We constantly talk about innovation like there is no tomorrow. Speaking specifically about HR and Recruitment just go to Google and type in “Innovation in HR” and a gazillion and one results pop up. Yes we need to be more innovative in HR. Yes we know what the barriers to successful workplace innovation are. Yes we think we know the 10 fool-proof ways to topple the barriers.
I recently read an article by FutureStep and Korn/Ferry International, published on the Recruiting Trends site, “HR professionals in North America reveal high value of innovation but confirm significant barriers to adopting ‘best practice’ methods”. It basically talked about the fact that 74% of global HR professionals admit their organizations should be doing more to demonstrate innovation in recruitment and talent management, yet the barriers to doing so include senior buy-in and a shortage of financial investment and time. The article went on to talk about a specific study that FutureStep and Korn/Ferry International conducted (can be downloaded through the above mentioned article). I did not see anything in the article or the research paper that talked about HOW HR practitioners can break through the barriers to innovation. No surprise there because people in general like to talk about the problem, not the solution.
An Idea…
So, instead of coming up with a 37-step methodology to topple barriers and start increasing the use of innovative HR and Recruitment practices I am going to propose something a little bit different. What if… stay with me here… what if we focused on reallocating a portion of annual HR investment dollars to what we could consider innovative practices? Now I know you’re asking yourself, “so that’s great… where does the money come from”? I did not say to find more money, I said to “reallocate”.
Continue Following My Line of Thinking
In order to reallocate you need to take a very close and hard look at your existing investments and practices and determine whether or not you should continue doing them. My bet is for those that are saying they need to be more innovative (remember the 74% figure cited earlier) then they must be doing things that are not generating the kind of value your organization needs. Stop doing them. Or better yet, find a different way of doing them more cost-effectively.
Case in Point
A former client spent roughly $125,000 annually on HR and Recruitment related technology and outsourcing services. The problem they were having was their core recruitment practices were becoming less and less effective with their core target audience, generation Y seasonal workforce. Further they had not really changed their annual product investment during the previous 10 years so you could imagine how this investment would have generated lower ROI year over year, and this is exactly what happened.
The solution that I proposed was actually a reallocation of their existing annual investment to other products, services and technologies that would a) generate far better results and b) actually lower their annual costs. What a concept eh?
Sure I faced skepticism and a million and one reasons why this solution would not work but I simply developed the business case for it and left them with, “so how are you current practices working for you?”
No Need to Reinvent the Wheel
Reallocation of resources as a way to fight through barriers accompanied with a solid business case is probably the most effective way of doing this. Believe me, I know full well that our global economy is still very much a volatile one, which is why a reallocation strategy is the way to go to prevent the need to find additional dollars and minimize risk to the organization.
What do you think? Have you thought about reallocating resources versus spending more?
First published at http://stratify.co