One of the benefits of being in the HR Technology area for a long time is being able to have experience with all the trends. For example -
- We went from the software on mainframe to client-server to SaaS
- We went from paper forms to IVR to Portals to Mobile
- From being called Personnel to HR to HCM
- We went from doing it all in-house with custom software, to using packaged systems, to outsourcing 'non-core' functions as a 'strategic focus', and now we have a mash-up of all of the above
Each of those things was, at one point, something every company was encouraged to do. Some companies, both vendors and clients, have been more successful at all that than others. As I look back over the years, those who are more successful focused first on providing value from every initiative. Not a sole focus on cost, features, or usability but a focus on what value could be gained from any given piece of technology or from any project.
Sometimes those efforts just had to be done - Y2K and regulatory compliance for example. And sometimes the value was derived not so much from the technology itself but from how it was implemented. And in all cases, the more successful efforts were business-focused.
It's important to keep that business-value goal in mind these days. We are bombarded with all sorts of new technology options - mobile, 'Big Data' and SaaS chief among them all. Not every company is ready for this new technology, and the technology isn't ready for every company either. New technologies take a while to mature and stabilize - is your company well-suited to depend on that sort of technology, or is it more comfortable with stable, mature and more proven technology?
Have you identified the expected value, and how you will measure the actual value, for every new HR technology project? Have you identified and evaluated the impact each project will have on the company, and determined if you can handle the change management of those impacts? We can't implement new HR technology for its own sake, and we can't mangle new HR technology to eliminate change management concerns. Sometimes what you choose not to do is just as important as what you do choose to do.
All of this contributes to the value your company will receive from any HR technology effort. It's not always easy to get clarity on these things, but doing so before you actually start those projects will help ensure your success, regardless of the technology trends.