Recently, RCSA held an engaging roundtable session to discuss the opportunities and challenges staffing firms face when choosing and operating digital technology. The conversation was driven by McArthur Chief Operating Office, Pezh
Moradi and covered a wide range of topics including automation, turnkey systems, compliance, vendor selection and artificial intelligence.
With the world of work rapidly changing, it is vital recruiters are up to date with the latest in digital technology and equally important for organisations to find the right process and product to ensure their business can operate productively and efficiently.
Pezh Moradi
STEPS TO SUCCESS
Digital transformation is a journey, not just a destination.
To find success, Pezh pointed out that organisations need to be thoroughly prepared and there are a number of steps that can be taken to make sure the transformation is smooth.
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Define your vision and objectives: Before embarking on the journey, it’s important to clearly define your vision and objectives.
- Ask yourself:
- What do you want to achieve through digital transformation?
- Is it improving operational efficiency, enhancing client and employee experiences, or exploring new business models.
- A well-defined vision will serve as a guiding light throughout the process.
- Foster a culture of innovation.
- Digital transformation is not just about adopting new technologies; it is also about fostering a culture of innovation.
- It is important to encourage employees to embrace change, experiment with new ideas, and continuously learn.
- A collaborative environment empowers individuals to contribute their insights and expertise.
- By nurturing a culture of innovation, businesses can drive meaningful transformation and ensure that everyone is invested in the process.
- Assess and upgrade your technological infrastructure:
- Digital transformation relies heavily on technology, and it is crucial to assess your existing technological infrastructure and identify any gaps or limitations.
- Determine what new tools, systems, or platforms you need to support your transformation goals.
- Invest in scalable and flexible technologies that can adapt to future needs.
- Remember, technology is an enabler, and selecting the right solutions is crucial for a successful transformation.
- Prioritise change management and employee training:
- Allocate sufficient resources and efforts to change management.
- Communicate the benefits and objectives of the transformation to your employees and provide them with the necessary training and support. This will empower your workforce to adapt to new technologies and processes, as their involvement and acceptance are key to the success of the transformation.
MANAGING CHANGE
Change management is about successfully navigating and getting the most out of technology and is an inevitable part of business growth and adaptation. To be successful you need a structured approach to prepare, equip, and support individuals and teams to embrace and navigate their way through digital transformation. Getting staff to adopt and optimise their usage of digital tools can significantly enhance productivity and efficiency.
Some key strategies to address change management and increase adoption-levels include…
- Communicating the why and the benefits:
- Prioritise clear and consistent communication during change.
- Articulate reasons behind the change.
- Highlight benefits for individuals and the organisation.
- Address concerns and provide context.
- Emphasise the positive impact on employees and their work.
- Answer the question, "What's in it for me?"
During the discussions six further steps were identified as paramount to a successful digital transformation.
- Involving stakeholders from the outset.
- Creating a compelling vision.
- Developing a comprehensive change plan.
- Providing training and support.
- Celebrating successes and encourage feedback.
- Setting clear expectations.
DISCUSSION
Processes and thoughts shared by members.
Automation
- Important that automation supports external communications and candidate surveys.
- Seeking methods to leverage automation to streamline operations and improve efficiencies.
- Would like to have a one stop shop rather than having to use multiple platforms.
- Connecting multiple databases takes time and resources, but worth the effort in the end to have all the data on hand and once a system is set up it saves time.
- Would like to see better functionality between marketing comms, surveys, and CRMs.
- Important to have choice and control over the automation process.
- Automating dataset and business intelligence has been an exciting evolution with reporting and aiding strategic decisions.
Modular vs Turnkey Solutions
- Members have found that that a single (turnkey) solution is easier for teams to implement and understand.
- Turnkey has restrictions and limitations when it comes to other capabilities like integrating other software.
- Product enhancements and customisations become more challenging turnkey.
- Reduces buying power with reliance on a single vendor for operational needs.
- Tech platforms (via Apis) seems to be moving to more modular models, supported by advancements in AI and connectivity using middleware.
Compliance
- Compliance in the one system seems to be effective and easier for staff to use.
- Can be difficult to find a program that includes compliance or that does a fast and effective job of managing it.
- Helps to overlap automation with compliance prompting Consultants/Managers to monitoring and update compliance items with regulatory/legislative standards.
Vendor selection
- Important to value stream vendors and create a criteria before choosing who to go with.
- Can be helpful to create a shortlist of vendors by listing out functional requirements and how they support an organisation’s needs.
- Assess past performance and timelines.
- It is important to have an idea of your technology strategy before choosing a vendor, to avoid tech for ‘tech-sake’.
- Make sure they have an Australian Data Centre.
- Important to understand the limitations early and cater for those limitations otherwise change management can be adversely affected.
Artificial Intelligence
- Important to define the difference between artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and large language models (LLM).
- Recruiters should be aware of the trends and areas it can assist them, or risk being left behind.
- Presently, it’s prudent to compare large language models (LLM) to an intern. It is a good first draft but should not be relied upon for the final copy.
- Can’t do sourcing or referencing yet, which is a problem. Must err on the side of caution when considering AI for resourcing and selecting as it may open biases and discriminatory practices if performed without governance.
With digital technology one of the most relevant topics being discussed by the staffing industry, it’s subject that isn’t going anywhere. RCSA, with the support of McArthur intend to continue discussions with members to problem solve and stay up to date in this fluid landscape. Stay tuned.