do
know, machines are not nearly as susceptible to errors due to work overload or
distractions.<o:p></o:p><br />
Steve Goldberg, Principal Advisorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09823239008771223987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955970138617974634.post-87818790528661628572017-08-25T10:19:00.000-04:002017-08-25T10:36:10.687-04:00The Latest HR Power Tool … IoT!<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Now available in select “HR supply
stores”: IoT (Internet of Things). </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Much like the
double-edged sword nature of its companion power tools, IoT in workforce
management can usher in unprecedented and significant business benefits, but
only when the right capabilities are selected and potential risks and adverse
outcomes are accounted for. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">IoT is a process in which people,
machines, and devices are connected to one another via a single network in
order to automatically exchange data without any manual involvement. IoT can,
for example:</span><br />
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">track the productivity of workers in the field<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">confirm overall fitness or fatigue when relevant<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">assign tasks based on the nearest worker<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">tie scheduling real-time to customer flow<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">offer real-time training based on an employee’s time on
job, credentials or performance</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">All of this sounds pretty compelling,
but a couple words of caution. The first word: Volkswagen, whose engineers
illegally programmed IoT-like software to sense when the car was being tested
during an emissions inspection, which then activated more costly equipment that
reduced emissions. This resulted in a roughly $3B fine this year. Additionally,
IoT solutions will generate lots of new, often very valuable data related to
people and how they perform their jobs, and not every HR Department is
adequately staffed to handle the current explosion of people data or supported
by data scientists.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Cause for Optimism with Early
Adopters of IoT in HR</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">While not many HR Technology
solution providers are occupying the IoT market category just yet, one company
caught our attention: </span><a href="https://www.triaxtec.com/workersafety/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Triax Technologies</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">, and specifically with their “spot- r” solution for
companies with workers in the field, particularly on constructions sites.
Certainly, accidents are more common there. My briefing from Triax’ COO Peter
Schermerhorn enlightened me that U.S. construction companies pay out $1 billion
annually for claims related to slips, trips or falls; that the construction
industry pays more than twice the national average for workers’ compensation
insurance; and that an estimated $7.2 billion in fraudulent workers’
compensation claims are filed annually in the U.S.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">spot-r by Triax provides
data-driven, real-time visibility into construction operations and safety
incidents, leading to an improved safety culture on site and can result in
reduced insurance costs. Automatic, geo-tagged “slip, trip, fall” alerts
improve response time to accidents and record surrounding conditions
(temperature, height, location of witnesses in the area, etc.), self-alert
buttons empower construction workers to stop working due to unsafe conditions
and alert supervisors to hazardous conditions, and high-decibel evacuation
alerts are included in the mandatory wearable devices used on many of the
company’s pilot projects with customers. Peter also offered a glimpse into the
near future when the company’s sensors will be used in new ways to promote
safety and visibility on the job site. Imagine knowing in real-time where your
workers, equipment, machinery, and tools are onsite and how they’re interacting
with each other.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Who said technology innovations
related to HR and workforce management usually lag other business areas?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<b><span style="color: #ff6600; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #ff6600; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Bottom Line: As
with all the other power tools (i.e., sophisticated capabilities) recently
added to the HR practitioner tool belt, IoT’s potential to be a game-changer
cannot be overstated, but neither can the surrounding considerations for
avoiding possible misuse or sub-optimal deployment.</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span>Steve Goldberg, Principal Advisorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09823239008771223987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955970138617974634.post-1734743255259175892017-01-30T13:30:00.000-05:002017-08-25T10:37:36.820-04:00HR Best Practice? Yeah, Right<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="letter-spacing: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">A memorable
exchange I once had with a former HR colleague went like this:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><cr>Me: “When Workforce Planning accounts for
cascading gaps because you filled some jobs from within, that’s commonly viewed
as HR best practice.” Colleague: “Oh really, Well I think best
practice is simply the practice that works best!”<o:p></o:p></cr></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><cr>Borrowing a line from the classic movie <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cool_hand_luke/"></a></cr><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cool_hand_luke/"><span style="color: #2bafe9;">Cool Hand Luke</span></a> … his statement “helped get my
mind right.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><cr></cr>So
a suggestion coming out of my initiation into the world of practical HR
thinking: Whenever you hear someone say: It’s “HR best practice”, perhaps you
should ask if they’re following a blueprint crafted specifically for their
organization and business context. And if they’re not, odds are that particular
practice will come under some scrutiny soon, and perhaps shortly thereafter,
the individual that architected the practice.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><cr></cr>As
With New Employees, Best is Mostly About Fit</span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Many
of us were a bit taken aback when we heard highly regarded Zappos was
generously paying new hires to quit if they were dissatisfied, and not just
because it was likely deemed more cost-effective in the long run. The practice
was in fact instituted mostly because the company’s brand is totally about
“best customer experience imaginable” and this is so much more than a tag line.
One of countless examples is that their customer service reps never use
scripts. Genius, common sense, or both. You decide, but also think about
whether this would work for a phone company. Fat chance as they say.<br />
</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="letter-spacing: 0pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Elsewhere, a number of well-known large companies including LinkedIn, Virgin
America, Best Buy and Netflix have started experimenting with unlimited
paid time off. The rationale: time away from the job helped with employee
productivity; e.g., by avoiding burn-out. Beyond that benefit, trusting
employees not to take advantage of the company can make them feel – and
therefore act -- like part owners of the business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This practice worked for these employers,
particularly when employees and managers discussed adequate coverage for key
duties in their absence, but clearly it’s not a universally great fit. Consider
the impact on an impending re-start of a nuclear power plant if even one
senior-level nuclear or safety engineer was in urgent need of some downtime.
“Adequate coverage” is in the eye of the beholder.</span><u1:p></u1:p><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Outside
the realm of potential life and death consequences, however, innovative
crowd-funding company <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/3051537/fast-feed/kickstarter-nixes-unlimited-vacation-time-for-employees?partner=superfeed" target="_self"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="color: blue;">Kickstarter abandoned its unlimited vacation policy</span></span></a>
when they thought it was sending some type of message (subliminal?) to
employees to take less time off. So a creative HR practice designed to minimize
burn-out was actually burning people out!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><cr></cr>As
in the aforementioned exchange with that colleague, best practice does indeed
come down to what works in a particular business context; and when you’re
talking about a new HR practice under consideration, desired corporate culture
might be the #1 element to focus on. In high-tech startups, a very informal,
“we’re one family” culture and typically doling out some equity are used to
attract top talent. Arguably it’s also to compensate for a lower salary
initially. By way of contrast, when was the last time you saw someone’s canine
companion taking a stroll inside a blue-chip investment advisory firm?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br /><br />
</span></span></span>Steve Goldberg, Principal Advisorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09823239008771223987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955970138617974634.post-76976783614539362392017-01-30T13:07:00.000-05:002017-08-18T10:56:15.030-04:00Why the Time is Right to Evaluate Predictive Capabilities in HCM Systems<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Every CHRO focus group or
survey these days identifies “enhancing analytics capabilities” or “crafting a
people analytics roadmap” as a top initiative. This of course includes analytics
of a predictive nature, as these generally have the highest impact. It’s now
time-critical for both HR execs and HCM solution providers to think about what type
of technology capabilities are needed to support these initiatives, which, if
successful, clearly help make the case for HR having that proverbial seat.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">So we’ve decided to put a stake
in the ground and evaluate what most enterprise software vendors are describing
as their “early” capabilities and customer experiences in this area.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Many HRMS (employee life cycle)
vendors cut their predictive analytics teeth around the retention risk area. Some
of those providers have progressed to predicting potential to succeed in
different roles, or factors that impact employee engagement and productivity. A
few now forecast labor and skillset gaps and use that intel to optimize work
schedules. One or two HCM solutions now even highlight potential compliance
risks and recommend training to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>mitigate
those risks, or offer other examples of prescriptive guidance. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Is this the bulk of what HR leaders
are looking for? Hardly, as any HR Tech vendor will tell you: “They are just
getting started!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">One HR tech vendor exec we spoke
with for this research said “the ultimate vision here is to predict all employee-related
outcomes that materially impact business performance, understand why the
outcome is likely, communicate why this insight matters, and determine and
pursue the key actions needed.” As a destination point, it’s probably better
than most.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">2 key indications the time is now
for getting this research out there:: <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">A few of the larger HCM solution
vendors weren’t in such a hurry to discuss their predictive capabilities. Yes,
this can happen with emerging technology areas; plus getting a read on
“customer and market readiness” perhaps requires soothsayers as much as product
managers.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">HR buyers’ interests seem to be
out in front of what a large swath of the HR tech vendor community is
delivering when it comes to these capabilities. This is not a dynamic observed
very often. Vendors have historically done a lot of the pulling in this
relationship. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Finding the “homeostasis point”
where HR tech customers and vendors can both see and derive business benefit
from moving the ball forward on HCM predictive capabilities keeps us moving
forward with this research, underlining its sense of purpose -- and urgency!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span> </div>
Steve Goldberg, Principal Advisorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09823239008771223987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955970138617974634.post-6247659670062494112017-01-12T09:05:00.000-05:002017-01-12T09:05:07.609-05:00Change Management in HR Tech Deployments -- Lessons from the TrenchesFrom <span style="color: blue;"><b>https://www.horsesforsources.com/blog/steve-goldberg</b></span><br />
<br />
My preoccupation with change management can be traced back to when I realized that success on HR Technology initiatives was perhaps more a function of the organization being “ready, willing and able” to change (in the form of leveraging new technology) than anything else, including the virtues of any particular system. Now before some folks in the vendor community or others fascinated by shiny objects yell “blasphemy”, let’s remember that: <br />
<ul>
<li>Any HCM system (aka HRMS) that‘s been successfully deployed in hundreds of similar organizations likely provides at least 80% of the major process-enablement capabilities a typical customer needs, plus many innovative people management features as well. </li>
<li>It’s unlikely that any HCM system will 100% match a buying organization’s business requirements, let alone their future vision around managing talent for competitive advantage. </li>
<li>Much of the gap between 80% and 100% can often be addressed through a combination of configuration tools, influencing the vendor to address in an upcoming release or product update (more frequent updates with cloud delivery) or inconsequential process workarounds. </li>
</ul>
<span style="color: red;"> Successful HRMS implementations are more linked to factors outside the chosen technology, and the #1 factor is (internal) customer-centric change management. </span><br />
<br />It took me some time to have the above epiphany partially because senior management and project sponsors at my first few employers generally assessed project success based on the system being delivered on-time, on-budget and stable. End-user adoption and business case realization were rarely on the project charter in those years. You could say this was fairly helpful to my HR Tech career at the time, but not so helpful to those particular organizations as a whole. <br />
<br />
As a result of inadequate attention to change management in the first few rollouts, very few folks outside the HR Department used the system at these companies, and worse, most line managers maintained their own spreadsheet with HR data and related update processes. They simply trusted their own, personally crafted low-tech data repositories more. These dynamics can cost companies millions annually. (Post a comment below if you’d like to see the math!) What was missing? All future end-users needed to be “ready, willing, and able” – a framework used by many change management experts. <br />
<br />
"Ready” suggests the impacts of the change are understood, and sources of resistance and associated mitigation steps identified. “Willing” relates to the case for change being widely syndicated, tailored to stakeholders as needed, and reinforced through communications programs and executive support. Finally, “able” suggests that relevant skills, competencies, performance measures and even corporate culture aspects are being put in place to execute and sustain the change. <br />
<strong><br /></strong>
<strong>Ready-Willing-Able: A Success Story</strong> <br />
In one of my later HR Tech involvements, we went beyond understanding process automation requirements and spent considerable time with line managers discussing people management (not process management) issues that kept them up at night, how real-time access to high-value data would help them, etc. This time, we put “empathy for the customer experience” first. We also worked to overcome (beginning with acknowledging!) some long-standing disappointments with HR on the part of many consumers of HR solutions, services and programs. This was Design Thinking before the term was widely used, although empathy had been around for eons. <br />
<br />
The team also figured out creative ways to give end-users (mostly line managers in this instance) a sense of control and ownership over the system and its data. One example involved hitting a “challenge button” about any data that line managers suspected of being incorrect. That opened a dialogue box for comments and auto-generated an email to an appropriate HR administrator requesting research and resolution. Quick turnaround was ensured through an associated SLA (service level agreement) process. <br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">The “black hole” of trying to resolve data issues with HR disappeared!</span> <br />
<br />
That prestigious bank’s Chairman came into my office for the first time ever to congratulate our team on the crowning achievement for the HR Department, not just that year, but any year in his memory. He heard that people outside HR were using the system, and regularly. <br />
<strong><br /></strong>
<strong>Combating Employee Disengagement from all the Change</strong> <br />
Multiple generations at work with different personal drivers, automation changing the nature of work, achieving more with less, and the frequency with which businesses tweak their operating models or totally re-invent themselves are dynamics that won’t be changing anytime soon. These dynamics can lead to employee disengagement even without adding new “HR / People Systems” to have to learn and use. And disengagement can bring down even the best run companies. Investing in employees in ways that resonate certainly helps with the employee disengagement challenge; but empathetic change management is absolutely essential when the change is represented by something very tangible, like a new system. <br />
<span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold;"><strong><br /></strong></span>
<span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold;"><strong>Bottom Line: When end-users genuinely feel their work lives and perspectives are taken into full account, due to proactive change management, the prospects of broad HCM system adoption and even a stellar ROI are significantly higher.</strong></span> <b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Steve Goldberg, Principal Advisorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09823239008771223987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955970138617974634.post-19992140786872059982016-12-22T11:26:00.000-05:002017-08-18T10:57:10.703-04:00It’s a Database, So Why Not Keep VALUABLE HR Data in It?<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">The range of information
managed in <span style="border-image: none; border: 1pt windowtext; margin: 0px; padding: 0in;">HCM</span> Systems is quite impressive, and in most leading
platforms, encompasses data relating to the 3 legs of the proverbial (HR data)
bar stool: Administrative, <span style="border-image: none; border: 1pt windowtext; margin: 0px; padding: 0in;">Transactional</span> and
Strategic data. Administrative covers what’s needed for policy and regulatory
compliance and core HR process support (on-boarding, payroll and benefits
admin, etc.). <span style="border-image: none; border: 1pt windowtext; margin: 0px; padding: 0in;">Transactional</span> covers the events in
an employee life cycle (changes to job, organization, supervisor,
compensation, etc.) or personal life event updates that impact employee
benefits for example.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">Strategic data covers
… <span style="border-image: none; border: 1pt windowtext; margin: 0px; padding: 0in;">hmmm</span> … maybe just see Administrative and <span style="border-image: none; border: 1pt windowtext; margin: 0px; padding: 0in;">Transactional</span>.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">Is this HR heresy?
Is it a yearning for the simpler days of Personnel Management when key business
strategy decisions often excluded HR executives, HR/<span style="border-image: none; border: 1pt windowtext; margin: 0px; padding: 0in;">HCM</span> systems largely
weren’t used outside HR Departments, and Talent Management was a term reserved
for Hollywood? No, it’s only a lead-in to a question I’ve asked myself over the
years, namely: <b>Are we missing something when we point to data tracked
on <span style="border-image: none; border: 1pt windowtext; margin: 0px; padding: 0in;">HCM</span> systems like performance ratings, compensation and
job progressions, training courses taken or competencies displayed and say this
allows us to be very strategic in managing human capital?</b></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">Yes we are probably
missing something. It seems the data we track in these technology assets, while
broadly useful, might sometimes be obscuring the real
mission at-hand: <i>The need to manage and provide ready access to
WHATEVER people data enables a highly engaged and productive workforce, and the
proactive management of business risks and opportunities … thereby creating and
enhancing sources of business value and competitive advantage.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"></span><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">So What Needs to
Change?</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"></span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">For one thing, let’s not
forget the aforementioned mission at-hand. Let’s also not forget that employee
engagement, retention, productivity – and business innovation and agility – are
all <span style="border-image: none; border: 1pt windowtext; margin: 0px; padding: 0in;">HCM</span>-related themes but they are NOT HR processes with
routinely defined steps that can be system-tracked or enabled. Perhaps
just as important, these themes rarely have a single process owner with a
budget (for enterprise software) that solution vendors can sell to. The main
implication of this is that while HR Tech circles continue to espouse moving
away from being too process-<span style="border-image: none; border: 1pt windowtext; margin: 0px; padding: 0in;">centric</span>, and being more
‘desired business outcomes’ <span style="border-image: none; border: 1pt windowtext; margin: 0px; padding: 0in;">centric</span> in our
systems design and usage, the HR/HR Tech disciplines can perhaps be faster on
the actual uptake of this.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"></span><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">3 Examples of (Non
Process-<span style="border-image: none; border: 1pt windowtext; margin: 0px; padding: 0in;">Centric</span>) HR Data Worth Tracking</span></b><br />
<ul>
<li><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">Employee Value Indicators</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"> … present a broader picture of the employee’s
value to the organization, far beyond performance ratings or competencies.
These dimensions or data points might relate to referring candidates who
became top employees, serving as a mentor to new employees, suggesting
ideas that led to new revenue sources or operating <span style="border-image: none; border: 1pt windowtext; margin: 0px; padding: 0in;">efficiencies</span>, or forwarding personal contacts that
were great sales leads and became customers.</span></div>
</li>
<li style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 11px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">And speaking of competencies, how about <b>Latent
Competencies </b>… those that employees possess that might be
invisible to the organization, and therefore not leveraged, because they
are not relevant to an employee’s current job function. These would be
pretty handy when a major shift in business strategy is considered which
has implications in terms of re-tooling the
workforce. Also Competency Value Trajectory (or “<span style="border-image: none; border: 1pt windowtext; margin: 0px; padding: 0in;">CVT</span>”) would be a simple way to note on the system
which competencies are becoming more important to the organization due to
impending business undertakings.</span></li>
<li style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 11px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">And finally, one that arguably qualifies as not seeing
the forest through the trees, all the valuable data that could be tracked
around <b>Career Goals</b> … including how an employee’s goals
change over time, progress toward achieving them, and what the
organization has done to support them. This way of driving employee
engagement could fly by the positive impact of employee surveys or various
(non-sustaining) forms of employee recognition for 2 reasons: Employees
perceive their needs/interests as being important to their employer; and
management decisions about leveraging their people better align with those
needs/interests.</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"></span><b><span style="color: #ff6600; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">Bottom Line: HR <span style="border-image: none; border: 1pt windowtext; margin: 0px; padding: 0in;">Tech'ers</span> should not forget about the virtually
limitless potential of these platforms to house strategic, and often
non-process <span style="border-image: none; border: 1pt windowtext; margin: 0px; padding: 0in;">centric</span> data</span></b></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<b><span style="color: #ff6600; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;"></span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">A focus group I
conducted a few years ago with a dozen <span style="border-image: none; border: 1pt windowtext; margin: 0px; padding: 0in;">CHRO’s</span> addressed
where HR Technology was -- <i>or wasn’t</i> -- making a difference in
their organizations. The consensus was that managing the potential fallout
from <span style="border-image: none; border: 1pt windowtext; margin: 0px; padding: 0in;">downsizings</span>, or the people aspects of M+A's were areas
where HR Technology was not playing a major role ... both obviously more about
potentially game-changing events than defined HR processes.</span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">As <span style="border-image: none; border: 1pt windowtext; margin: 0px; padding: 0in;">HCM</span> system <span style="border-image: none; border: 1pt windowtext; margin: 0px; padding: 0in;">configurability</span> and <span style="border-image: none; border: 1pt windowtext; margin: 0px; padding: 0in;">extensibility</span> capabilities have achieved new heights
in recent years, addressing these perceived (historical) system shortcomings
have perhaps become a matter of customers doing a better job of defining
decision support needs and related data capture processes, and simply
leveraging their HR Technology assets better in general.</span></div>
Steve Goldberg, Principal Advisorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09823239008771223987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955970138617974634.post-36531492710163493452016-12-20T09:07:00.002-05:002017-08-18T10:58:18.086-04:00Cognitive Computing in HCM: Walking the Line between Cool and Creepy<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">Cognitive computing generally refers to having a system
mimic the way people think, learn, solve problems or perform certain
tasks.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>In HCM systems specifically, the
system leverages what it knows about us -- including our job, social network
and interests – to yield solid benefits in areas such as social recruiting and
social learning.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">We are also seeing take-up of some newer entrants into
using NLP (natural language processing) in the form of chatbots and intelligent
agents.<span style="margin: 0px;"> Use case e</span>xamples</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"> include an employee having a conversation with the system about an error
on their timesheet that the system had the wherewithal to resolve … or the HR
technology platform proactively pre-filling a timesheet based on items in the
person’s calendar and previous timesheets.</span></div>
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">So far, generally no controversy surrounding these type
of cognitive capabilities … efficiency gains and better customer service
without any apparent downside.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>But what
if a near-future incremental step in the cognitive HR tech journey goes
something like this:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><br /></span>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">Employee: </span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Hi there, kindly initiate a PTO time off
request for me for this Thursday and Friday after confirming that I still have
the 2 PTO days to use.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><br /></span>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">HR System:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>I can certainly do that sir, but are you sure you want to take 2 days
off this week given you have a major project deadline next Monday, the project
seems behind schedule, and as you know, you were late on your last major
project deliverable?</span><br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">Can we say C-R-E-E-P-Y?</span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">The norms regarding leveraging these capabilities in the HR/HCM realm
will likely not be established anytime soon.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>We probably need a few high-profile lawsuits to be the catalyst,
followed by consultants developing practices as quickly as they did for
Y2K.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>In the absence of this, it’s
reasonable to assume companies will start to get feedback from employees and
job candidates that they were put off by the intrusive nature of their HR
system interaction.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">Until such time, here are four cognitive capabilities in HCM that go
beyond (or way beyond) intelligent HR agents and chatbots.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Some may still become standard HR systems
capabilities and practices in the months or years ahead.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>For the time being, this is arguably a matter
of weighing business benefits (ranging from efficiency gains to improving
employee satisfaction/engagement) against potential liabilities that could
include a total distrust of using the HR system -- for anything! </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "times new roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">Upon “clocking out” late one evening, the system notices that excessive
hours have been worked by that employee in the last 2 weeks, and auto-emails
the person’s supervisor a suggested communication advising the employee that …
“the company values work-life balance, and they may want to consider getting
back to a more normal schedule.”<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "times new roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">The system recommends internal or external training courses to look into,
or even a personal development coach, based on formal or informal feedback received
(the latter from corporate social collaboration tools).<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "times new roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">The system alerts a business unit head that a certain employee has
initiated the processing of a leave of absence or early retirement, and
identifies key “institutional knowledge” they possess (again based on formal or
informal feedback) that should be transferred to other colleagues at the
earliest.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 11px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "times new roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">A personalized, auto-generated on-boarding communication from soon-to-be
team members who let the new employee know they have some things in common …
e.g., school attended or outside interests or reside in same part of the city
or birthday … and also expresses how excited they are to have them as a team
member.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>(Of course, in this example, the
“sender” would receive it first and have a chance to modify.)</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<b><span style="color: #ff6600; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">Bottom Line:<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Cognitive capabilities within HCM systems
will keep pushing the envelope, perhaps until lawsuits, governance issues or
perceived creepiness get in the way.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></b></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<br /></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />Steve Goldberg, Principal Advisorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09823239008771223987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955970138617974634.post-9920055133014343742016-08-16T05:51:00.002-04:002016-08-16T05:53:06.274-04:005 potentially game-changing HR Tech capabilities that seem to be missed opportunities for HR Tech vendors so far … from a list of 60+ I’ve compiled1) Data-driven guidance as to when it’s best to fill a staffing gap by using a temp or contractor, training an incumbent, transferring or redeploying an employee, or hiring a new employee<br />
<br />
<sp><sp>
2) Broad-based organizational readiness assessments based on a myriad of HCM factors
</sp></sp><br />
<sp><sp><br /></sp></sp>
<sp><sp><sp><sp>
3) Comprehensive talent management for contingent (and other extended workforce) workers
</sp></sp></sp></sp><br />
<sp><sp><sp><sp><br /></sp></sp></sp></sp>
<sp><sp><sp><sp><sp><sp>
4) Critical aspects of supporting the “HR-M+A life cycle”; e.g., harmonizing and standardizing comp and benefits plans and practices between the 2 companies, determining the optimal pace and scope of right-sizings, mitigating key employee retention risks, assessing cultural compatibility and identifying compliance risks during due diligence, etc.
</sp></sp></sp></sp></sp></sp><br />
<sp><sp><sp><sp><sp><sp><br /></sp></sp></sp></sp></sp></sp>
<sp><sp><sp><sp><sp><sp><sp><sp>
5) HCM-related factors that are likely contributing to a trajectory change in key business metrics like revenue per employee, declining sales, slower product innovation, customer retention, etc.
<br /><br /><sp><sp>
Steve Goldberg<br />HR Technology Advisor
</sp></sp></sp></sp></sp></sp></sp></sp></sp></sp>Steve Goldberg, Principal Advisorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09823239008771223987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955970138617974634.post-20278345784055196562016-08-01T12:53:00.002-04:002016-08-01T12:53:15.034-04:003 Critical but Often Overlooked Factors in HR Technology Selection In my recent white paper "Cracking the Rubik's Cube on HR Technology Selection" an effort was made to give various selection considerations the attention they deserve. Factors such as each vendor's product investment patterns, range of personalization capabilities in the solution, partner ecosystem dynamics and several others were explored, along with associated implications for end-customers.
</br>
</br>
The impetus for writing that paper was the recent Sierra Cedar finding that roughly 40% of organizations with deployed HR Technology are looking to make a vendor/solution change; and the distinct possibility that HR Tech selection practices -- like some HCM solutions themselves -- were in need of modernization.
</br>
</br>
For one thing, the era of SaaS or cloud-delivered HCM offerings has arguably made feature / functionality checklists less important, as more frequent product releases and updates are now the norm. Why should an organization select technology that will power their talent management agenda and HR operations for years to come based on a handful of functionality items that, if the vendor is generally responsive, might show up in the product before that customer goes "live" or shortly thereafter?
</br>
</br>
In the few weeks since writing the paper, other important but perhaps similarly overlooked selection decision factors have come to mind. Three such considerations that organizations should keep on their radar during an HR Tech evaluation process are:
</br>
</br>
<b>(1) How does the vendor's sophisticated HCM functionality impact downstream systems within the organization: </b> As HCM solution vendors endeavor to bring innovative and often impactful capabilities to market to help bolster their differentiation claims, buying organizations should be cognizant of the fact that <b>sophisticated capabilities have to co-exist or inter-operate with the design and behavior of other enterprise systems</b>. As one example, a leading HR Tech solution allows for matrix and even transitional reporting structures (e.g., an overlap in reporting managers due to an impending retirement) so all relevant managers can participate in reviews, approvals, etc. These useful capabilities will likely be marginalized or potentially cause serious operational problems if other systems within the organization (e.g., financial systems) cannot handle such organizational structure nuances. One could speculate that the solution vendor that introduced these innovative capabilities knew exactly what they were doing ... i.e., giving customers a reason to replace their existing financial system with that vendor's new, unified HCM/Financial platform.
</br>
</br>
<b>(2) Be careful not to over-emphasize certain selection factors based on disappointments with a past HCM vendor:</b> When customers have had a disappointing experience with any solution or services provider, it often relates to issues such as a lack of responsiveness, having negative surprises in total cost of ownership or other perceived instances of misrepresentation. These experiences or lessons learned <i>should </i>remain on the radar when choosing a replacement system, but they are rarely as important as whether capabilities exist in the prospective new technology that will predictably drive business value and competitive advantage for the end-customer. The prioritization task is as important as any in the HR Tech selection process. Weights must be assigned objectively and without being unduly influenced by bad experiences or emotionality. Also keep in mind that these type of concerns can be brought into the contracting phase's resulting service level agreement.
</br>
</br>
<b>(3) Degree of organizational readiness relative to degree of system sophistication:</b> As more industry studies highlight the critical role that change management plays in realizing HR Tech business cases and achieving ROI targets, organizational readiness is being considered more often. This is clearly a major step forward. To progress even further toward positive outcomes, however, customer organizations are well advised to systematically relate readiness (e.g., new competencies needed, other initiatives contending for the same resources, whether process optimization should be addressed first, more support needed for the "case for change", etc.) to the sophistication of the solutions under consideration. Greater sophistication in a solution is certainly not a bad thing, but it often elongates the implementation and adoption cycle. Another consideration, therefore, is to not just define and frame roll-out phases by solution module or region, but also (or alternatively) by groups of system functionality having different "readiness dependencies."
</br>
</br>
Steve Goldberg, HR Technology Industry Advisor
</br>
</br>
Steve Goldberg, Principal Advisorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09823239008771223987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955970138617974634.post-81864625684575122782016-01-03T17:07:00.002-05:002016-01-03T17:09:33.906-05:00HR Tech Trends to Watch in 2016“Nobody comes here anymore, it’s too crowded” is one of dozens of quotes from the former New York Yankees all-star catcher Yogi Berra who passed away earlier this year at age 90. The shelf-life and trendiness of many Yogi-isms will sustain due to their classically oxymoronic and clever nature.
</br>
</br>
Unlike Yogi’s quotes, which adorn many a wall and office desk, the factors that influence the appeal, stickiness, impact and longevity of industry trends are a bit more complicated to hypothesize about. In the HR technology domain, for example, some trends take longer to get adopted and explode than others, even when the expected business impact is comparable. Case-in-point: Contrast the take-up of mobile HR technology with that of predictive HCM or people analytics. Both of these trends get much attention, but degree of deployment and usage across organizations varies considerably.
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Various operational dependencies can drive which trends take off or not. These include competencies on-hand—e.g., the ability to properly interpret and analyze data and build related frameworks in the case of people analytics adoption; and ability to expertly market a “case for change” if an HR transformation effort is in order. These seem straightforward, but trend adoption dynamics also extend to how the trend is being promoted, and by whom. A grass roots promotion by HR customers and professionals who are positively impacted by a certain trend, combined with effective marketing campaigns by vendors, is a surefire way of giving a trend legs that are both quick and sustainable.
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Below are two trends I’ve excerpted from a new White Paper I co-authored entitled “HR Technology Trends to Watch in 2016.” The paper contains nine such trends that are poised to pick up considerable steam. <i>To download paper: http://campaigns.ramco.com/hcm/HR-Tech-Trends-2016
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<b>Technology-Enabled Talent-Management Science: </b> Sierra Cedar recently found that 39 percent of organizations were now involved in some form of talent-management analytics. Great news, but not a panacea, as the lack of analytics-related competencies (e.g., to define the frameworks, interpret data, identify predictive relationships, etc.) persists in most HR departments. That dynamic aside, we should expect to soon see HCM systems guide users as to where to look for relationships across their data ecosystem. Case in point: An increase in employee turnover might have the system highlight factors that have contributed to higher turnover in the past; e.g., a change in compensation or benefits, cutting back on management training, retirement or even restructuring activities that should perhaps not be counted as regular turnover, using less effective sourcing channels or more aggressive time-to-fill target metrics, etc.
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<b>Personalized Engagement and Retention Plans: </b>With three generations working side-by-side for the first time, it is more critical than ever to personalize how employees are managed and through what rewards and recognition levers, basically to the extent of having personalized engagement and retention plans for all key employees. What each employee values in their work experience and career journey over time, in addition to personality tests and team culture or compatibility indicators, might soon become staples within enterprise HCM solutions going forward. Letting a high-potential employee be exposed to different parts of the business might cost almost zero, but, in the end, could be a more effective engagement driver and retention hook than a larger bonus for many.
Steve Goldberg, Principal Advisorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09823239008771223987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955970138617974634.post-11563358074603058492015-10-28T19:47:00.001-04:002015-10-28T19:48:59.385-04:00HCM Systems and Employee Engagement ... Steak vs. Sizzle Capabilities On DisplayThursday Oct 29th, 1pm EDT ... Join my mini (20 minute) webinar for Unit4:
https://event.on24.com/eventRegistration/EventLobbyServlet?target=reg20.jsp&referrer=&eventid=1078428&sessionid=1&key=4823CC7BA24EE6136477971206D7724A®Tag=&sourcepage=register Steve Goldberg, Principal Advisorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09823239008771223987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955970138617974634.post-43668171268098981772015-10-10T17:12:00.001-04:002015-10-10T17:16:22.412-04:00HR Technology ROI -- Potential Pitfalls and Silent KillersThis Thurs Oct 15th, I'm delivering what I believe will be a provocative webinar on my favorite topic: "HR Technology ROI -- Potential Pitfalls and Silent Killers" ... http://ramco.com/steve-goldberg-webinar. It will contain insights and real-life anecdotes from 3 decades of operating on all sides of the HR Technology domain -- global practitioner, product strategy executive, principal industry analyst and advisor to both solution providers and end-customers.Steve Goldberg, Principal Advisorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09823239008771223987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955970138617974634.post-9810791245872481682015-09-03T10:28:00.002-04:002015-10-28T19:49:30.098-04:00How traditional HR services are getting a makeover ...Join my webinar on Tuesday September 15th to hear how traditional HR Services are getting a makeover, including Recruiting-related, Payroll, broad-based HRO and even Outplacement/Transition services.
http://go.risesmart.com/steve-goldberg-webinar.htmlSteve Goldberg, Principal Advisorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09823239008771223987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955970138617974634.post-42396723985877187672015-05-04T10:02:00.000-04:002015-05-04T11:46:00.128-04:00Background Checking Services and Blood Pressure MachinesThere are 3 reasons why these two seemingly very disparate things are being linked here:
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1. Both background checking services (e.g., for employment candidates) and blood pressure machines (e.g., ones used at home) have an inherent “black box” quality. Customers/users generally trust their accuracy and reliability but don’t often -- or can’t easily -- verify it.
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2. If the basis of the background check or blood pressure reading is faulty, the customer/user would not know it, perhaps resulting in inappropriate actions or making the wrong decisions.
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3. The consequences of taking the wrong actions or making the wrong decisions when using background checking services or blood pressure machines can result in both huge problems and missed opportunities.
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In the case of background checks, “the basis of critical information” indirectly refers to the business model used by the relevant services provider. A business model, or how an organization creates and delivers value to its customers, is one of the most important things for enterprises to get right. While most people would stand behind this fundamental business principle, it’s frankly puzzling that so many customer organizations don’t place more emphasis on the business model used by the companies servicing them. This is even more puzzling when the product or service is “information for key decisions” that is <b>rarely verified and unfortunately, totally suspect at times.
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Applying the Learnings of HR Outsourcing’s Early Adopters
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Dozens of organizations had a fairly rough learning experience during the “growing up” of the HR outsourcing industry. These early HRO adopters had unexpected challenges after partnering with an HRO vendor that promised cost savings and shorter cycle times, but achieved them mostly through less high-touch, less people-centric service delivery models. In many cases, Master Services Agreements needed to be re-calibrated. After all, customer advocacy and critical thinking (key value adds) require experienced people who know and understand their customers’ challenges, business nuances, rhythms, etc. <b>A trained and capable external staff that truly functions like an extension of their customers’ operations requires certain resourcing commitments and appropriate processes, tools and mentality. This is all a function of business model, and if the hallmark of that model is simply being the lowest cost provider, high marks usually won’t be earned for quality or customer advocacy.
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HR outsourcing eventually matured as a viable service delivery model, largely by ensuring that people, expertise, technology and customer interactions were all brought to bear in the right amounts, and in the right way. Another key element in making these engagements more successful was greater levels of transparency, specifically around HOW value was being delivered. While Recruiting, Benefits, Payroll and Training/Learning Management Outsourcing have now all reached higher levels of customer business impact and satisfaction, the same can’t necessarily be said about the Background Checking domain.
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<b>In fact, competitive pricing pressures have forced an increasing number of providers in this space to embrace the same approaches that caused many of the earlier HR outsourcing engagements to fail: minimal customer interaction, minimal customer advocacy, minimal critical thinking, inexperienced staff, etc. Often in its place we see processes and technology that seem to be “doing the job”… But are they?
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<b>Know Your Sources, and Your Sources’ Sources (and Methods)
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While it’s perhaps impossible to find comprehensive statistics on how often background checks turn up inaccurate information, a review of court records by ABC News found recent lawsuits on behalf of hundreds of people against the major criminal records database companies, alleging that background checks contained inaccurate information about criminal convictions. According to government reports and consumer lawsuits, infrequently updated databases used by many background checking firms often contain inaccuracies that include criminal convictions for people with expunged records and/or overturned convictions -- or arguably, worst case -- no convictions at all. <b>This has resulted in the Federal Trade Commission recently issuing significant fines against major screeners and public records “data brokers” -- some in the millions of dollars -- for not utilizing appropriate means to verify the accuracy of information provided back to customers.
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One of the most cited lawsuits in this arena was brought by New York City resident Kevin A. Jones, who applied for a doorman position in 2012, and by all accounts, aced the interview. The offer made to Mr. Jones was quickly rescinded however, due to what was reported by one of the largest background checking companies … specifically multiple convictions and two stints in jail. In actuality, Mr. Jones had no criminal history whatsoever. Jim Francis is the attorney Mr. Jones engaged to justifiably sue his would-be employer for not disclosing the information behind the decision so it could be challenged. He works for one of the many law firms specializing in these cases. When the attorney contacted local courthouses and pulled actual records, he found all those convictions belonged to a man in upstate New York with the same first name, last name and birthday, but with a different middle initial and a completely different address.
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Mr. Francis stated … <b>“there was plenty of information available in the actual public record that proved he was not the person who was the subject of these criminal records, but the background checking firm didn’t get these records.” Returning to the point made above about the importance of knowing your service provider’s business model, Mr. Francis clearly concurs, as he also stated … “the cause is the business models in the background screening industry that promote speed and value of sales over accuracy and care.”</b> And it’s not just faulty business models behind this. Incomplete data in applicant or employer documents, transposition errors, corrupt data files in systems all compound the problem.
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There are literally thousands of cases out there similar to that of Kevin A. Jones. Two others found on the web within seconds of searching are Leonard Smith, victim of a background checking firm’s faulty process and technology that confused him with a sex offender in prison at the time; or James Hines, who was confused with Michael James Hines, a convicted sex offender in a different state. <b>According to Bob Sullivan, a technology correspondent with NBC, national criminal history databases have a 41% error rate. Moreover, there are more than 7,000 courts in the United States that maintain criminal records, and there is no national criminal record database that contain all these records. Perhaps more importantly, even if there was such a database, it would only be as good as its last update.</b>
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Which brings me to …
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The Only Model that Evidently Works
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The commoditization wave that has swept over the background checking industry in recent years has resulted in virtually all of the <b>largest services providers striving to compete on the basis of price and volume processing – necessitating less frequent updates and less staff-intensive delivery. </b>So where does this leave customer organizations that don’t want to pay the consequences of the high error rates plaguing the industry? <b>It certainly seems that mid-tier services providers in this space who place more emphasis on quality and customer advocacy than being the highest volume processor would be a logical place to turn to. Some of these vendors, such as the one I’m most familiar with -- PeopleG2 -- utilize such means as a very large network of field researchers covering relevant court filings around the U.S., in addition to keeping staff judgment and critical thinking in the mix in order to avoid some of the aforementioned industry disasters.
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Concluding Remarks from an Industry Insider
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Three decades of leveraging optimized processes, data and technology in support of people-related decisions, including serving as a global practitioner, product strategy and HR outsourcing executive, and current advisor to the background checking firm PeopleG2, perhaps qualifies me as an “industry insider.” In that context, I will offer this up as a key recommendation -- or business imperative -- for any organization that screens employment candidate backgrounds:
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Pay close attention to your service provider’s business model, specifically whether speed and sales are apparently emphasized over quality, accuracy and reliability. <b>One way of determining this is to just ask your service provider the following … How up-to-date and reliable is the information you are reporting to customers; e.g., how frequently are your databases updated, what reasonability checks are employed to ensure the accuracy of source data, and how often are court records checked when reporting results back to customers?
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<b>In an effort to personally confirm how one of the largest vendors in this domain operated,</b> I recently had an opportunity to ask their HR executive these questions. The person deserved credit for being honest and forthright in stating that … “updating more frequently was something being looked at.” <b>Based on that answer, it would seem that the alarming trend of background checking-related lawsuits and fines will not be slowing down anytime soon; and that service providers with a different type of business model would be worthy of serious consideration.
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Steve Goldberg
HR Technology & Transformation Industry AdvisorSteve Goldberg, Principal Advisorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09823239008771223987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955970138617974634.post-15410493052471677302015-03-11T18:52:00.001-04:002015-03-12T08:48:55.564-04:00 4 Things You MUST Remember When Launching a ‘People Analytics’ Initiative
1. Focus on HR data integrity (first) until the vast majority of people analytics consumers explicitly express confidence in the data behind the planned analytics. There could well be a history of cynicism in your organization around HR and Talent Management initiatives – PARTICULARLY those that relied on data integrity perceived as suspect (best case) or totally unreliable (worst case). Achieving and sustaining high HR data integrity requires a multi-faceted program unto itself, one which is arguably as important as launching any analytics dashboards. You can employ multiple data scientists, statisticians and the best analyzing software, but once the data is perceived as faulty, you are probably pouring money down the drain with even the most impressive analytics. [Contact me if you want to discuss what an effective HR data integrity assurance program looks like: SBGConsultingLLC@Gmail.com]
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2. Ensure that the people analytics team has the appropriate mindset and displays the appropriate behaviors through formal training. I am not referring to statistics training. While that is important, an air-tight regression analysis can be performed by a college intern. The training I am referring to is training which emphasizes the importance of “thinking and acting like a scientist.” This means not having many preconceived notions about what the data will likely tell you. If you do, and the notions are strong, the data relationships are probably so obvious it’s not worth the time to develop the predictive frameworks and syndicate them (e.g., employees in the last year of a vesting schedule have a much greater chance of leaving within 6-12 months than employees in the first year.) Scientists tend to first eliminate non-predictive relationships between commonly grouped data elements -- vs. narrowly (and in a “self-fulfilling prophesy” type of manner) focusing on proving their hypothesis.
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3. Remember that a single metric rarely tells a story as it is largely out of context. This is the value of analytics, which by definition, highlights the predictable relationship between different items. As an example, seeing that turnover is trending up, or employee engagement is trending down, and reacting to such metrics in isolation, will likely be a pointless exercise that adversely impacts management and/or HR Department credibility. In contrast, as an example, look to identify which types of training in conjunction with where an employee sits in their compensation range or relative to market: (a) will likely drive voluntary turnover up, and (b) even trump the turnover-related predictive value of having a poor people manager as a supervisor/manager.
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4. Remember that the ability to reliably predict what drives or impedes employee productivity … as measured by revenue per employee or other means more relevant to your organization … will likely have a significantly greater financial impact on your organization than reducing employee turnover or improving employee engagement, although they are all related. This is where it gets complicated, but also where people analytics can really “earn its keep” … e.g., determining with confidence when these 3 logically, intuitively linked data points will NOT be correlated or predictive of each other, and discovering what else is going on.
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Steve Goldberg
March 2015
Steve Goldberg, Principal Advisorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09823239008771223987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955970138617974634.post-38380736235687172962014-12-13T20:24:00.000-05:002014-12-14T05:19:40.900-05:0010 HR Technology / HCM Systems Capabilities that Drive Value CreationHR technology solutions have unquestionably come a long way in “technology attribute areas” like configurability, usability, inter-operability and lower cost of ownership. Fortunately for business users of these solutions, business benefits and impacts now extend beyond the virtues of the tool or platform itself … thanks to advances in facilitating workforce collaboration, leveraging embedded analytics, enabling more robust workforce planning, achieving a more integrated, cross-functional talent management model, etc.<br /><br />That said, here are 10 analytics-related capabilities that many end-customers would say they are still waiting for --- particularly as it relates to <strong>true Line Manager Enablement</strong>. <strong><em>These capabilities are much more about managing Human Capital risks, problems and opportunities -- than about the automation of a standard HR business process. </em></strong><br /><br />1. Provide guidance as to when it is best to fill a staffing gap by using a temp or contractor, training an incumbent, transferring or redeploying another employee, or hiring a new employee.<br /><br />2. Identify “enrolled employees” (good performers who could be excellent if they were more emotionally connected or engaged) and what actions/programs should be considered.<br /><br />3. Identify “key employee retention risks” and viable options for stabilizing those situations … [Note: A retention risk might be someone in the last year of stock option vesting who is paid under market in a business unit with below-average engagement]. <br /><br />4. Highlight employees or business units experiencing a “trajectory change” in productivity, engagement, retention, etc., and business-related variables that could be causing the change.<br /><br />5. Highlight instances where the value of certain competencies (e.g., consultative selling) are becoming much more important to the organization; and related to that, identify otherwise good-performing employees who may consequently need to retool, be redeployed or replaced.<br /><br />6. Highlight key employee situations where “non-financial rewards” would offer a very favorable “perceived value-to-cost ratio” … [Note: Non-financial rewards such as assigning a coach or mentor, or allowing an employee to be exposed to different parts of the business also typically have a cost attached].<br /><br />7. Provide guidance as to where to look for possible talent management-related reasons for declining sales, declining customer service ratings, longer product development cycles, losing more high-performing employees to competitors, etc.<br /><br />8. Provide a broad and realistic perspective on “organizational readiness” for such events as a shift in business strategy, change in product / services mix, M&A transactions, etc.<br /><br />9. Identify situations where changing an employee’s role, manager or business unit might convert that employee from a good to very good or excellent contributor.<br /><br />10. Highlight where a particular HCM metric or KPI is “actionable now” … or if it’s more appropriate to investigate further (with related metrics) before taking action.Steve Goldberg, Principal Advisorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09823239008771223987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955970138617974634.post-9227441573604815792014-10-17T08:43:00.000-04:002015-03-12T09:00:41.062-04:00Kotter's Book "Leading Change" and Overcoming ComplacencyI was recently asked to recommend a business book to some colleagues, one that related to guiding companies on transformational initiatives. Upon thinking about business books that had made a lasting impression, a common theme emerged: They were all books that helped in navigating the reasons why many corporate undertakings, such as ERP journeys, might fall short of potential or veer off-course.
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Realizing that a common topic explored in the various books coming to mind (e.g., Who Moved My Cheese and Sacred Cows Make the Best Burgers) was that of organizational change management, the book "Leading Change" by John Kotter rose to the top as the obvious choice.
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Leading Change was written around the same time the internet was taking off, but it’s still the most recommended and read book on change management out there because none of the ideas embedded in Kotter’s 8-stage process for creating major change have lost relevance or (practical) applicability.
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While some of Kotter’s eight stages are labeled using fairly obvious principles of change management such as creating the guiding coalition (or core change management team plus enlisted change agents), or establishing a sense of urgency, it’s the layers of not-so-obvious but critical insights and implications that Kotter explores within each stage that make the book come to life.
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Take establishing a sense of urgency for example … One of many memorable quotes from Leading Change is … “Never underestimate the magnitude of the forces that reinforce complacency and that help maintain the status quo.” Kotter’s surrounding comments highlight that while senior executives are usually the key players in reducing the forces of inertia, it can also be a competent individual in a middle or lower level role that is equally instrumental in creating some of the conditions needed for an organizational transformation.
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This point clearly ties back to Kotter’s stage about creating the guiding coalition, as diversity of roles, levels, personalities and organizational alignments are all essential for the change management team to effectively channel “case for change” messages back to the masses, and “reactions to change” back to the change team.
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Finally, on the topic of combatting complacency with a sense of urgency, Kotter’s <b>comments in the book about the downside of current or past successes, or a lack of a visible crises, or insufficient feedback from customers contributing to the complacency factor really resonate; and should help guide all those interested in coming out on the positive side of a change management effort.
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Steve Goldberg, October 2014Steve Goldberg, Principal Advisorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09823239008771223987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955970138617974634.post-38139004224282592282014-01-21T11:28:00.002-05:002014-02-11T10:30:13.481-05:003 Things you should Never Shortchange when Embarking on an HR Technology Rollout<b>1. The “what's in it for me” perspective of each class of user; e.g., employees, applicants, HR specialists and business partners, line managers, executives, relevant external partners, etc.</b> <br />
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Keep in mind that HR Systems have been getting procured and implemented for decades, and often times, neither the organization nor the products being implemented were totally ready. Organizational readiness can relate to other strategic initiatives going on that are perceived as more important; or perhaps there was a need to (first) change the HR processes being automated as they were deeply flawed. Moreover, historically, it often took several releases from HR software vendors, and responding to customer feedback, before usability and depth of functionality reached acceptable levels. These factors could certainly contribute to a “negative bias” against HR Systems across different stakeholders and end-users, exacerbated further by how aggressively systems in the past were promoted as the missing piece in truly leveraging a workforce for competitive advantage. These potential negative biases or lack of receptivity to embracing the new system can be countered by framing the business case and designing all end-user communications in the context of “what’s in it for me?” This is obviously part of a much broader Change Management framework and program.<br />
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<b>2. The importance of end-users being in control of, and accountable for, data quality.</b> <br />
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According to industry research firm IDC, worldwide spending on HR software has now surpassed $5 billion USD annually, propelled in-part by organizations jumping on the SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) bandwagon. SaaS-delivered HR solutions allow customers to avoid the costly and disruptive upgrade cycles associated with on premise-installed enterprise software, make for much more predictable spends on HR Technology, and also enable customers to more readily share their experiences from using the software - as the SaaS model generally means they will all be using the same version of the software. Arguably, though, outside of effective change management, the biggest “Achilles’ heel” that continues to compromise business benefits that could be achieved from these investments is inadequate attention to data quality. A data ownership / accountability and integrity assurance plan must be a central part of every HR Technology rollout; and ownership should ideally be in the hands of the person who has the biggest vested interest in the data being correct!<br />
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<b>3. Focusing on business drivers, how they might be changing over time, and how the HR Technology platform or software suite aligns with those drivers.</b> <br />
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Successful organizations are usually very fluid, or to cite an over-used cliché, the only constant is change. When planning an HR Technology rollout, both planned and potential changes must be considered and factored-into the enterprise solutions being brought in; e.g., how scalable and adaptable is the software to a broad range of events and/or business decisions that might occur. Whether the change driver is a decision to expand into new markets, pursue a growth through M&A strategy, a move to outsource non-core functions or capability sets, or simply invest more heavily in talent management and employee retention / engagement programs, the software vendor’s current offerings and planned product roadmap must be evaluated against these possible scenarios to ensure on-going fit.
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Steve Goldberg
HR Technology & Transformation AdvisorSteve Goldberg, Principal Advisorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09823239008771223987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955970138617974634.post-19911694779795994852014-01-16T07:22:00.001-05:002014-02-11T10:31:39.475-05:00Applying Gladwell’s “10,000 Hour Rule” to Advances in HR Technology (**Excerpt from my article being published on HRZone.com this month)In Malcolm Gladwell's 2008 bestseller Outliers, the popular author known for his provocative assertions supported by memorable anecdotes and scientific research (some might say cherry-picked research) introduced the "10,000 hour rule.” The rule posits that it takes about 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert and likely very successful at anything. Examples given connected people not often linked such as Bill Gates and The Beatles.<br />
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Let’s take a look at how something like the 10,000 hour rule might apply to the HR Technology domain and how it continues to evolve, but using the threshold of 5 years’ worth of “collective industry efforts” instead. But first we need an appropriate starting point for the 5-year cycle; and for the purposes of this blog post, we’re going to use a starting point of when most of the elements were in place within these solutions to drive the broad range of business benefits customers hoped for.
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While HR Technology solution providers were purveying their offerings in the 70’s and 80’s, clearly these were not platforms for managing the strategic aspects of human capital management to achieve competitive advantage. Then between the 90’s and early 2000’s, a flurry of HR software companies were launched to tackle specific HR processes like Recruiting, Performance Management and Learning Management, but in more robust and innovative ways not evident in the HRMS / HR-ERP platforms dominating the market.
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<b>So, should we consider 2004/2005 the starting point for when offerings in the HR Technology space really started delivering ROI consistently, and creating business value aligned with customer expectations and budget allocations … and therefore start the 5-year “Gladwell-inspired clock” around then? Probably not.
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3 main reasons for starting the 5-year clock several years later; e.g., <b>let’s say 2011:
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(1) It wasn't until around 2010/2011 when most of the specialized or best-of-breed HR solution vendors truly started evolving into Talent Management Suite providers, linking the various strategic aspects of managing human capital using integrated modules or solution components, and often a common data model. Solution vendors that built-out talent management suites through acquisition have invested heavily in recent years in integrating acquired assets and in user experience modernization / harmonization efforts to try to match a unified (usually organically developed) platform’s obvious advantages. These efforts are completed or near-completed for some, still a work-in-progress for others. Of course, an engaging, modern user experience and consistent, unified system architecture removes some of the bumps in the road toward broad-based user adoption of HR Technology – but not all.
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(2) Citing just two of the many key research findings on customer satisfaction with these platforms and their ability to drive transformational change in managing human capital: Bersin & Associates reported in 2011 that average customer satisfaction with HR / Talent Management systems overall was the equivalent of a “C+”; and the Hackett Group in 2012 reported that 79% of executives were dissatisfied with talent management support … a telling stat given that by 2012, likely over 80% of larger enterprises were heavily invested in talent management technology. Both of these findings were likely based on product implementations occurring in 2009, 2010 and earlier.
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(3) It was in 2011 that several like-minded and long-term HR Technology enthusiasts -- myself included -- starting writing and speaking about the elephant in the room: What it really takes to drive high levels of user adoption … and the fact that key elements of this picture had little to do with the 20-30% variability in functionality offered by different vendor’s systems. Moreover, perhaps even the now-ubiquitous emphasis on SaaS (Software as a Service) … although SaaS still encompasses variations, each with associated implications, consumer-like user experiences / systems of engagement, and the “big 3 HR Technology themes of the day” -- social, mobile and HR analytics / big data -- have to some extent kept the buying public from having the right perspective on user adoption.
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<b>So, what other progress has been made toward achieving much higher levels of customer satisfaction, expected business results and user adoption in HR Technology since 2011 (or 2 years into this posited 5-year cycle toward more consistent successes in this domain)? 6 words capture it: <i>Much more attention on Change Management.
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I’m not sure why it’s taken this long for research and analyst firms, industry influencers and many solution providers to shine a very bright light on the importance of Change Management in driving far more success and satisfaction in HR Technology; but frankly, after operating in this arena for 30 years, I’m thrilled it’s happening now … and we still have 2+ years left in the 5-year Gladwell-like cycle!
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<b>Why do I say it’s happening now? Some evidence:
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- A prominent CIO Survey from 2012 concluded that … “of the top 10 barriers to a successful ERP journey, 5 can be addressed by developing and implementing a structured change management program.” This finding from one of the world’s largest consulting firms also highlights one reason why various boutique consultancies around the globe have achieved considerable success over the last 20+ years, even without employing thousands of consultants: These firms have an end-to-end focus (from readiness assessment to sustainability planning) on systematically managing change, clearly a major component in all enterprise technology initiatives. Clearly, appropriate communications strategies, tactics and tools, including sound expectation management, is a critical element.
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- The annual Cedar Crestone HR Technology Survey is probably the most highly regarded out there. After presenting tons of findings related to technology and vendor capabilities and trends, the presentation of survey results at the 2013 HR Technology Conference netted out customer success on HR Technology rollouts not to system / vendor attributes -- <b>but to Change Management!<i></i></b>
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By way of concluding this piece, let’s return to those white hot themes mentioned earlier and link each one to key “change management dependencies” that must be accounted for in order to leverage recent product advances across these themes:
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White hot theme #1: Social collaboration tools in HR Technology; e.g., to allow employees to move around and up internally, pursue informal learning, identify and take advantage of mentors, provide and receive feedback on interactions and impact, etc. Change Management component: Career gatekeepers; i.e., managers must be receptive to hiring internals, not be concerned about having to replace people that move out, fully encourage mentoring and informal learning, and make the retention and engagement of top quality employees “job 1.”
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White hot theme #2: Mobile computing in HR Technology – or “taps trumps clicks.” Change Management component: Bear in mind that while users of HR systems and information now clearly prefer mobile devices over traditional laptops or desktop computers, we’re still in the very early stages of highly strategic “people management capabilities” (e.g., planning capabilities) being rolled out on mobile devices. The point here is that managing expectations around what capabilities will be available via mobile / when is a must – for both vendors and customers. Additionally, keep in mind that while the mobile device provides much easier access to HR / Talent Management business processes, decision-support frameworks (e.g., analytics dashboards) and key people information in general -- all of these pieces being accessed via mobile devices should have first been properly optimized, well understood, and perceived / received as rational and reliable.
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White hot theme #3: HR or Talent Management Analytics / Big Data. Change Management component: Perhaps start with the premise that anyone that has been a user of HR systems (or even its data) for several years might actually have a negative bias against these tools. Expectations have simply not been managed well by many organizations’ internal and external HR Technology protagonists, data ownership and integrity has often been neglected in rollouts, and purveyors of on-premise installed solutions historically had minimal skin in the game in terms of ensuring customer success and satisfaction once the up-front license fee was collected (of course, this has changed considerably for the better with the SaaS model).
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Beyond these factors, leveraging HR Analytics starts with having data and metrics standards (e.g., how are terms like turnover defined and measured); and must also include an understanding of how different metrics and dials should be looked at together before potentially premature or misguided actions are taken.
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<b><i>Just 1 example ... other examples provided in the article being published on http://www.hrzone.com/:
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Concluding that a metric indicating “organizational bench strength” for key roles is in good shape might require a second look to confirm that the same high potential or senior employees aren’t being mapped to multiple roles at the same time – or that all successor candidates aren't flagged as “ready now” (much better to have readiness levels staggered of course).
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Steve Goldberg, HR Technology Industry Advisor
Steve Goldberg, Principal Advisorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09823239008771223987noreply@blogger.com0