Automating Talent Management

If you are looking to automate talent management, look inside first, says Doug Leeby, SVP of Business Development at Beeline.

It is an exciting time to be in human resources and witness the rapidly increasing convergence of technology and process. The looming talent shortage has engendered a newfound focus on talent acquisition, performance management, retention, employee development, and succession planning. Technology promises to aid us in our quest to garner better talent and thus, be more competitive in the market. Corporate America is spending more on HR technology solutions than ever before. Vendors are deluging you with information about their solutions. These vendors offer us great hope that, in these ever-increasing competitive times, their solutions will allow us to better effectuate our key HR strategies and goals. But will this really be the case? The answer rests squarely on your organization – not the technology. You must clearly understand what it is you hope to accomplish and then ensure that technology will help you accomplish your objectives.

Know what you want
It is important to understand the true objectives of your HR process. Consider performance appraisals. Many believe that their performance appraisal aids in development and career planning, thus fostering retention. For many, the reality is that the performance appraisal process is a one-time event used to establish compensation dissemination. This gap between the desired objectives and the reality renders the performance appraisal suspect and devalued. You will be well served to make an honest assessment on your efficacy in meeting objectives. Sometimes, what management thinks and what employees think are very different. There is great value in understanding this gap. Unfortunately, many of us don’t spend the time in earnest to find out how our employees perceive our programs, policies, processes, etc. If you are genuinely interested in ‘outing the truth’, you might consider a climate survey focused on specific areas.

A climate survey is an excellent tool for helping you find the gap between your company’s desired objectives and reality. Simply administering an anonymous assessment can quickly help you discern what the employees really think. If your organization has a mentoring program in place to help with development and succession planning, find out how well it is working from those being mentored. If you ask enough questions and create an environment where honest feedback is appreciated, you’ll undoubtedly find some areas on which to approve. You will more than likely uncover some gaps. They may be large or they may be small. The important thing is that you know about them.

Once you have discerned the gap between your HR objectives and reality, you can develop a plan to close that gap. A company suffering from the performance appraisal example previously referenced can do one of several things. It could revamp the process and ensure that it focuses on development and retention. Or, it could simply change the objective of the performance appraisal to be more in line with reality. Perhaps an annual event used to figure out compensation is really all that is needed. The key is to eliminate any gap between the HR objectives and reality. Once this is complete, it is time to evaluate the viability of technology.

From ‘right practices’ to ‘best practices’
You will hear technology providers tell you that their software is built on best practices. The implication is that if you adopt their solution, you’ll automatically be a best practices adopter. Focus on the ‘right practices’ vs. ‘best practices’. While best practices are rooted in good intention, they can take you off your course if you’re not careful. Just because a ‘best practice’ is commonly accepted as the preferred method of doing something doesn’t mean it is right for your organization at the current time. Most organizations aren’t immediately prepared to adopt a best practice due to political/cultural issues, staffing deficiencies, competing priorities, etc. You need to support the right practices that will enable you to achieve your goals. You can plan to migrate to best practices over time while meeting the demands and challenges of today. A good technology provider will provide you with a solution that will accommodate your ‘right practices’ while offering you the opportunity to adopt best practices at a more appropriate time. Who knows? Perhaps certain ‘best practices’ will never be suitable for your organization.

I know of a prominent organization that administers performance appraisals without numbers or ratings. Instead, managers and employees conduct lengthy discussions and focus on the various projects for which the employee was accountable throughout the year. Managers come to meetings with files filled with copious notes so they can address the various high and low points of the year. Employees don’t leave the discussion knowing that they are a ‘three out of five’ or that they ‘meet expectations’. Rather, they understand what they did right and what they did wrong throughout the year. Most would not consider this a best practice. Additionally, many technology companies would not be able to support this method. However, this organization boasts low turnover and fierce company loyalty. They focus on the ‘right practices’ for their organization vs. ‘best practices’.

Consider a two part plan. First, you might focus on ensuring that your processes will result in your desired endgame. Technology may even be able to help you here. After you see progress and feel confident that you’ll meet your true objectives, you might consider maturing into a best practice. Now at least you have a process that is working and you can be thoughtful and deliberate in determining what best practices will benefit your organization and how best you can implement them.

Technology to help achieve your goals
When your process is aligned with your goals, it is time to find the technology solution that will best meet your needs. Some advise to have a sound process in place prior to implementing technology. What you need is a sound process plan in place. After evaluating the gap between your desired results and reality, you very well may find you need to make some process changes. This will require a fair degree of change management. The implementation of a supporting technology can be an excellent way of introducing change. If you ask people to change and provide them with tools that will enable that change, you will experience far better adoption. Now you just have to find the right technology solution.

Consideration points
There are scores of technology providers fighting for market share and clawing for your business. As you evaluate technology vendors, you’ll find that some look alike while others look very different. All have their place in the market. It is up to you to figure out which one will help you drive success in your organization. During your evaluations, you should consider the following:

• Does the technology provider offer pointed solutions or a fully integrated talent management suite?
  Think long-term even if your needs are short term. You may appreciate the benefits other integrated modules provide when you are ready for those ‘best practices’. Some vendors are offering applicant tracking, employee performance management, succession planning, learning management, and compensation. Then again, you may not ever need all of this. A single best of breed solution might be perfect in your environment.
• Does the vendor provide technology and consulting?
  You may simply need software or you may want to draw on the expertise of a company that works with hundreds of your peers each year. Depending on your situation, you may appreciate a more consultative relationship. If your vendor provides consulting, you stand a strong chance of getting ‘free consulting’ during your implementation.
• What is their support model?
  There are two prevailing approaches in the market – ‘high touch’ and ‘touch many’. Both have their pros and cons. The ‘high touch’ company may be more expensive but their service is usually better. The ‘touch many’ may offer better pricing but support is usually weaker. Don’t rely on the vendor to define their approach – call five of their customers and find out for yourself.
• Are they financially stable?
  You’ve heard that perception is reality? When it comes to finances, reality is reality. Be weary of the organizations that appear too large and stable based on their marketing. Dig into their financials. The debt load of these flashy ‘market leaders’ can be shocking. Do your homework.

After you’ve done your due diligence, pull the trigger. As long as you have a process that supports attaining your goals and a technology partner that will aid these pursuits, your benefits will be bountiful.

Doug Leeby currently serves as SVP of Business Development at Beeline, a Jacksonville, FL based workforce management solutions organization, where he oversees the Talent Management Solutions division. In 1990, he received his Masters in Human Resources Development from Vanderbilt University and has, since then, held various leadership roles managing talent.