Accelerating the Convergence of Learning, KM and Performance Support
Recent Accenture surveys have found that the learning and knowledge management (KM) functions are beginning to converge in fundamental ways.
Thomas Kraack, Accenture, Ken Cundari, Accenture
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Achieving Breakthrough Returns On Human Capital
By adopting new innovative solutions that utilize science and technology, human resource professionals have an opportunity to bring revolutionary change to this critical asset.
Dr. Pawan Singh, PeriscopeIQ, Dr. Mohamed Latib, PeriscopeIQ
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Achieving High Performance Through Your Workforce
It is my pleasure, on behalf of Accenture, to introduce you to People, Performance, Profit. This collection of essays written by experts in the field of human performance is a valuable reference for today’s leaders. Here’s why: Quite simply, the company with the best people wins. Each day I see evidence of the link between an organization’s people and its performance. In fact, through our research and consulting work, we’ve been able to draw an explicit connection between excellence in human capital management and superior financial results.
William D. Green, Accenture
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Adding Value to ERP
November 11, 2005 - During the 1990s, the vast majority of Global 2000 companies deployed client/server systems for enterprise resource planning (ERP) to replace their mainframe-based accounting packages. Some did it as part of the business process re-engineering (BPR) boom, others as Y2K upgrades at the end of the decade and others simply to replace aging financial systems. A recurring theme throughout the ’90s was that implementing ERP was difficult, expensive and frustrating. Study after study showed substandard returns for ERP investments. Perhaps because of this experience, many organizations have been very cautious about making changes to their ERP environments. However, doing nothing may be a costly mistake because most companies can use their ERP software more effectively than they are doing today.
Robert Kugel, Ventana Research
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Build a Business and IT Foundation for BI
March 4, 2005 - Organizations have never been so eager to adopt business intelligence (BI) technology. Unfortunately, lack of alignment between people, process and technology has led to many misguided business intelligence deployments. Using a business-centric methodology and process-improvement type approach organizations can leverage BI efficiently to enable Performance Management. Ventana Research believes organizations that do not take this approach will find themselves – like many after the waves of ERP and CRM – with under utilized and over purchased technology that does not provide a competitive advantage.
Mark Smith, Ventana Research
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Business Objects and Purisma Announce Technology Partnership
May 18, 2006 - Business Objects and Purisma announced today that Business Objects will integrate Purisma’s customer data integration (CDI) technology with its recently announced enterprise information management (EIM) solutions. Purisma’s technology will provide the basis for reconciling and delivering consistent, reliable customer data. Together with the new Business Objects EIM platform, this alliance promises to deliver comprehensive analytical reporting functionality to enterprises implementing business intelligence reporting on large scales. The combination should provide enterprises with a more integrated and complete solution to manage their customer data. The Business Objects EIM initiative is directed toward helping organizations implement accurate, integrated and timely information. Business Objects believes that Purisma’s Customer Registry fits into this strategy as a CDI component for accurate correlation and assembly of data for customers, organizational hierarchies and various business relationships.
David Waddington , Ventana Research
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Business Objects and Purisma Announce Technology Partnership
May 18, 2006 - Business Objects and Purisma announced today that Business Objects will integrate Purisma’s customer data integration (CDI) technology with its recently announced enterprise information management (EIM) solutions. Purisma’s technology will provide the basis for reconciling and delivering consistent, reliable customer data. Together with the new Business Objects EIM platform, this alliance promises to deliver comprehensive analytical reporting functionality to enterprises implementing business intelligence reporting on large scales. The combination should provide enterprises with a more integrated and complete solution to manage their customer data. The Business Objects EIM initiative is directed toward helping organizations implement accurate, integrated and timely information. Business Objects believes that Purisma’s Customer Registry fits into this strategy as a CDI component for accurate correlation and assembly of data for customers, organizational hierarchies and various business relationships.
David Waddington , Ventana Research
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Business Performance Management 2006 Research Agenda: Aligning people, processes and technology can improve results
Ventana Research defines performance management as optimizing business processes while aligning them with organizational strategy. Organizations usually do not implement “performance management”; they put together a series of individual projects aimed at improving their results. While we view performance management as a single high-level concept, it applies to business in many different ways. It is a consistent discipline that employs a common set of IT techniques and elements in specific business initiatives. These initiatives include planning, using scorecards, compliance management, compensation management and others. All of them require some level of IT resources and systems to provide information, facilitate analysis and support execution (especially collaboration), but usually each initiative will be the responsibility of individual managers.
Robert Kugel, Ventana Research
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Business Process Outsourcers
The scale of BPOs allows them to develop expertise and achieve process efficiencies and service levels that their clients simply cannot match by doing it themselves.
Edward E. Lawler, University of Southern California
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Business Restructuring In a Changing World
Globalization, increased domestic competition and competition in deregulated business environments require that organizations develop flexible, agile responses to changing markets.
Wayne F. Cascio, University of Colorado at Denver
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  CEOs Must Expect More From Their HR Function
It’s time to demand that human resources track, report, continually improve and accept accountability for workforce productivity, including the quality of the workforce and the cost of employee turnover.
Dr. John Sullivan, San Francisco State University
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Coming Soon: Your Next ERP System - Companies face crucial choices in enterprise software and not just enterprise applications
Within a few years, the ongoing consolidation of the enterprise software business will force companies to make major changes to this part of their IT infrastructure. Faced with increasing obsolescence of installed software produced by vendors that are no longer in business, companies will have to migrate. How they manage this process will affect their organization’s strategic position and determine the cost of making the move. Ventana Research advises companies to begin planning for it today.
Robert Kugel, Ventana Research
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Compressing the Decision Cycle For Competitive Advantage
Being able to capitalize on change – whether dictated by shifting market trends or the desire to leverage a global supply chain – requires better access to accurate data with greater relevance.
Phillip Say, SAP , Roman Bukary, SAP
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Dedicated to Success in Workforce Performance: Authoria leads competition to manage recruitment, compensation and goals
Managing the workforce processes of recruiting, hiring, compensation and setting goals may appear straightforward, but from the information systems perspective they often are not well-managed. While enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems offer basic capabilities in these areas, they have not kept up with dedicated providers such as Authoria, Recruitmax, SuccessFactors and Workstream. In a competition of these four at last fall’s HR Executive technology conference, attendees selected Authoria as the best software application for recruitment, compensation and goals management. In light of this finding and our scrutiny of offerings in this market, Ventana Research recommends organizations reassess their processes with an eye to deciding whether this or another dedicated application can promote excellence in their workforce management.
Mark Smith, Ventana Research
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Diagnosing An MDM Malaise
May 18, 2006 - Companies need rapid access to comprehensive, consistent information across the enterprise if they are to improve their business processes and performance. Today, however, many IT organizations are unable to meet this demand from the business side. Often at the root of the problem is poorly managed master data. As they become aware of the increased focus on master data management (MDM), many executives wonder whether their organizations have issues with master data. Ventana Research has identified symptoms that typically result from poorly managed master data and are key indicators of master data problems in a business.
David Waddington , Ventana Research
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Disturbing the System
In today’s volatile business environment, successful organizational change is a process of ongoing adjustment at all levels of the organization.
Peter Cheese, Accenture
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  ERP Innovation
April 6, 2005 - Ventana Research believes that the ERP market is moribund and too firmly anchored to its roots in delivering financial, HR, supply chain and manufacturing functionality. In order to support the innovative organizations of the future, this current functional footprint must be regarded as merely the foundation for the next level of ERP development. Otherwise, customers who have made significant investments in ERP over the last decade will be wondering how this investment will support them in a world where organizational innovation and avoiding commoditization is the order of the day.
Stewart McKie, Ventana Research
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Fueling Organizational Success With Total Workforce Acquisition
A TWA solution can raise HR to a level where it tangibly contributes to corporate strategic goals and has a measurable impact on the bottom line.
David Russo, Peopleclick, Inc.
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Getting and Keeping Competitive Advantage
Do you know what your most important asset is doing right now? We’re talking about your workforce: the people that deploy your capital, translate your objectives into strategies and strategies into execution, and serve your customers to generate value. Would it surprise you to learn that well over half of the typical workforce does not know how their employer makes money or what its key goals are? And, that about half of most incentive compensation dollars paid out are wasted? How can an enterprise acquire and sustain competitive advantage if less than half the workforce is aligned to its objectives? Of course the answer is, it can’t.
Peter Djokovich, Strategix Performance, Inc.
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  How Science and Technology Are Remodeling HR Management
We can improve decision making in today’s complex and ever-changing marketplace by capturing and accounting for the forces that affect human performance.
Jac Fitz-enz, Human Capital Source
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  How Smart HR Departments Win With Business Intelligence
Without business intelligence, organizations have little choice but to wait until a full-blown crisis has developed before they can handle the problem.
Susan Cantrell, Accenture, John J. Ballow, Accenture, Jeff Gerkin, Cognos
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  HR Outsourcing That Delivers Improved Business Performance
The benefits of outsourcing include the advantages of reduced costs and increased efficiency, as well as the ability to predict business results and support strategic planning.
Glenn Davidson, Accenture, Matt Deluca, New York University
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Human Resource Challenges In a Corporate Relocation
Corporate relocation’s significant benefits, such as substantial savings and qualitative advantages, need to be weighed against the considerable risks.
Dennis J. Donovan, Wadley-Donovan-Gutshaw Consulting
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  If They Understand, They Will Do
Our greatest challenge as leaders is not understanding the practice of leadership; it is practicing our understanding of leadership.
Marshall Goldsmith, Marshall Goldsmith Partners
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Integrating Staffing and Recruiting Services
What would you do if 38 percent of your workforce left tomorrow?
Lisa Lovas, Spherion
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Is ERP a Commodity?
November 1, 2005 - The view that enterprise resource planning (ERP) software is a commodity has been around for several years. However, one of the most important business lessons of the past 50 years is that inability to differentiate one company’s products or services from others may be due to a failure of imagination by management rather than inevitable competitive entropy. True, it can be difficult to find meaningful distinctions in basic ERP functionality between vendors, but Ventana Research asserts that many corporations have not achieved maximum business benefits in creating or reinforcing a competitive advantage from these powerful IT systems. To generate greater value from its ERP investment, an organization must have an ongoing initiative staffed with the appropriate individuals.
Robert Kugel, Ventana Research
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Key Metrics for Today’s Talent Economy
The best performing companies are measuring the results of the staffing process – workforce quality and retention – in association with traditional staffing efficiency metrics to calculate their return on staffing.
Yves Lermusiaux, iLogos Research, Alice Snell, iLogos Research
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Leadership and High Performance Business: Experience Is the Best Teacher
An Accenture study found that leaders learned more about leading from real work and life experiences than from leadership development courses or MBA programs.
Robert J. Thomas, Accenture, Peter Cheese, Accenture
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Making the Right Investments in People
Implementations of the Accenture Human Capital Development Framework have identified the areas of human capital investment most likely to produce the greatest financial return.
James M. Benton, Accenture, Susan Cantrell, Accenture, Meredith A. Vey, Accenture
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Maximizing Value of Employees And Human Capital
Adopt workforce performance management as a practice and process for your career and your organization’s success.
Mark Smith, Ventana Research
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Operational Business Intelligence
June 8, 2005 - The Ventana Research study on BI for Operational Performance indicated widespread use of business intelligence for operational use across the organization including finance. Our research found that deployments varied in size from very small to over 10,000 users. Furthermore, a large percentage of organizations accessed these operational BI applications on a daily or hourly basis, indicating that they were likely mission-critical. Among the most common operational BI applications, performance monitoring, issue management and customer/product 360 degree views stood out. The use of BI to monitor and improve operational and financial performance and management of specific operations areas will strategic for many organizations. Ventana Research expects operational use of BI to accelerate and expand in previously unrealized ways and we anticipate that operational BI will become a major focus in global organizations in 2005 and beyond.
Eric Rogge, Ventana Research
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Oracle Gobbles Up Siebel
September 15, 2005 - The software market continues to consolidate. The announcement by Oracle that it will purchase CRM applications provider Siebel is the beginning of the final phase of the commoditization of the transaction-centric CRM and ERP applications market. The acquisition, if completed, will impact significantly the future direction of CRM efforts. More importantly, it will limit global organizations’ vendor choices to Oracle or SAP, while providing some room for Microsoft Business Solutions and smaller suppliers Onyx and salesforce.com to service larger organizations. Organizations that currently own or plan to purchase upgrades or new applications from Siebel should take precautionary measures to mitigate their financial and operational risk. Ventana Research believes this event provides a useful opportunity for organizations to reassess their planned IT investments in CRM to ensure they are on track to deliver value by improving the operational and financial performance of their businesses.
Mark Smith, Ventana Research
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Performance Management – A Grand Opportunity to Improve
March 15, 2006 - In today’s fast-paced business climate, the agility with which a company manages performance can determine its market position and profitability. Businesses are driven by competitive pressures to reach higher standards of competence in day-to-day operations and to capitalize on the interaction of their people and processes; optimizing these to generate better outcomes is what Performance Management is all about. Ventana Research advises organizations to evaluate the effectiveness of their management processes and information systems to help manage performance.
Mark Smith, Ventana Research
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Put Your Employees on The Other Side of the Microscope
Most employee surveys measure individual job satisfaction. Next time try asking employees what they think about how you serve customers.
Jack W. Wiley, Gantz Wiley Research, Scott M. Brooks, Gantz Wiley Research, Kyle M. Lundby, Gantz Wiley Research
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Q&A: Bob Damon Explains How to Develop A Well-rounded View of a Candidate
Bob Damon is responsible for overseeing the North American region of Korn/Ferry International, a provider of executive search and leadership development solutions. He has more than 20 years of experience in executive searches for CEO, COO, president, board director and general management positions.
Bob Damon, Korn/Ferry International
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Q&A: George Hall Explains How Marriott Attracts, Retains and Develops Employees
George Hall is senior vice president of Information Resources Human Resources for Marriott International, Inc. He is responsible for planning, developing and implementing all strategic human resources programs for Marriott’s Information Resources division, including developing staffing, compensation, performance management and organizational development plans.
George Hall, Marriott International, Inc.
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Q&A: Jeffrey Pfeffer Explains the Steps a Company Should Take When Planning an Organizational Change
Jeffrey Pfeffer is a professor of organizational behavior in the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University. He is the author or co-author of 10 books, has taught executive seminars in 27 countries, is a fellow of the Academy of Management and a winner of the Richard D. Irwin Award for Scholarly Contributions to Management.
Jeffrey Pfeffer, Stanford University
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Q&A: Lisa Lovas Discusses Trends in Talent Acquisition and Retention
Lisa Lovas is senior vice president for Spherion. She has more than 20 years' experience in business development and consulting in the areas of HR outsourcing, assessment and employment processes for companies including IBM, Aon Corporation and Affiliated Computer Services. She is a frequent speaker at forums that have included HRO World, HR Technology Expo and HR Outsourcing Institute.
Lisa Lovas, Spherion
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Reaching the Apex of Human Capital Management
March 28, 2005 - Adopting Workforce Management processes that deliver efficiency and performance improvements is a critical step towards meeting executive and operational management expectations. Softscape, with over a decade of experience in the HR market, has released Softscape Apex™ a solutions suite providing a common platform for optimizing the performance and reducing the cost of managing and servicing employees. Softscape’s introduction of new Workforce Management applications for collaboration, analytics and planning bolsters their suite to meet the majority of any organization’s requirements. Ventana Research believes the combination of Softscape’s Apex release and their software as a service approach will help them deliver a low cost, simple approach to improve workforce efficiency and performance.
Mark Smith, Ventana Research
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Relocation’s Impact on Workforce Performance
By mobilizing resources, relocation programs enable organizations to have their best and brightest talent in the right place at the right time.
Kurt Krueger, Washington Mutual, Inc., Cathleen Podell, Washington Mutual, Inc.
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  SAP Teams up with Microsoft for Enterprise Applications
June 1, 2005 - SAP announced a strategic partnership with Microsoft to jointly develop and market Microsoft Office-centric enterprise applications that integrate with SAP NetWeaver. The joint effort, code-named Project Mendocino provides Microsoft Office the user interface for interaction with SAP’s enterprise applications. It will require an upgrade to the latest versions of Microsoft Office, SAP NetWeaver and SAP ERP however to enjoy the benefits of utilizing Microsoft Office as a place for interactions with enterprise application from SAP. The teaming of these two software giants puts more pressure on Oracle and Siebel -- both must deliver new innovation and both must improve financial performance and enable greater customer success within their application businesses. Ventana Research sees this SAP announcement as an evolutionary shift in providing enterprise applications, but also as an initiative which will be inhibited by significant cost of upgrading technology infrastructure and by the immaturity of these Microsoft Office extended applications.
Mark Smith, Ventana Research
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Seizing the Human Capital Of Workers Over 50
What can employers do to prepare for the aging of the American workforce?
Deborah Russell, AARP
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Softscape Suite Sweetens Human Capital Management: Package includes advances in managing talent and HR processes
Managing the full potential of the workforce is a critical strategic step for finance and operations management. Softscape, a longstanding provider of human resources management systems (HRMSs), has released Apex 2006, which offers major enhancements for enterprises. This suite of workforce and human capital management (HCM) delivers broad capabilities ranging from tactical HR to strategic talent management. Ventana Research believes the time has come for organizations to reassess their workforce processes and supporting applications; in considering their choice of strategic provider of applications going forward, they should consider Softscape.
Mark Smith, Ventana Research
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Strengthening Business Processes Through Workflow Learning
The success of corporate technology initiatives hinges on three factors: people, process and technology.
Kevin C. Riley, OnDemand Software
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Supporting Workforce Performance: The Impact of Advanced Technologies
For a range of employees – from call center workers to chief learning officers – the reality of advanced performance support technologies is finally living up to the vision.
John Hubbell, Accenture, Chris Foley, Accenture, Dan Bielenberg, Accenture
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  The Business Impact of Customer And Channel Partner Education
Education offered to channel partners and customers – both enterprise customers and consumers – delivers clear benefits including repeat business, increased loyalty and lower costs.
David Y. Smith, Accenture
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  The Future of Corporate Training
A new breed of business process outsourcing expertise is helping companies align learning with key business goals and lower their training costs in the process.
Doug Harward, The Exceleration Group
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  The Human Capital Dilemma In the U.S. Government
As the baby boomer generation retires and college graduates choose not to pursue public-sector jobs, the federal government faces some critical employment challenges.
Dr. Jay Liebowitz, John Hopkins University
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  The Importance of the Talent Mindset In Workforce Management
The competitive strength of companies, social organizations and countries has shifted from ownership of physical assets to the intellectual attributes of their knowledge workers.
David Forman, Human Capital Institute, Michael Foster, Human Capital Institute, Allan Schweyer, Human Capital Institute
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  The Myth of Recruitment Outsourcing
Today outsourcing of the generalist functions, such as payroll, benefits administration and employee relations, has considerable momentum but the recruiting function is just beginning to be seriously considered.
John Younger, Accolo Inc.
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  The Path to the Top: Changes in the Attributes of Corporate Executives
A study of top executives from the Fortune 100 companies in 1980 and 2001 examines whether individuals with different attributes are getting to the top.
Peter Cappelli, University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  The Who, What and How Of Strategic Leadership
Leading strategically involves discovering the few key things an organization needs to do well and can do well, and creating the conditions needed to act collectively on the implications of that discovery.
Katherine Beatty, Center for Creative Leadership, Richard Hughes, Center for Creative Leadership
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Three Overlooked Keys to Innovation, Growth and High Performance
Because innovation comes from the culture of a company, executives should focus their attention on creating the conditions from which innovations grow.
Jane C. Linder, Accenture
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Work/Life Balance a Key To Employee Retention
HR professionals rising to the challenges of a transforming workforce reality need to be aware of certain trends that impact efforts to attract and retain a robust roll of talented employees.
John Rasmussen, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Workforce Performance Management Research Agenda for 2006
Enhancing the value and productivity of the workforce has never been more important for business success. Yet only recently have many organizations begun to pursue a centralized, strategic program to link workforce processes with technology in their efforts to generate the information management needs. The Workforce Performance Management practice at Ventana Research advises HR and executive management how to position their workforces to support business strategy and execution effectively. Improving workforce processes is worthwhile, of course, but alone it is not sufficient. In 2006 we will address how improving workforce performance, compliance and innovation can yield greater returns. Our research will explore the ways in which adopting workforce performance management as a key component of a business’s strategy and execution will support performance management, and thus improved competitiveness and profitability, across the organization.
Mark Smith, Ventana Research
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005

  Workforce Performance, in Need Of an Organizational Chiropractor
The gap around leadership and workforce performance is widening despite the wealth of insight and support.
Javier Bajer, PhD, Independent Consultant for Javier Bajer
People Project Volume 1, April 20, 2005