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A little of 20 years ago I accepted my first HR position. As a HR generalist, I was given the opportunity to be everything to everybody. While in this role, I also had my first experience with Service Delivery. To level set, at that time a service center was "best practice" and manager and employee self-service meant that you were given the opportunity to receive HR services as long as you came to HR between 8am - 5pm. To help streamline the process, IT decided to roll out an "employee portal", which was designed to the be the one stop shop for all things. The portal was the first attempt to leverage technology to deliver self-service and became known as Tier 0. However, since no one took accountability for managing the content after a short period of time, all things, meant all things. The experience can only be described as going to the local dump. There appeared to be a method to the madness, but resulted in confusion and a lot of useless stuff. In the end...

Should I Stay or Should I Go?  (Blog 2 of 2) I n part 1 of this blog (posted October 11, 2017), I provided researched based insights as to why HR has not moved to the cloud. The short of it, is that HR organizations are interested, but not committed based on: HR Direction = No strategy and defined outcomes.  Digital Capabilities = No internal resources with digital skills to manage and sustain.  Low Risk Tolerance = No investment based on perceived short term ROI.  Company Culture = No appetite to manage the change.  I also highlighted three reasons why HR Should Go. I outlined these based on delivering: Relevance = The value HR brings to the Business.  Difference = The innovative services HR delivers that separates us from the competition.  Demand = The insight of change and how it will create or optimize relevance and difference.  What does Relevance, Difference, and Demand look like? This is ultimately a quest...

Should I Stay or Should I Go?  (Blog 1 of 2) In 1982 an English Punk Rock Band named "The Clash" released their popular song "Should I Stay or Should I go". This song outlines a couple indecisive about their future. Regardless of the outcome, there will be obstacles and challenges to overcome,"If I go there will be trouble, and if I stay there will be double". Pondering on the lyrics, it made me ask this question. Would I "stay" and deal with the same challenges, only to achieve the same results, or Would I "go" and face new challenges with the opportunity to achieve new results? HR is it a serious tipping point and needs to make a decision on its future. Although we have seen some progress, HR remains in the balance between transactional and strategic. Will HR settle for status quo or make a commitment to digitally transform? According to a study released on September 5, 2017 by KPMG "Which lens are you using", ...

“If it ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix it” A friend of mine bought a brand new Ferrari; This car was a true man made sculpture. I remember looking at the car and I was just awed by the perfection. The exterior was designed to be aerodynamic and it is perfectly balanced to take corners at high speeds, the tires were created for exceptional road handling, and the engine tuned for maximum performance. Sitting in the drivers seat the interior was amazing. The high quality leather was designed for maximum comfort and the gauges and controls were perfectly arranged to enhance the overall experience. Six months later, I ran into the same friend and he was expressing his displeasure with his new car. He told me that he felt the engine was under powered, the car drove like a truck, and that he had challenges in keeping the gauges calibrated giving him inaccurate driving information. As he was speaking, I was thinking to myself, this is a Ferrari one of the most desirable cars in the world, this mus...

Change is Like a Roller Coaster You have been waiting in line for the past hour and you finally take your seat. As the announcement blares over the loudspeaker, the overhead bar lowers and firmly presses against your chest. The anticipation is at its peak as the sound of the cars are being pulled to the top of the crest, Click, Click, Click. The silence is deafening and you begin to question your decision. In a matter of seconds, the following emotions race through your mind: fear, uncertainty, and depression. Although many have experienced this roller coaster before, for others, this is very new. Depending on your past experience the situation will be very different. Why is change so difficult and unpredictable? The truth is, its not. Thousands of hours have been spent in researching the causes, effects, and attributes of change. There are several white papers, communities, models, etc. that outline the change process. The challenge is not the what, the challenge is in the how. ...

The "Digital" movement is here!!!! and it is causing major disruption across all industries and the workforce everywhere. What is Digital Disruption? According to SAP Center for Digital Leadership, "Digital disruption is the change that occurs when new digital technologies and business models affect how an organization creates and retains value."  How is it Disrupting? This value can be seen as the digital ecosystem shifts from translating data into insights, to leveraging data to drive actions. All around us we are being disrupted by Big Data, IOT, Machine Learning, Blockchain, Analytics, and Digital Intelligence. We are now at a significant tipping point, where technology is no longer the enabler, but influencer. Organizations are being forced to rethink their business strategies and workforce needed to stay relevant and competitive. For the first time, organizations are being forced to break down silos and come together (Business, Finance, Procuremen...

HR's move to a cloud ecosystem is no longer a question of if, but an expectation driven by the workforce. The experience delivered by the commercial market has set a very high standard, and these expectations are filtering into organizations.  The workforce in and out of the office have become dependent on their smart phone, smart house, and now their smart car. However, regardless how smart or digital you want to come, transforming to this new state requires organizational sponsorship from the business, IT, Finance, HR, etc. Dipping your HR toe in the water never accomplished anything more than getting your toe wet. Moving to the cloud requires the entire organization to be ready and fully committed to taking the plunge to change the culture and mindset. Taking the plunge does not come without consequences, in fact accordingly to #McKinsey&Company, 70% of transformations do not achieve the desired organizational outcomes.  This statement is not intended to deter you, ...