The Essence of Technology

I saw a post on the User Interface Engineering blog about the 'Essence' of software program design. The key concept in thinking about the essence of a system is an understanding that a program is more than just processes and widgets. From the article:

Interaction with a product is more than how it’s used or how it behaves. It’s about a connection between two sides. One side is the customer, but the other side is much more than a product or service. To many people, the character and essence of a product and its company are identical. So, what is the essence of your product?

The post is in the context of software design but I think it also could certainly apply at a macro level to an organization or HR department, and I  suppose also at a micro level, to an individual's 'essence' of what they offer in the workplace. In HR Technology I think these concepts are especially important, as HR solutions typically impact the entire organization, not just the 'back-office' made up of power users.

So how can a designer of HR software, or an HR Technology professionals in an organization 'loosen up' and show a bit of humanity? 

Humor - Can you inject a bit of humor into the product, in the design, or in the user interface? If you can't or are not willing to really strive for humor, can you at least work towards a design that attempts to incorporate some fun into the experience? For powers users that spend the majority of their workday using the system, or for line managers that may only interact with the technology periodically, injecting Flickr - brian corsan element of fun to the process and design can go a long way towards increased satisfaction and adoption. While it usually is not appropriate to copy design and process flow from popular consumer sites, at least review the ones you enjoy using the most, and see what elements or attributes you may be able to re-purpose into your HR Technology solution.

Personality - It has been said that for software companies the culture of an organization permeates the software the company designs and markets. Since so many organizations purchase HR Technology solutions from the same dozen or so vendors, how can you ensure that the design and look of the solutions you deploy to your employees adequately reflect your culture? Take a look at a few large company recruiting sites, chances are you will find some that look and feel almost exactly the same since the largest companies tend to all buy ATS solutions from one of the same half dozen vendors.

We did an an experiment in HR Technology class that showed the job search pages for Neiman-Marcus and Delta Dental are almost exactly the same and many more of these examples can be found. Don't settle for the vendor 'template' unless you are comfortable with a bland interface that lots of other companies use.

Emotion - How does your technology solution actually make your users feel? Angry, confused, frustrated, or perhaps bored? Users want to feel good about their work, and for many information workers the way the systems they must interact with all day are a primary driver of this feeling.  Strip away all unnecessary elements that can detract from the user's ability to complete the task, get the information, contribute to the knowledge store, etc.  If possible, allow more experienced users the ability to bypass 'extra' steps, and help text or tutorials once they have demonstrated a level of proficiency.

Connection - The very best designed technologies can foster a sense of connection between users and the organization.  This can be done with the incorporation of 'social' tools in enterprise systems, (tools like instant messaging, tagging, or real-time collaboration) are one way to develop connection, in this example with other people.  Alternatively, a sense of connection to the system can be enhanced by empowering  the users with increased ability to customize the interface according to their own needs, presenting lists of frequently used functions in more prominent positions, and giving more visible and auditory feedback throughout the process. Think about popular consumer sites like Amazon or Ebay, that 'remember' what you have been interested in in the past, and automatically present you similar choices on your next visit. 

Many HR Technology solutions are getting more sophisticated, fancy, and full of the latest in design elements to make the interface more attractive, functional, and fun. That generally is a good thing.  But that may not be always what is needed, as many data intensive, high-volume functions might be better served with a simply, bare-bones design reminiscent of the old green screen days.  The key point is to evaluate the HR Technology systems you use, or are considering in the context of who will actually use them, and the impact the design will have on these users, whether they be managers, staff, or candidates.

What great HR Technology design examples should I be checking out?  Hit me up in the comments.

No I Won't be Your Fan

Paraphrasing some recent comments from a C-suite executive in charge of all the corporate 'support' functions (HR, Finance, Procurement) at a mid-size organization:

We need to be on Facebook, everyone in the organization has a Facebook profile, so I want our group to have a Facebook page.  Let me know when I can see it.

Sound familiar?

Using Facebook, or any other 'external' social platform for 'official' internal communications is an interesting idea, but I wonder if it really makes sense, particularly for corporate support functions like HR or Finance.

Note: I am not talking about using Facebook and the like for recruiting; there are precedents, case studies, even 'summits' that are largely about recruiting on social networks.

I am strictly speaking about classic 'internal' communications, the kind that are typically sent via blast e-mail or posted on an intranet. So should the average organization spend time and effort setting up a Facebook fan page for these purposes?

Reasons why this makes sense

Audience- Everyone is on Facebook. Well, probably not everyone, but the minute you got a friend request from Grandma you got the impression that most all of your employees are on Facebook.

We get it- Setting up a Facebook fan page is free, can be done very quickly, and is a baby step into the new social world. Some organizations may think that setting up the fan page signals to employees that that management 'gets it', and is aware of the growing influence of social networks in business.

Connection - If all the organization relies on mass e-mails and a static intranet for employee communications, any platform or tool that offers the potential for a more vibrant and participatory exchange of information is bound to be an improvement. You might truly generate some positive interaction with your 'fans' and increase the interest in your communications.Flickr - podiluska

Reasons why this is dumb

Tools first -The 'we need to be on Facebook' declaration strongly implies a 'tools first' approach to the problem.  What is the real issue you are trying to solve? What business outcome are you hoping to achieve?  It could be that the answers to those questions may lead you to a different solution, an internal executive blog, a series of podcasts, a 'live' radio show, or good old-fashioned town-hall meetings with the employees.  Yes, creating a Facebook page may be the right answer, but don't begin with the conclusion already determined.

Ownership- You don't own the platform, the terms of service can change at any time, ads run on the sidebars you can't control, basically you have to be comfortable with a 'lack of control' that most organizations frankly are not all that comfortable with. 

Productivity- By setting up an 'official' communications forum on Facebook you will be seen as approving and encouraging the use of social networks on company time.  Are you sure your company understands the implications of that? Are you the kind of company that worries about a drop in productivity if employees are messing about on Facebook all day? When a manager notices someone on Facebook how can they be sure if the employee is listening to the latest video interview from the CEO or playing Mafia Wars?

Apathy- The people that you are targeting may not be interested in being a 'fan'.  In fact, you might find that you have lots of employees that are active users of Facebook that resent the fact that you are trying to 'invade' a social network with official corporate communications. In the example I referred to at the start of the post, several employees told me that there is no way they would become a 'fan' of the official company pages, as they were concerned that somehow the executives would use the platform as a means to 'spy' on the employee's after-hours activities.

Conclusion

Using Facebook (or really any other external social network) for internal organizational communication might be a good idea for some firms, but without really understanding the desired business outcomes, the organization's attitude and cultural position on social networks at work, and the perceptions of the target audience then simply 'setting up shop' on Facebook seems more like a 'check this off the list' activity for someone.  For the group I was talking to, it seemed to me that more personal communication and interaction with the executives was what the employees were really looking for.  A simple internal blog authored by members of the leadership team, and that allows employee comments and discussions in my opinion was a much better solution than a Facebook page.

That requires commitment from leadership, and an expenditure of their time and energy.  But for this organization, an authentic message from leadership would be much more meaningful than the chance to be their 'fan' on Facebook.

If you have any examples or opinions on organizations using Facebook or other external networks for 'internal' communications I would love to hear about them. 

Please Ignore the Last 7 Years

As I watching the Michigan - Notre Dame football game on ABC TV this past Saturday I was surprised to see that the 'expert' analyst assigned to the broadcast was Matt Millen.

For anyone not familiar with Millen, he was a top-level player in the National Football League, playing on several championship teams, then a well-regarded broadcaster for a few years, before becoming the President and CEO of the Detroit Lions of the NFL in 2001.

From 2001 - 2008, when Millen was mercifully fired, the Lions record was 31-84, by far the worst in the NFL during that span, and Millen, as the executive in charge, made several colossally bad decisions in evaluating talent as evidenced by the series of failures of Lions first round draft selections.

In the last few years of his tenure with the Lions, 'Fire Millen' chants were commonly heard at Lions games, in fact, the 'Fire Millen' chants popped up at hockey, basketball, and college events in Detroit.

An online petition to aimed at convincing Lions ownership to fire Millen generated 36 pages of comments.

Why is any of this interesting?  I am thinking about what the interview for his new gig must have been like.

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ABC Exec: So Matt, tell me about your last position, what was your greatest accomplishment?

Millen : Well, in 2005, I managed to get a multi-million dollar contract extension.

ABC : Wow, you must have been doing a fantastic job!

Millen: We did win 6 games in 2004

ABC: Wow, that is almost mediocre!

Millen: That was a fun year.

ABC: How about your relationship with the customers?

Millen: They were always talking about me.  I did generate lots of publicity.

ABC: You do have an impressive resume.  Can you leave the names of a few references?

Millen : Sure, I can give you the names of some of my teammates and coaches from when I played

ABC: Well, you have not played in almost 20 years, is there any one else we can call?

Millen : How about my old play-by-play partner, Tim Ryan?

ABC: Tim Ryan?  Is he still around?

Millen : Sure, he is doing great.

ABC: How about a reference from your most recent position, with the Lions?

Millen: That one did not really work out so well, I kind of want to forget about it.

ABC: So the last position you held for 7 years, the one with the most responsibility, prestige, and power, there's no one willing to give you a positive reference?

Millen: Yes, that is pretty much it.

ABC: Can you at least tell me about how you left the organization, what happened the season after you left the team? Were they in a position to succeed?

Millen: They were 0-16.

ABC: You're hired!

The HRevolution - November 6-7, 2009

Registration for the HRevolution, the first HR Blog/Social Media 'Unconference' is open and can be found here:

HREvolution Event page

The event will be held on November 6-7, 2009 in Louisville, Kentucky at the beautiful Seelbach Hilton.

I have been honored to be a part of the planning for the event, and am really excited to attend. I highly recommend anyone currently involved in or considering jumping in to the HR blogging and social media space to consider coming to the HRevolution. I think you will learn more in one day at the HRevoluton than in many months trying to sort this stuff out on your own.

We'll talk blogging, social media for HR, technology, and (maybe) even barbecue. To learn more about the HRevolution and to contribute your ideas check out the HRevolution wiki.

Costs are being kept low and a special rate of $119/night has been arranged for attendees of the HRevolution, be sure to mention 'HRevolution' when calling the Seelbach.

I hope to see you in Louisville!

In Memorial - Firefighter Thomas Hetzel

It is a rare breed of man or woman that will willingly, unquestioningly, and courageously place themselves in grave danger to protect and save strangers.

This quality cannot be 'taught', we can't 'train' people to be brave, we can't use external motivators like money or prestige to inspire this in people.

The bravest and the most noble among us have this quality as an innate component of their charThomas Hetzelacter.

Many of the men and women so endowed gravitate towards public service, in the military, or in law enforcement or as firefighters.

Thomas Hetzel was one such man. Reading through the numerous tributes left for him, clearly tells the story.

Thomas Hetzel was a member of Ladder Company 13, in Manhattan, and was one of the 343 members of the FDNY who made the ultimate sacrifice on September 11, 2001.

Thomas by all accounts was a remarkable man.  A caring and loving husband and father, devoted son, and fast friend.  At 33, he was just at the beginning of the arc of his life, with certainly the expectation of a long and happy life, filled with family and friends. Certainly he was well aware of the inherent risk and danger of his profession, but being the kind of man he was, he shouldered those risks quietly, did his duty, cared for his family, and held up his end of the bargain.

Men and women do not take on that responsibility because they have to, or even perhaps because they want to.  They take on that incredible burden because they feel compelled.

Thomas Hetzel was a hero.  To see the chaos, devastation, and turmoil of Ground Zero and to walk in to the abyss, with the only thought being to rescue those already trapped requires courage that is almost incomprehensible.

Thomas Hetzel, along with 342 other members of the FDNY gave his life that day.  Almost 3,000 people lost their lives at the World Trade Center. But 18,000 people survived, many due to the courage, heroism, and sacrifice of people like Thomas Hetzel.

My little memorial here is really a poor effort at honoring a hero like Thomas Hetzel.

As Abraham Lincoln said

The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here

I will never forget Thomas Hetzel, and all the men and women that were the heroes of September 11, 2001.

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Note: This post is a part of Project 2,996, a tribute to the victims and heroes of September 11, 2001.