Integrate or Die: Improving the world of hr technology

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Steve talks with Bruce Mazza about the role partner management plays in HR technology. Bruce is the SVP of Global Alliances for 360 Learning, a collaborative learning solution. HIs career has focused on building effective partnerships between technology companies that provide different but complementary solutions. Some things we cover:

+ Why you should ask technology vendors about their partner strategy, and what to look for in their answers.

+ The critical but somewhat hidden role middleware plays in the world of HR technology

+ The increasingly critical role integration is having on the use of HR technology 

We also learn why curiosity is a key characteristic for building a career in partner management.

Steve talks with Christopher Lind about using technology to enable employee learning and workforce transformation. Chris is a former Chief Learning Office who began his career as an educational psychologist and computer programmer. He also studies and writes extensively on how AI technology is impacting work and society. Some of the things we cover:

+ Focusing learning strategies on impacting results instead of building knowledge

+ Aligning HR support functions with the businesses they are supporting

+ How AI enabled skills ontologies are changing how companies support employee learning

We also what it means to be an AI ethicist. 

Steve talks with David Verhaag about adoption and renewal of HR technology solutions. Dave is Chief Customer Officer for Arist, a company that makes technology supporting employee learning and enablement. His career has focused on working with customers to ensure they get value from cloud HR technology solutions. Some of the things we cover:

+ Why customer success functions that sell software license renewals should be compensated differently from sales functions.

+ What customers should ask HR tech vendors during the sales cycle about solution adoption.

+ Why time to value is more important than people realize.

We also learn the benefits of small steps over big steps. 

Steve talks with Jai Shah about building HR technology solutions where mistakes could have life threatening consequences. Jai is the CEO and founder of Kahuna, a company that makes solutions to assess proficiency and certify qualifications for jobs requiring specialized skills. Jai has spent his career helping companies use technology to manage complex workflows, employment regulations and scheduling requirements primarily in the energy, manufacturing and healthcare industries. Some of the things we cover

+ Why the devil is in the details when it comes to assessing skills proficiency

+ How to win the support of operational business leaders when building solutions that directly impact their jobs and employees

+ The critical role integration plays when building high stakes solutions

We also learn why time in the field with employees is gold for HR technology designers

Steve talks with Jeroen Van Hautte about using technology to analyze skill requirements with organizations. Jeroen is the CTO and co-founder of Tech Wolf, a technology solution that helps organization understand and manage the capabilities of their workforce. Some of the things we cover

+ The importance of being clear on what you want technology solutions to do

+ The value of approaching HR problems from an engineering perspective

+ Why it is useful to view technology from a functionally agnostic perspective

We also learn how to turn a student project into a fast-growing global company.

Steve talks with Karie Willyerd about how technology is and is not changing the field of learning and development. Karie’s career is focused on building workforce capabilities whether as a Chief Learning Officer, a  start-up entrepreneur, or an author of multiple award-winning books on career development and workforce trends.  Some of the things we cover

+ How to get budget to invest in learning technology

+ The importance of customers holding vendors accountable for technology integration

+ The changing but critical role people play in the learning process

We also learn why the old saying “practice makes perfect” is often wrong.

Steve talks with Pierre Rousseau about the challenges of managing software integrations.  Pierre is the President of Cloud Connectors, a company that provides solutions that manage integrations between HR technology solutions. Some of the things we cover

+ What middleware technology does and why it is more than you might realize

+ Strengths and weakness of different types of middleware platforms

+ How to talk to technology vendors about integrations

We also learn why building your own software integrations tends to be a bad idea.

Steve talks with Russell Klosk about workforce planning, what it means to do it well, and how technology is changing how it is done.  Russell is a Managing Director at Deloitte and author of a new book on workforce planning called Talent Prophecy. He has helped hundreds of companies build strategies that ensure their workforce can support their strategic goals while meeting their financial objectives. Some of the things we cover

+ Understanding how workforce planning impacts long-term growth and near-term performance

+ The need to incorporate non-HR data into workforce plans from finance, procurement and supply chain operations.

+ How technology is enabling companies to shift from reactive, descriptive workforce planning to proactive and planful strategic forecasting

We also learn what it means to have a workforce planning digital twin.

Steve talks with Shonna Waters about coaching technology and employee development.  Shonna is a co-founder of Fractional Insights, a company that helps organization increase workforce performance and amplify employee potential by integrating technological capability, work design, and psychological science. Some of the things we cover

+ Using technology to increase self-awareness

+ The risk of over-automating employee development and coaching

+ The concept of “cognitive load”, and how technology can help or hinder our ability to manage it effectively

We also learn how little time we spend practicing to become better at our jobs. 

Steve talks with Tony Ashton about workforce analytics technology.  Tony is Chief Product Officer at One Model, a people analytics software company. Tony is a pioneer in the field of workforce analytics having built some of the first global, cloud based people analytics technology solutions. Some of the things we cover

+ How the advent of hyper-scaler cloud technology platforms is transforming the field of workforce analytics

+ The cultural impact that results when companies start using HR data to make business decisions

+ The value of plugging things in versus building them yourself

We also learn why trying to build your own workforce analytics tool is like trying to build your own GPS mapping tool.