In recent years there has been an explosion of start-up apps and software solutions that transform the way traditional Human Resources processes are conducted. The focus of these disruptive, innovative technologies is to achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness leveraging Web 2.0 capabilities to improve integration of HR data, ease of delivering video, and algorithms which deliver personalised experiences enabling easier access to value add knowledge from experts and peer to peer networks.
Everything from Learning and Development to Performance Management to coaching to recruitment and record keeping has been targeted in some way and all the major traditional providers are realising that they need to compete in the world of innovation or be disrupted. We're talking about new features and functions being offered as part of main stream HR systems like SAP’s Success Factors, WorkDay, Oracle HR offerings, Cornerstone, and Sum Total, but especially new open source, extensible platforms like Adrenna, Agilix and Paradiso, just to name a few of the better contenders. Indeed one of the key capabilities HR departments will need to develop over the next decade is the ability to evaluate new technological capabilities and determine the ROI and costs for integrating these new solutions into their existing employee experiences and technological ecosystems.
Previous HR system efforts required different types of discrete and disparate technology systems to support talent, performance and learning management, as well as learning design, authoring and assessment systems. New learning ecosystems now combine many of these different technologies into a single, integrated system that allows for the pass through of data across multiple functions and integrated reporting. Many large and small organisations are experimenting with these new tools, and in the opinion of industry leaders like Bersin by Deloitte, we are merely at the beginning of realising the potential of these powerful new disruptive HR Technologies (Bersin presentation, Future of Learning Conference, 2017).
Uncovering The Value of These New Tools:
Often the technology developers themselves don't realise the full scope of value they bring to the table and even shockingly try to oversell the value of certain functionalities and capabilities that their software provides. Consider an older technological revolution, the telephone. While it’s true it makes it easier for any employee to speak with another, it would be a gross overstatement to say it enables employees to speak with whoever they need to whenever they need to, as there are logistical constraints, personal considerations and a multitude of other factors that influence who you can actually get on the phone at any given time. Therefore, etiquette, unspoken rules, cultural guidelines etc. will emerge as these new, amazingly disruptive technologies rapidly proliferate and change the face of HR and organisational capability. These factors will be key in determining the value, and impact of these technologies. It will be the internal HR departments’ executives working closely with CTOs, CSOs and CIOs that will be able to fully unlock the value of these new technologies in the second or third wave of implementation.
Fully unlocking the value of these new tools and processes will require that we first understand their actual capabilities, and in the process also gain a firm grasp of their limitations and the behavioural impact of these tools on the experiences and motivations of employees. What is critical is that these tools are not seen as an end in and of themselves, but are used as a means to help make their end users more successful in meeting specific challenges at work. Using a combination of performance consulting, design thinking and Lean Agile, HR professionals can uncover the deep benefits these tools promise to offer while also ensuring their implementations are not just someone’s ‘good idea’, but a viable solution to workforce challenges and business problems.
With that said, we highlight several HR technology solutions which are or will soon be available in Thailand and are beginning to show great promise in their potential to transform the HR industry.
A Selection of Upcoming Digitally Disruptive Solutions:
Edcast is a powerful tool, styling itself as the “Netflix of Learning,” which leverages AI, employee ratings, and HR content curation to deliver the most valuable learning solution to your employees on demand. In addition to providing organisations access to new learning content the tool is also a very effective way to improve the utilisation and ROI of existing learning assets.
Another promising tool, Go-Up, is an employee engagement app that helps managers understand the challenges of their employees, including what's motivating and demotivating to them, and respond in real time on a weekly basis.
Markus Wehrhahn the Managing Director of RLC Recruitment, a high growth recruitment and outsourcing firm in Bangkok notes that, “Turnover and employee disengagement are huge problems in Thailand and many organisations are just now beginning to address them. A tool like Go-Up is the perfect way to make it easy for managers to pay attention to and address these challenges.”
Mettl is a software solution that delivers psychometrically valid low-cost reliable assessments to job candidates remotely, which enables organisations to leverage over 50 years of scientific research concluding that a multi-trait multi-method approach to assessing performance potential is the best way to select talent. Many HR professionals are unaware that the predictive value of resume reviews and unstructured interviews is statistically close to zero. Whereas properly constructed assessment practices can predict about half the variance in performance saving companies from an extremely significant volume of bad hires.
We should point out that the authors are not completely unbiased in presenting these tools and even have a stake in the game ourselves as we own a training and sustained learning app called TEAMProvements which uses data and social engagement to optimise training ROI.
If you’re interested in the coming digital disruption in HR, Bersin by Deloitte is an excellent source which will help you to uncover a broader range of the tools that are out there. As has been the case for nearly all businesses over the past decade, digital disruption is already heavily impacting the HR industry and it’s quite a safe bet that there’s much more to come.
Authors: Justin Paul and Ronald Kantor, are Talent Management Consultants at Latchmere Performance Solutions Co. Ltd. Justin (Justin@Latchmereconsulting.com) has helped executives in over 30 countries improve leadership capability and Ronald (Ron@LatchmereSolutions.com) is a Sr. Solutions Architect with a Ph.D. in Education & Human Development and an extensive global consulting background.
Series Editor: Christopher F. Bruton is Executive Director of Dataconsult Ltd, Chris@dataconsult.co.th. Dataconsult’s Thailand Regional Forum provides seminars and extensive documentation to update businesses on future trends in Thailand and in the Mekong Region.
