Sadly this article is not about the Transformers. Sorry.
It is about something not as exciting but maybe just as important.
We are seeing more and more organisations looking to “transform” their Talent Acquisition/Resourcing functions, either as part of a wider HR/People programme or maybe simply wanting to try a new piece of tech.
Having been through a few (and still going strong on the current one) I thought I would share a few bits of insight that might assist others, starting with today…why can a transformation often go wrong?
Now there are many reasons why things can go slightly south when you are looking to go through a period of transformation, whether it is a single project or several programmes. A little birdie called McKinsey told me that 74% of business transformations fail. Not HR, not Payroll, not Reward, not even Talent Acquisition. General business-wide. If they are failing, what chance might we have?
If we break down the reasons why, some common themes come to the front of the queue:
- Vision/Direction – why and where are we going? What does the future look like? Is it what we need?
- Leadership – who is leading the ship? Do others think they are and not us?
- Communication – we know what we are doing, but do others?
- C-suite – are they on-board? Do they sponsor? Do they understand the true strategic impact?
For me, however, the most common problem is people. Hear me out.
People make an organisation and own the culture. People drive, improve and innovate a process. People choose, implement and use the tech. People need to be the centre of any piece of transformation. They need to be connected to the goals and ambition, they need to buy into the end-product and they need to be taken on a journey. They also need the skills and support to deliver, implement and experience.
Any strategy that you might have will be nothing more than a soulless Powerpoint deck without truly considering the human effort and impact both tactically and operationally to what you are trying to achieve.
Ensure that whether it is transformation planning, designing, implementation or delivery, people are the most important consideration…if not most likely your project programme will end up on that 74% pile.
BG
