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The Hackett Group Senior Research Director Anthony DiRomualdo talked with European HR Practice Leader Dorothee El-Khoury about key findings from The Hackett Group’s 2022 Human Resources Key Issues Research. The research covers top priorities and challenge areas for HR in 2022, including the ongoing pandemic, the great resignation, the challenge of retaining and attracting workers, the shift to remote/hybrid work, creating a more diverse and inclusive workforce, and more.

Show Notes:

Welcome to the Hackett Group’s Business Excelleration Podcast, where - week after week - we hear from experts on how to avoid obstacles, manage detours, and celebrate milestones on the journey to world-class performance. This episode of the podcast is hosted by The Hackett Group’s Senior Research Director Tony DiRomualdo. His guest today is Dorothee El-Khoury, Head of France & HR Practice for the EMEA region at Hackett. 

The Hackett group polls several 100 executives every year in the October timeframe to gauge what is top of mind for them for the upcoming year. Today, they will discuss some of the key highlights from the research on the HR agenda in 2022, namely the top 10 issues.  

To begin, Tony elaborates on the number one issue overall: to act as a strategic advisor to the business. After being on the backburner for many years, this issue finally made it into the top 10 list in 2020. That is significant because Covid changed many things in the world and in business. For HR, it was a breakthrough moment, because they were being relied on to help business leaders deal with a flood of operational challenges. For the first time, HR at large was really appreciated for how they can help the business succeed. This being at the top of the list speaks to the fact that these issues remain top of mind as we move farther from the initial pandemic panic. These obstacles include the great resignation, the pressures around creating a diverse and inclusive workforce and the shift to remote and hybrid working models. Combined, all of these are reinforcing HR’s role as strategic advisor.   

Then, Dorothee shares what she found most interesting on this list. In line with #1, she notes that numbers 2 and 3 really relate to how HR can support delivery of company strategy. The second is about being able to require critical skills and retain critical profiles. From the same studies, companies find that not having the right talent is a major risk to the company and can weaken their strategic position. Number 3 is about creating and maintaining a high-performance culture in the organization. This is linked with the new flexible and remote ways of working. The culture replaces what used to be a direct management oversight over employees as they work. These are much more linked to business objectives than they would be in the past. 

Next, Dorothee identifies that what really surprised her about the list was in fact what isn’t mentioned on the list. The change in HR operating models is absolutely necessary for HR functions to continue driving in 2022. There is a productivity and efficiency gap due to business growth, but the HR teams and budgets remain stable. This gap must be bridged by branching away from the old ways of working. Tony’s biggest surprise was #8 on the list: maintain employee resilience and wellbeing. Tony’s surprise dates back to April 2020, when he wrote a blog post concerning employee wellbeing and ability to be productive under stressful conditions. Seeing this on this year’s list was a reassurance that it’s on the minds of leadership. 

Finally, they discuss the things on the list giving them pause for concern. For Dorothee, the last item on the list, aligning HR skills and talent management, is slightly worrying that it isn’t a higher priority at this time. HR commonly underestimated how much they need to do in terms of bringing in fresh skills and persp

The Hackett Group Vice President of Research Erik Dorr talks with Global GBS Practice Leader Martijn Geerling and Senior Director Hermann Waschefort about key findings from The Hackett Group’s 2022 Global Business Services Key Issues Research. The research tracks GBS goals, critical development areas, and digital transformation priorities, and offers GBS executives guidance on where to focus their efforts.

Show Notes:

Welcome to the Hackett Group’s Business Excelleration Podcast, where – week after week – we hear from experts on how to avoid obstacles, manage detours, and celebrate milestones on the journey to world-class performance. This episode of the podcast is hosted by the Vice President of Research at Hackett, Erik Dorr. He is joined by the Global GBS Practice Leader, Martijn Geerling and Senior Director of Europe GBS Practice, Hermann Waschefort. Listen as they talk about the insights they have on the Hackett Group’s key issues and improvements for 2022. 

The episode begins with Martijn sharing about his observations on some different issues in the GBS business environment along with how they have adapted and responded to them. One of the major ones he addresses is how the pandemic has changed the norm and influenced the business community and environment, specifically with the transition to a virtual culture. Additionally, Hermann adds to this by bringing up the great resignation and how it has affected the market. Digital transformation is another area of change 2022 has brought and both men share about how this has impacted the business’ investment in new skill sets. 

Next, they turn their attention specifically to how GBS is responding to these challenges they have been faced with. First, they speak on the goal of returning to a new normal and focusing on growth and productivity within the business. This includes improving customer experience and making it more personal and user friendly. They also point out how GBS is using new technologies and tools to increase digital transformation and reach a higher level of excellence and business value. Going along with this, they point out the importance of planning and managing digital adoptions to assess all the aspects of change it will bring to the company. 

Lastly, they discuss the plans for increasing value delivery for the enterprise of the GBS organization. This includes continuing to establish stronger enterprise capabilities, focusing on delivering faster, and joining forces with IT. Another important aspect is using data as an insight into improvement through data management and collaboration. There are several big areas of opportunity to move into, specifically in the supply chain, sales, and marketing, and they discuss how to represent and develop more of these aspects. They conclude with some closing thoughts on 2022 GBS transformation and goals they are excited about for the future. 

The Hackett Group European Procurement Advisory Practice Leader Mélani Flores talks with Vodafone Global Head of SCM Development, Operations & Digital Reinhard Plaza-Bartsch about their Vodafone Blockchain Price Manager, which was the winner in the Source-to-Purchase category in The Hackett Group’s 2021 Digital Awards.

Show Notes:

Welcome to the Hackett Group’s Business Excelleration Podcast, where - week after week - we hear from experts on how to avoid obstacles, manage detours, and celebrate milestones on the journey to world-class performance. This episode of the podcast is hosted by the Hackett Group European Procurement Advisory Practice Leader Mélani Flores.  She speaks with Reinhard Plaza-Bartsch, Vodafone Global Head of SCM Development, Operations & Digital.  Mélani and Reinhard discuss the Vodafone Blockchain Price Manager, which was the winner in the Source-to-Purchase category in the Hackett Group’s 2021 Digital Awards.

To kick off the conversation, Mélani asks how the Vodafone Procurement Company operates and supports the other lines of Vodafone business.  Vodafone is, Reinhard shares by way of background, a leading technology communications company.  Vodafone Procurement Company is effectively the large supply chain arm of the Vodafone group.  It centralizes procurement for most third-party connections Vodafone maintains, covering categories from networks to IT, devices, and "indirects."  The Vodafone Procurement Company's value proposition is to bring value to the business through scale, driving category transformation and heavy digitization of the supply chain.  

Moving forward, Mélani and Reinhard talk more about the role of digital transformation within Vodafone Procurement Company.  Digital transformation has been the organization's top priority for several years, and it started with a clear focus on getting access to data.  It involves standardization and automation, movement and connection of data, and much more.  Digital is ultimately now part of the company's DNA and drives operational and customer experience efforts.  

Turning more specifically to the Vodafone Blockchain Price Manager, Mélani asks what it is and what business challenge required it.  The instigating challenge was the issue of keeping track of many pricing agreements, managing them actively, and avoiding any financial leakage.  Automation promised to cut down on time and labor, and blockchain seemed a viable option.  As Reinhard and his colleagues looked into their existing estate and leaned into new technology, they thought blockchain would offer a unique opportunity for synchronization and alignment.  Blockchain could integrate into the Vodafone ecosystem, and offered several points of value, such as making both catalog maintenance and the offering of full transparency easier.

Turning to other business professionals engaging in similar initiatives, Reinhard advises them to be cautious about the technology they choose, and then to focus on development.  After having a view to design, the last piece takes critical stock of architectural concerns.  As for Reinhard and his company, next steps for Vodafone Blockchain Price Manager include maximizing use of the solution, as well as considering the possibility of turning into a product available for other companies.  More broadly, the next steps in Vodafone Procurement Company's digital transformation center on three areas: deep focus on analytics and business insight, deeper automation, and moving into other areas auxiliary to procurement.  

The Hackett Group Principal David Ketchin talks with Senior Director Hiten Parmar and Principal Georg Bach about their perspective on sustainable procurement in Europe, how the pandemic has helped move the topic to the top of the procurement agenda, and critical success factors for sustainable procurement initiatives.

Show Notes:

This episode of the podcast is hosted by David Ketchin, Managing Director of Europe for the Hackett Group.  His guests for the episode are Principal Georg Bach and Senior Director Hiten Parmar.  Georg helps lead the Hackett Group's operations in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the Nordics, working with senior executive clients.  Hiten is the Hackett Group's procurement transformation leader based in the UK.  Both guests join David to discuss the topic of sustainable procurement, and given their contexts and roles, there is a distinct European flavor to some of the challenges discussed.

As David and his guests launch into their discussion, they first consider the fragile state of Europe' supply chain right now before turning to a basic definition of procurement.  The primary goal for procurement is cost management, which involves obtaining the right supplies at the right time for an optimal price.  In the present moment, there is a particularly high demand to do this job well and, in doing so, to meet relevant regulations - especially in the high-profile area of sustainability.  Sustainable procurement is multi-faceted and involves two broad themes.  The first theme, that of looking at ESG and strategic imperatives, centers on three key pillars: environment, social, and governance.  

The other broad theme is possibly even more important than the first, and it is to extend the CPO's impact in the decision-making process at the board level, CEO level, and beyond.  Because of changes in consumer behavior and investor attitudes, a company CEO has to access innovative profit pools with smaller carbon footprints.  The CPO and procurement department generally manage supplier innovation, so they are now presented with both the challenge and the opportunity to effectively contribute to business markets and carbon footprints.  

Moving forward, the group talks about how to get started in forming and implementing an effective strategy.  It is such an exciting time for procurement leaders, as they have great opportunity to innovate, challenge, and identify strategic partners to accelerate business change.  Effective engagement with suppliers is of primary importance, and leaders should also consider what is in their control in relationships with suppliers (such as the cultivation of relationships with suppliers that share the company's values).  Procurement leaders have opportunity to work toward a sense of mutual value creation, a robust insistence on company values, and even diversity on multiple levels.  

Of course, when preparing to move toward a stronger sustainable procurement practice, it's helpful to see how other companies are handling similar shifts.  However, it is not entirely clear at this point what companies are and are not doing well in this area, and the realm of sustainable procurement is constantly evolving and demands flexibility.  That being said, there are critical success factors to bear in mind.  First, those trying to secure rapid benefits should treat procurement as a true business partner.  Procurement leaders should leverage their asset (expertise and data), live the visible strategic priority of sustainability in procurement, keep an eye to tangible value, focus on business alignment, and establish structures of collaboration.  

The Hackett Group  Director Jay Ruffin talks with Principal Yonas Yohannes on the growth of cloud computing and what companies should think about as they make the decision to move to the cloud.

Show Notes:

Welcome to the Hackett Group’s Business Excelleration Podcast, where - week after week - we hear from experts on how to avoid obstacles, manage detours, and celebrate milestones on the journey to world-class performance. This episode of the podcast is hosted by Hackett Group Senior Director Jay Ruffin. His guest today is Hackett Group Principal Yonas Yohannes.  Yonas is an expert in all things digital and is a leader in the area of technology transformation; he joins the podcast today to offer insight on the specific topic of cloud computing.

The market for cloud computing has grown a great deal in recent years, and it is expected to continue growing.  Interestingly, though, much of the growth thus far has been seen among small and medium-sized businesses, while larger businesses seem to be lagging more.  Yonas offers a brief overview of the history of the cloud, and notes that there has been a lack of both a systematic way to adopt and a motivating sense of need to migrate to the cloud.  As part of ongoing digital transformation in the market, Yonas explains, we need to see the cloud treated more as a business strategy and a strategic imperative.  We need to see cloud service providers (among others) constructing an adoption mechanism and migration plan, and helping business leaders to think through migration and the necessity of it.  

And while it is true that larger companies have thus far lagged behind smaller companies in transitioning to the cloud, Yonas also notes that there are exceptions to this trend.  In the financial services industry, for instance, several large companies have migrated to the cloud.     Such transitions have been helped by strong cloud education shaping c-level decisions, as well as the emergence of the new customer (with a demand for the digital).  In some business sectors, Yonas points out, there has been a faster rate of adoption among large companies than in others.  In general, though, the whole market is moving toward adoption of the cloud as a digital transformation pillar.  

Moving forward, Jay and Yonas discuss whether there are any must-haves in terms of frameworks or tools as companies consider transitioning to the cloud.  Yonas explains a few valuable frameworks: cloud strategy, economy, and management.  And while content for executives on a general approach to and the mechanisms of cloud have been missing in recent years, there is increasing availability of resources for leaders to consider the benefits and risks of cloud, an adoption strategy, etc.  

As the conversation moves toward a close, Jay asks Yonas for his thoughts about what is in the future and what listeners should be looking out for.  Yonas explains that the concept of resilience has changed, and is now tied to the cloud, how banks in particular will be helped by modernizing and simplifying their legacy structures and applications, and more.  Yonas offers advice to those looking to formulate a cloud strategy, advises a multiple-CSD approach, and an overall push to both adopt the cloud and mitigate company risk.  Finally, he leaves listeners with parting thoughts on the primacy of strategy, the importance of executive sponsorship and having the cloud aligned to all aspects of a business, and the need to think in terms of resilience.

The Hackett Group Senior Research Director Tony DiRomualdo talks with Chief HR Officer Harry Osle about “The Great Resignation,” what is driving it and what companies can do to address issues relating to hiring and retention in today’s changing market. 

Show Notes:
Welcome to the Hackett Group’s Business Excelleration Podcast, where - week after week - we hear from experts on how to avoid obstacles, manage detours, and celebrate milestones on the journey to world-class performance. This episode of the podcast is hosted by the Hackett Group’s Senior Research Director Tony DiRomualdo. His guest today is Harry Osle, Chief HR Officer and Global Leader of the HR Executive Advisory program at Hackett. 

The topic for today’s discussion is the great resignation. As we all know, people are leaving their workplaces, and some even the entire workforce, at an unprecedented rate. To begin, Harry shares some of his own observations as a CHRO and advisor at Hackett. He believes these resignations and high turnover rates are an outcome of what he deems “the great introspective.” Over the last two years, people have had the chance to really ask themselves if they are doing what they truly love. Many are realizing that they are not, and are deciding to do something different. 

Once people have the opportunity to experience the hardships of personal business, Harry expects we will begin to see some returning to the traditional workforce. As the variants go away and life becomes more normal, the pendulum will shift back as well. However, we will never be back to where we were before. For many organizations, remote work is here to stay. 

Many employers have found themselves at a complete loss in terms of how to attract and retain a workforce. Currently, there are more positions open than there are people to fill them. This is putting tremendous pressure on the entire recruiting pipeline, from attracting talent, interviewing them, ensuring they are a right fit and that the onboarding process is efficient. 

Next, Harry shares a few ways employers can be more effective in attracting and retaining talent. When it comes to attracting talent, they should do a better job of positioning their brand and ensuring it is out in the marketplace and recognizable. Taking advantage of all job listing and social media sites is very important. Then, they must be timely and efficient with the interview process. This involves ensuring you have the right interview questions, process and interviewers. At that point, it’s very important to ensure that you have an efficient and impactful hiring process. Make sure new hires understand all of the capabilities they are provided for learning new things, developing themselves and growing their careers with you. Remember that while you are hiring someone, you are also marketing to them. Finally, make sure a new hire is equipped with the right performance manager, understands their goals and is surrounded with others who will make them successful in their career. 

In terms of retaining talent, Harry believes it is all about making sure they understand that the organization is there. It begins with great coaching, mentoring and candid feedback on performance. Because remote knowledge working is here to stay, you must create avenues for employees to reach out to individual and get feedback on how they’re doing. People often leave their employers because they feel disconnected from the organization. If you can address that by making sure they’re engaged and enjoy their work, you will gain respect. Additionally, making sure they have appropriate and impactful compensation and benefits is more important now than ever.  The final piece is to provide them with global mobility and other career options after they have held the same position for a while.