The New Conversation
One of the founding principles here at Aptitude was the idea that there needed to be a new conversation around HCM technology. SaaS, mobile, social – all of these elements and more have not only changed how we deliver and consume technical functionality, but the role technology plays in shaping process and creating user experience. To start to get at this new conversation, we have just published two new pieces of research called The Human Capital Experience Economy and The HCM Technology Landscape. You can head over to Madeline’s blog post for more on the Experience Economy, but I wanted to share a little bit about how we are looking at the HCM technology landscape.
Because of new delivery models and the proliferation of integrations between various systems, organizations often wind up with a hodgepodge of functionality internally. And even when they begin to automate or replace solutions, understanding the capabilities of providers bring to the table can be difficult. For example, someone looking for a hiring solution may have vendors that offer a single point solution, an integrated talent acquisition suite, or an ERP. They may all deliver the functionality the organization requires, but there’s a bigger conversation around how these providers fit with the rest of their IT architecture and point of view on talent in talent technology.
Our technology landscape is designed to help organizations navigate this new technology conversation and help with three critical challenges:
- Audit current technology. Often organizations have capabilities in place they aren’t even aware of, or are not using it in the most effective way to support their strategy. What technology capabilities do you have in place today? What capabilities may be a part of solutions you already own, but are not making use of? And where are the gaps in functionality?
- Bring clarity to a complex and crowded market. There are point solutions available for every box in the technology landscape, and their infant combinations of bundled solutions. Some are truly integrated in a single platform; some simply live under the same logo. But by understanding who offers what, organizations can make better informed comparisons and help match offerings to their needs.
- Build the technology strategy to support talent strategy. As illustrated in Aptitude’s Human Capital Experience Economy model, technology and services help operationalize strategy. By understanding the capabilities required to support your strategy, and mapping those to solution offerings, organizations can build the right infrastructure to deliver on business need.
This landscape is a living landscape. Who knows where technology will take us, or business requirements will push us. And there likely to be other uses for the model as well. But it’s a place to start the conversation – and isn’t that what we’re here for?