Five Ways for HR to Discover Technology
SteveYesterday, Tim Sackett guest posted here with a clever, and I think mostly accurate view on why HR professionals have traditionally been slow to embrace, and at times have difficulty understanding technology.
Flickr - iLoveButter
Since Tim made some great points, I thought I would run a quick follow-up, with just a few ideas and resources for the HR professional that wants to open up and really start to embrace technology. So in no particular order, here goes:
Blogs - There are several excellent HR Technology focused blogs that I recommend. Systematic HR, The Knowledge Infuser, InfoBox, InFullBloom, the Human Capitalist, and the HR Technologist should all be on your reading list. All of these blogs have unique approaches, objectives, and audiences but they all deserve a place on your Google Reader. And as technology continues to grow in importance to 'mainsteam' HR, more and more blogs will focus on technology themed topics.
Conferences - Are you an HR pro that makes the annual trek to the SHRM National Conference? While you may be able to talk with lots of HR Technology vendors there, if you really want to get more 'tech' out of your conference dollars, consider trying the annual HR Technology Conference. It is truly the only event that matters in the HR Technology world. This three day extravaganza of all things HR Tech is attended by all the significant technology vendors, offers dozens of sessions presented by experts, analysts, and vendors, and is really the place to learn and network in the HR Technology industry.
Webcasts - Almost all the major HR technology vendors sponsor and/or produce their own free webcasts on general HR Technology topics as well as product-specific discussions and demonstrations. For more 'vendor-neutral' content, check out the Human Capital Institute or HR.com. On the vendor side, take a look at Workday who not only produce regular product specific presentations, but also partner with industry experts like Naomi Bloom for more 'strategic' presentations. Here I will shamelessly plug an upcoming HCI webcast I will be on, Transforming the Employment Lifecycle with a Hiring Management System, December 2 at 1:00PM EST.
Social Networks - There are the beginnings of some very lively and informative discussions on HR Technology topics on social networks. On Twitter, start by following the #HR_Tech hash tag. There is a monthly HR Technology themed Twitter chat using the #HR_Tech tag, and typically throughout the month many interesting comments, links, and blog posts are tagged with #HR_Tech. Take a look at the Twitter folks that have added themselves to the #HR_Tech Twibe. I also think there is plenty of opportunity for someone to leverage a LinkedIn group or perhaps a Ning network for HR and HR Technology folks to gather and share content and network.
Spy on your Kids - No I don't really mean to literally spy on them, but I suppose you could. I mean that is really between you and your conscience. What I mean is to observe and talk to them about how they interact with technology. What sites, devices, methods, user interface features do they value and gravitate towards? There is a growing tendency for technologies that begin to take hold in the consumer space (and are often initially championed by young people) to encroach into the enterprise. Think about it, the folks that were among the first to sense the myriad business applications for social networks, mobile, and consumer sites like Ebay had a major early mover advantage. Stay on top of what your kids are up to with technology, and it just may give you ideas you can use today, and a leg up for tomorrow.
What do you say, what other ways are there for HR pros to start getting more tech savvy? What has worked for you?
Reader Comments (11)
I am not a fan of Tim's guest post for a number of reasons, but I do appreciate the suggestions you provide in this post, Steve. I will be retweeting the link.
As an example of one of the suggestions you included under Social Networks, I have started the Social Media and HR (SMandHR) Community. SMandHR's mission is to be the premiere source for HR/OD practitioners to find information and guidance about the intra-organizational implications of the rise in digital communication and social media. SMandHR functions as a global, virtual community complemented by a local/regional focus.
The SMandHR Community began as a LinkedIn group and has expanded to several platforms. We are currently working on creating an integrated digital presence, the hub of which will be a Ning community.
Further information on the SMandHR Community, including links to all the platforms on which we currently have a presence, can be found at http://tiny.cc/SMandHRonRSS.
Courtney
Courtney - Thanks for the comments and for sharing the link to the SMandHR Community information here. I think it is a valuable and useful resource for the HR community.
Thanks for the pointers!
@Bruce - You are welcome and thanks for reading!
Thanks for the kind words about the HR Technology Conference. I see you are a fine teacher inside and outside the classroom. We've never had a student rate. Maybe we should?
Great information and thanks for the shout-out to my blog.
@Bill - Thanks very much, I think the show is a great resources, and a student rate would be a good idea. Perhaps you could do some kind of contest to award an interested student or two a free pass to the event as well.
@Michael - No problem at all, maybe it will shame you in to posting more often!
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