Five Threads VI: Conclusion

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Five Threads VI: Conclusion

Topics: HR Technology, HR Trends, HRExaminer, John Sumser, by John Sumser

Five threads of HR Technology part 6 conclusion John Sumser November 14, 2013

We’ve been plowing through the five threads that will shape HR and HR Technology and now it’s time for the conclusion of our six-part series.

Five Threads VI: Conclusion

For several weeks now, we’ve been plowing through the five threads that will shape HR and HR Technology. Along the way, we delivered the story as a presentation at HRTech Europe. The conclusion is sort of short and sweet.

The age of multiple vendor HR Enterprise solutions is coming to a close. All of the innovation has been done.
A single code stack tool is table stakes for the data problems HR is going to be required to solve.
The idea of a single code stack is a little misleading. There will always be boundaries. It’s just that the data is cleaner when it adheres to a single data structure.
The rest of the organizations is going to start to expect HR to be the keeper of useful and interesting data about the company’s people.
The augmentation of people has already begun. HR needs to figure out how to deal with it.
Great HR includes data from outside the HR Department.

The only thing we really missed is that all people have to be covered by the HE System. That gets harder and harder as the types of relationships multiply. What’s clear is that HR will have to produce real value and cease being a cesspool of administrivia.

The opportunity is there. Maybe the vision will catch up.

We sit at the edge of a new era. In London in the 1820s, automation raised its head in the cotton mills. It took over 80 years from then til the widespread adoption of factory work. The 19th Century generally wasn’t pleasant as a result.

People who you’d think of as HR people took the lead in making factories workable and usable. They figured out the new work. They experimented with the design of work.

This will happen again as we move into the real webbed future. The question is going to be who figures out the answers to the questions (like rules of collaboration, referral process engagement, development of Khan academy style learning and development, who owns training for the new work and who sets the rules for games).

If it isn’t HR, who is it.

The Series:

Re-Engineering HR: Five Threads of Technology

About the author

John Sumser

John Sumser is a principal analyst for HRExaminer, an independent analyst firm covering HR Technology and the intersection of people, tech, and work. John’s mix of experience over the course of his career gives him a broad and unique perspective on the industry. Like anyone trying to process a lot of information, he is two or three steps ahead in some areas and still learning about others. Sumser’s work includes deep research into the nooks and crannies of HR Technology to identify and explain rapidly evolving trends. Built on a foundation of engineering, design, and philosophy, John’s seeks to understand and advise clients on where their technology works best, for whom, and in what context. Each year, John examines the insides of hundreds of companies, their products, and ecosystems. He delivers vendor analysis by building the framework from which to deliver the critique. He is constantly connecting and making visible the front end of change. He can help you see the path of evolution and the risks on the journey. The HRExaminer is Sumser’s vehicle for understanding and explaining the inner workings of the industry. With three weekly podcasts, and written commentary, he covers emerging ideas, the state of the industry, and the executives who operate it.

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