Article: Talent solutions on big data is the essence of the future

Technology

Talent solutions on big data is the essence of the future

Rudy Karsan, GM, Kenexa & Smarter Workforce, IBM says technologies indicate the future talent management possibilities
Talent solutions on big data is the essence of the future
 

The pace of change at the workplace will contribute a lot to the fast paced nature of technological advancements in the organization

 

Humans essentially operate at two levels when it comes to making decisions: the rational and the emotional. The rational is driven by data which we analyse and then use to make a judgement. The emotional, on the other hand, is driven by data we collect through sensing rather than rational means, and we use this to make our decision. And whenever the two are in conflict, the emotional aspect usually dominates. How does this play out in the field of talent management?

Typically, when talent managers look at data, they are also influenced by the intuitive or emotional aspect as a supplement of the rational data when it comes to decision making.

The modern talent manager is facing an overflow of information and data from all channels and this can be overwhelming to manage. The rate of data generation and storage is doubling every 18 months due to all the social network content, unstructured databases, resumes which are going all around, and blogs and videos and original content that people are creating every day. A talent manager who is planning to base future decisions on data has to accommodate the data at a pace which is four times faster and bigger in volume. Talent managers are looking at ways of consolidating this data, reducing its complexity, contextualize and make sense out of it. However, they are overwhelmed because they don’t have the analytical tools to assimilate the rate and volume at which data is coming in and it is almost impossible to keep up.

Technology companies are thus trying
to develop and build tools for a talent manager that makes all the data more manageable, more meaningful and contextual and helps her/him make quick decisions.

Talent management solutions based on Big Data are the essence of the future. Smart talent solutions such as those for talent assessment, testing and behavioural assessment help the hiring process in predictive and prescriptive ways. The interview process, consequently, is then left for the more human aspects of hiring such as the overall friendliness of the person, personality and personal appeal and cultural traits and fit. That’s how a talent manager arrives at a joint decision between rational and emotional.

The pace of changes at the workplace will contribute a lot to the fast paced nature of technological advancements in the organization. Let’s consider the example of employee engagement. Until now measurement of engagement has primarily been episodic. But at the rate things change, the nature of engagement within the organization would have changed significantly within weeks if not months. Talent managers will, therefore, need help from technology to be constantly abreast of these changes.

Technologies that provide real-time information already exist. While I think these will first find use in society, they will ultimately be used at the workplace as well. For example, there is facial recognition software currently available that can match pictures of individuals and search in a database and pull up information about them. Very soon, these will be used at the workplace to track basic administrative metrics such as absenteeism and attendance. Many actions, which are currently executed by handheld devices, will transfer to wearable devices and implants are only a step away in the future. They are no longer science fiction. Currently, experiments are underway where facial recognition devices are implanted under the cornea of an eye, or biometric speech devices are implanted in the jaw. These technologies will enter the workforce the same way as mobile devices did – not because the CIO said that everybody needs smartphones, but because it was driven from the bottom up. These kinds of changes are here to stay; they are only slowed down by budgetary constraints, facilitation by enterprises and absorption by humans.

Humans essentially operate at two levels when it comes to making decisions: the rational and the emotional. The rational is driven by data which we analyse and then use to make a judgement. The emotional, on the other hand, is driven by data we collect through sensing rather than rational means, and we use this to make our decision. And whenever the two are in conflict, the emotional aspect usually dominates. How does this play out in the field of talent management? Typically, when talent managers look at data, they are also influenced by the intuitive or emotional aspect as a supplement of the rational data when it comes to decision making. The modern talent manager is facing an overflow of information and data from all channels and this can be overwhelming to manage. The rate of data generation and storage is doubling every 18 months due to all the social network content, unstructured databases, resumes which are going all around, and blogs and videos and original content that people are creating every day. A talent manager who is planning to base future decisions on data has to accommodate the data at a pace which is four times faster and bigger in volume. Talent managers are looking at ways of consolidating this data, reducing its complexity, contextualize and make sense out of it. However, they are overwhelmed because they don’t have the analytical tools to assimilate the rate and volume at which data is coming in and it is almost impossible to keep up. Technology companies are thus trying
to develop and build tools for a talent manager that makes all the data more manageable, more meaningful and contextual and helps her/him make quick decisions. Talent management solutions based on Big Data are the essence of the future. Smart talent solutions such as those for talent assessment, testing and behavioural assessment help the hiring process in predictive and prescriptive ways. The interview process, consequently, is then left for the more human aspects of hiring such as the overall friendliness of the person, personality and personal appeal and cultural traits and fit. That’s how a talent manager arrives at a joint decision between rational and emotional. The pace of changes at the workplace will contribute a lot to the fast paced nature of technological advancements in the organization. Let’s consider the example of employee engagement. Until now measurement of engagement has primarily been episodic. But at the rate things change, the nature of engagement within the organization would have changed significantly within weeks if not months. Talent managers will, therefore, need help from technology to be constantly abreast of these changes. Technologies that provide real-time information already exist. While I think these will first find use in society, they will ultimately be used at the workplace as well. For example, there is facial recognition software currently available that can match pictures of individuals and search in a database and pull up information about them. Very soon, these will be used at the workplace to track basic administrative metrics such as absenteeism and attendance. Many actions, which are currently executed by handheld devices, will transfer to wearable devices and implants are only a step away in the future. They are no longer science fiction. Currently, experiments are underway where facial recognition devices are implanted under the cornea of an eye, or biometric speech devices are implanted in the jaw. These technologies will enter the workforce the same way as mobile devices did – not because the CIO said that everybody needs smartphones, but because it was driven from the bottom up. These kinds of changes are here to stay; they are only slowed down by budgetary constraints, facilitation by enterprises and absorption by humans.
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Topics: Technology, #BestPractices, #ExpertViews

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