SERVICE
work done by somebody for somebody else as a job, a duty, a punishment, or a favour

SOLUTION
a method of successfully dealing with a problem or difficulty

Semantics you say – but is this different from Software as a Service ?

To me it is– I have been trying to segment the SaaS market more effectively in terms of those solutions that simply target a market need and service that need through a 100% web based solution.

Often there are additional services but they are simply an add on to / upgrade for the product. Similarly there are user forums but once again they generally focus on using the product as opposed to addressing the problem / business issue.

Successful implementation and management of the product in these cases is left almost entirely as the responsibility of the purchaser and this is logical given the different needs and capabilities of users.

But what if the “product” component was supported with both formal and informal sources of support, perspective and relevant opinion that effectively provided you with the total solution to your problem. It involves a community oriented approach to a point but in doing so creates a knowledge engine (through a wiki or similar technology) that actually moves the user / member to a more holistic solution more aligned to their specific circumstances (industry type, geography etc.).

Applying this type of thinking is well underway in the Sonar6 labs to enhance our user experience and solution to talent management.

Is it so different from Software as a Service though ?

http://blogerp.typepad.com/hcm_research/2007/03/who_owns_talent.html

As with most of these things a fiendishly simple concept and yet one which many companies still spend millions on trying to “enable” through software and consulting.

If you’re culture doesn’t actively support line managers owning talent management you are wasting your money.

Interesting few days with prospective clients in Australia. The focus on work force planning and talent management in general is very clear with several of the initiatives we are involved with having CEO and or Board sponsorship and involvement.

Also more interest from traditionally “talent averse” sectors of the market such as manufacturing where cost reduction and revenue growth have been the dominant elements of business / value creation strategies.

Definitely a market we will spend more time in during 07.

http://www.gartner.com/DisplayDocument?id=502272&ref=g_fromdoc

Apologies to those who don’t subscribe to Gartner – we will have a release out shortly once it has been approved.

It’s also interesting to see that the others listed all have some potential synergy with the whole talent management field especially when you take into account the Talent Science approach we have been proposing ( http://www.sonar6.com/documents/Talent_Science.pdf )

http://www.sonar6.com/documents/Talent_Science.pdf

Any and all feedback welcomed !

A big focus of the talent management space at the current time is around integration – clients supposedly driving the quest for the “ultimate package”. A complete suite of functionality across all the elements of the talent “circle” from acquisition to retention.

Many vendors in the space are responding by acquiring technology and organisations and bolting together components to provide a wider offering.

With Software as a Service gaining momentum in terms of customer acceptance and vendor adoption this may not be the best way of looking at things – the opportunities abound to take the requirements of a talent focussed organisation and work them up a level.

In other words looking at the key elements around user engagement and the business value of talent management and responding in a completely different way rather than bringing all the existing functions together for some sort of process efficiency.

At sonar6 we are lift the bar in terms of value – not be all things to all people – interested in thoughts around this approach.

A fantastic book in my reading tray at the moment – “How Leaders Build Value” – Dave Ulrich and Norm Smallwood http://www.amazon.com/How-Leaders-Build-Value-Organization/dp/047176079X.

Having skim read a couple of times now it’s worth the investment of time to read in full.

The authors provide an incredibly simple yet powerful build up of the link between skills / competencys and business outcomes.

In the work we have done to date with sonar6 (www.sonar6.com) it is clear that the key drivers of developing a competency framework have come off the rails in translation.

The more of Ulrich’s work I read the more I understand why he and his colleagues are held up in such high regard around the transformation of HR’s role in organisations.

this issue with this as many of you already know is that as these pople cluster around exit strategies in simlilar industry segments supply quickly starts to exceed demand and prices start to fall – business owners looking to exit in the next 5 – 10 years will compete wth many others and have to start differentiating on more than just the balance sheet and tangible assest.

Buyers will increasingly seek and differentiate their decisions and investments by metrics around the quality of human capital in a company – the culture, the leadership (after the owner has exited the business) and the attitude of the employees. Those that can demonstrate strong results in these areas and better still identify clear areas for unleashing potential will pull ahead of the pack when it comes to selling their business.

Succession issues will also start to impact deeper layers within organisations and not just revolve around the people capable of taking the top job.

Systems need to give managers and owners a simple and intuitive base from which to build out their specific succession strategy – the investment in such a strategy will increasingly determine acheiving a great v good exit for business owners.

Why the interest in sonar6? – Talent Management is now too important to ignore and too hard to execute on using current technology – why – because line managers generally tools and the sentiment of complying to the procedural whims of a distant HR department.

Overly harsh – not so even according to those in the HR community that get it.

There are some very passionate HR professionals out there in many countries who are looking to re-brand and that it was makes our job and the company so exciting – for many organisation we are becoming the secret sauce – the execution vehicle that attract business managers into providing quality information which then allows the HR / Talent function to start building business value around people – pretty cool!

Wow – that year went fast ! One of my New Year’s resolutions other than the standard get healthier, drink less etc etc. – make more regular contributions to this blog !

2007 looks to be a very exciting year for so many reasons :

• sonar6
  
  Is in full swing with a rapidly growing customer base and a toehold in each of our key markets. I have spoken to so many people in the marketplace that have recognised the “missing link” in developing tools and solutions for adding value and efficiency to human resources through the effective measurement and analysis of employee performance and potential.

With the release of integrated performance management later next month things will start to move even faster based on current interest in the PM area.

• Talent Management
  We did a lot of research and talked with many people in 2006 – clients, prospective clients and competitors. All the feedback is consistent – the growth in demand for talent management strategy, solutions and services is rapidly increasing.

In particular, many large companies will complete their planning and diligence around their strategy in 2007 providing some massive opportunities to the market place

• SaaS
  Understanding and more importantly adoption of SaaS approaches to the market is set to take a massive leap forward this year. Watch out for more major vendors announcing and maybe even delivering on promises of more SaaS base offerings this year which will further increase customer’s comfort levels.

I have a back log of information which I want to share here so keep visiting – my posting pace should pick up over the next few weeks !