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    Entries in HRevolution (38)

    Tuesday
    Apr272010

    HRevolution 2010 - Sponsor Spotlight - Pinstripe Talent

    When many people hear the term 'outsourcing' they instantly conjure a mental image of row upon row of anonymous worker bees, chained (figuratively) to desks, headsets on, taking and making calls and reading scripts provided by the customer to carry out their tasks hour after hour, day after day.

    Outsourcing is also frequently negatively associated with the export of 'good American jobs' to some foreign and distant land, furthering the steady decline of the domestic economy and contributing to the continued high level of US unemployment.

    It is too bad that more of the general public doesn't see much of the 'good' side of outsourcing, where talented organizations composed of subject matter experts with deep strategic, process, and technical skills deliver high value added services to client companies, enabling them to concentrate more fully on their core capabilities, and to help them meet their business objectives.  Where the arrangements are not simply about driving costs to the lowest possible level, or just about wringing every last ounce of efficiency out of a given process.

    Where the outsourcing company truly endeavors to move the relationship beyond transactional and into transformational.  This is the essential value proposition of leading Recruitment Process Outsourcing provider Pinstripe Talent, an innovator in the industry, and a major sponsor of HRevolution 2010, the premier HR and Social Media Unconference, set for May 7-8 in Chicago.

    Pinstripe Talent designs, builds and delivers high-performing HR and talent acquisition solutions through Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) partnerships that integrate:

    • HR strategy development
    • employment branding
    • sourcing
    • screening
    • recruiting
    • hiring
    • onboarding
    • and employee engagement

    They are a recognized leader in transforming the recruitment function into a competitive advantage for some of the world’s most demanding, complex and successful organizations.

    But beyond the marketing talk, Pinstripe is simply an organization that thrives on the strength of the relationships it builds with its clients, partners, and with the HR and recruiting community at large.  It is this focus on relationships that is made evident by their participation as a sponsor for HRevolution 2010.

    The event is about sharing expertise, making and strengthening relationships, and finding ways to support each other with ideas, strategies, and new and innovative approaches to attacking and solving problems.  Which it seems to me is exactly the kind of work Pinstripe engages in every day.

    It is a natural fit, and on behalf of the HRevolution team, many thanks to Pinstripe Talent for the support.


     

     

    Tuesday
    Mar022010

    HRevolution 2010

    The American Revolution lasted for 8 years with Colonial soldiers enduring atrocious conditions and hardships.

    The French Revolution lasted 10 solid years and helped popularize the guillotine.

    Luckily for you, the HRevolution 2010 will not be (nearly) as long and as dangerous.


    The only things in peril are tired ideas, same-old same-old concepts, and the notion that you are just one little cog in the machine and can't make a big impact in your job, your organization, and your profession.

    So here is the real scoop:

    The HRevolution2010 unconference is coming to Chicago on May 7th-8th!


    Cutting edge HR social media thought leaders and practitioners from around the country will be converging for 24 hours+ of mind-bending, trend-setting discussions, yet space is limited to only 110 people, so... SIGN UP NOW!

    3 reasons why this year's even will rock:

    People.

    First and foremost, it's the people. And the crew coming together for this year's unconference is fantastic. With about twice the capacity of last year's event, HRevolution 2010 will blend old faces with new in an intimate setting where networking and relationship building can happen the way it was meant to.

    Logistics.

    We've locked up a phenomenal and highly professional space for the event that could not be more perfect for an unconference. HRevolution will take place at Catalyst Ranch, which is one of Chicago's premier event locations and—bonus!—is centrally located with easy access to hotels, restaurants, and night life.

    Catalyst Ranch is known for bringing a level of fun and sophistication to events that is unparalleled—no other space provider so naturally blended expertise on white boards, afternoon snack service, stereo systems, and the amount of Play-Doh they recommend for 110 people into a single conversation. Rest assured, HRevolution is happening in Chicago for a reason, and we want you to leave the event loving Chicago hospitality.

    Topics.

    The beauty of the unconference format is that it is designed to leave you with practical, useful knowledge. When you get back to work on Monday, and when someone asks you, "What did you get for the money," the answer that flows oh-so-naturally from your lips will blow them away. And you, too, maybe.
    So if you're in HR, if you're dabbling with this social media stuff and thinking "Should I or shouldn't I... How do I...," then get here on May 7th-8th. You will meet the people and learn the stuff and be in the place that will help you put it all together.

    Things you need to know:

    The event registration page is here - HRevolution registration.


    More information about the event can be found here - Official HRevolution2010 Site.

    Storm the Bastille of 'old' HR and join us in Chicago this May!

    Events

    Wednesday
    Nov182009

    The Carnival gets all Revolutionary

    Today at Trish McFarlane's HR Ringleader blog a special edition of the Carnival of HR is up, this one is a collection of all the posts written about the first ever HRevolution 'Unconference' held earlier this month.

    Check out the great collection of summaries, reflections, and calls to action from the event, Trish did a great job assembling all the posts.

    My post with my observations as well as the guest post that ran here by Wendy Tandon from Salary.com are there, as well as great pieces from Mark Stelzner, Lance Haun, and Trish herself.

    All told,  a fantastic event, and a very cool special Carnival to try and bring it all together.

    One final note, I have a little piece up over at the Fistful of Talent today, a story of what can happen when a leader takes 'transparency' a little too far.

    Enjoy!

    Tuesday
    Nov102009

    The HRevolution - One Vendor's Perspective

    NOTE : This guest post is from Wendy Tandon, Director of Product Strategy for Human Resources technology vendor Salary.com.  Wendy (@WTandon on Twitter), was an attendee of the HRevolution conference this past weekend in Louisville, KY and has agreed to share her perspectives on the event here.

     

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    As mentioned in the intro to HRevolution I began my career in HR, and am now happily working to define technology products for HR and the Enterprise.  I’ve not been plugged in to the HR online community for long and am truly amazed at the welcome I’ve received from this group.  My second thoughts as I boarded the plane for Louisville wondering why on earth I would fly to a strange city on a weekend to meet with people I didn’t know were immediately squelched as I found intriguing conversation at every turn.  My experience in Louisville was colored by my unique past, my current role, as well as by some books I happened to be reading during the travel and downtime.  The first books “City of Ember and “People of Sparks” (yes, they’re children’s books I read and then discuss with my son) and a third “Influence – The Psychology of Persuasion” as recommended by many of you on Twitter.  

     

    The children’s stories are about finding a way out of a dark and dying place, then the conflict that ensues once they find their way – “Influence,” about human behavior and compliance.  All great commentary about why we interact with other people they way we do.  I reflected on how technology has evolved from an isolating experience in the 80’s into the collaborative experience it is today, and how the power of these connections has transformational characteristics.  We may indeed be finding our way out of a darker more isolated place – but we still have much to discover, and I anticipate some conflict as we find our way.  HR and technology are both evolving rapidly, but evolution shouldn’t imply smooth or easy – there will be bumps in the road, especially at this pace.

     

    What else did I discover this weekend?


    1)    Social media – the mere name bequeathed to these tools frightens and alienates many.  Technologists must address this. 

    2)    The actual percentage of HR pros that are “plugged in” is quite small – we must determine how to best reach out to those who don’t know what they are missing in a non-threatening way.

    3)    I’m secretly relieved they are not all plugged in because there must be some upper limit to the number of people one can follow effectively.   See #4

    4)    The sheer volume of information available in this medium can be overwhelming and requires we use effective shortcuts to figure out what to use/discard/save for later.  Opportunity for technologists.

    5)    The shortcuts we are conditioned to use every day to direct our behavior in a socially acceptable way are magnified by the larger network of interactions we can sustain in a virtual environment.  Opportunity for tremendous influence by those who would effectively use it. 

     

    What do I predict?

     

    HR seems to have not ruminated at great length about how to quantify or capture the value associated with their employees’ external networks outside of recruitment efforts.  The vendor and analyst community will offer suggestions but we need HR to validate them.  What will HR do to create internal networks as they recognize the enormous value in this kind of communication?  My bet is that most will be willing to wait for HRM vendors to deliver a plug and play solution for this since many are still struggling against perceptions from CEOs or others with organizational influence that view social technology as “disturbing” and as something that would result in a lack of control (despite the obvious reasons this is backwards thinking). Those HR pros on the leading edge will create their own using whatever (mostly free) technology they can quickly deploy with likely mixed results.  It will be interesting to analyze what works, what doesn’t and why.

     

    What advice do I have?

     

    As a former HR practitioner, I watch the analyst/vendor dynamic with interest (admittedly self interest) and curiosity, yet sprinkled with just a smidgeon of caution.  I’m not a cynic at heart, but am I the only one who occasionally wonders if an element of these relationships might serve something other than the intrepid consumer? Call me crazy. [mad tapping of keys as analysts block me on twitter] At HRevolution it was asked if HR pulls the vendors or if HR is being pushed by them.  When the market-gurus of my own org demand certain functionality for our products I consistently counter with, “Well, it’s cool, but does HR really want it? Will they use it??”  I have vowed to be the advocate for HR when it comes to my own influence on product roadmap – I simply can’t get the HR out of me.  But in response to the question of push vs. pull, itreally is “both.”  We need each other.  HR should be and in many cases is pushing vendors to deliver quality, easy to use products that address legitimate use cases (think business case).  HR vendors should be clever enough to see the trends in these varied use cases, and then deliver a product that can solve business problems HR might not have been able to recognize or analyze were it not for the technology.  Demand simplicity from your vendors – not more re-branding of old ideas to make the same software appear to do something it never did before without any corresponding change in code.  Talk to your vendors – the good ones are eager to listen.  More importantly, if you aren’t talking to us, we end up listening to no one but the analysts, and as much as we DO love them, well, let’s just say balance is a good thing.

     

    One final thought:

     

    I am encouraged, energized, and excited to be working in this rapidly changing space.  The organizers and attendees of HRevolution have assured me that our efforts are NOT in vain.  I am much obliged to all of you and will strive to give back, both personally and professionally, at every available opportunity.  To all the torchbearers of leading edge HR, and you know who you are, you are truly an inspiration!

     

    Wendy Tandon – Director of Product Management, Salary.com

     


     

    Monday
    Nov092009

    Notes from a Revolution

    The first ever HRevolution Unconference is over, and while the pre-tweetups, tweetups, sessions, Happy Hours, and after parties are all now just a (somewhat fuzzy) memory, the positive effects definitely linger.

    It was, I think, a remarkable event.

    Fifty or so HR professions, consultant, bloggers, and friends came together to share ideas, insights, questions, and perhaps, a new solution or two.

    I think what was great about the event, is that the sharing and discussions ranged from the extremely practical, (basic and advanced blogging strategies), to more subtle and complex (Social Media in HR and Web 2.0 in HR Technology), to the profound and theoretical (The Future of HR).

    So many angles, approaches, and ideas all in one day.

    So many great people and relationships formed and strengthened. 

    A sign of how successful the event was, that almost immediately after it was 'officially' over, folks began wondering when the 'next' HRevolution would be.  When would we re-assemble to progress the conversation, refine the ideas, and try to get closer to turning talk into action. These are all important, and it is altogether fitting and proper that we discuss them.

    But before all that, before the feedback is compiled,  before the planning of the next event commences, I think for those of us that were there it is important to just let the event be for a while.

    Let the thoughts, ideas, and friendships linger for a bit. Take the time to let it soak in. Make sure you remember what made the event unique and special.

    After you are sure you have done that, then get to work on making things better.

     

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    My personal thanks to Trish McFarlane, Ben Eubanks, Crystal Peterson, the event sponsors, session leaders, and mostly all the fantastic folks that came to the event, and made Louisville the coolest place in the world for 2 days.