I have worked on some very exciting research projects over the past 15 years but our latest research on Digital Transformation in Talent Acquisition might be my favorite to date. Aptitude Research and Alexander Mann Solutions partnered together to create a report that would cover both the digital transformation roadmap as well as the digital transformation landscape. Below are some of the key highlights from the report (which is available now):
1. People are the Foundation of Success When it Comes to Transformation: Digital transformation is successful when companies are prepared and have the right support to ensure consistency and adoption. Too often, companies focus on the technology and ignore the role of change management and the impact of existing services to enable a successful digital strategy. The design of digital transformation has to have the user at its center. It takes strong leadership, planning and expertise to successfully implement real change, yet only 17% of companies in Aptitude Research’s study stated that senior leaders were confident in their current strategies to support digital journeys. Additionally, only 32% of companies have the internal resources they need and only 26% of organizations have the budget they need to support digital transformation (Aptitude Research, 2019 Talent Acquisition survey).
2. Companies Achieve Success When They Start Small: The greatest mistake organizations make with a digital transformation is starting out too big. Organizations should consider a focused approach with one or two areas of talent acquisition and even start within a single early adopter business unit. According to research conducted by McKinsey in 2018, only 16% of companies stated that digital transformation had successfully improved performance and 8 in 10 of organizations stated that digital transformation was too wide in scope. Organizations that are able to adopt agile project methodology, which has the user at its center, have a better chance of delivering a positive experience. Even more important than the initial project is ensuring that organizations have the budget and infrastructure to manage continual improvements, deliver incremental changes based on user feedback, and align business needs to a set of core design principles.
3. Brand is a Critical Component of a Digital Strategy: Digital transformation provides opportunities to show candidates and employees more about an organization and establish trust and partnerships. Yet, only 29% of companies believe that brand plays an important role in digital transformation (Aptitude Research, 2019 Talent Acquisition survey). When embracing digital technology, companies need to align their strategy with employer branding efforts and organizational culture, as well as consider the role of branding throughout the entire candidate’s journey from recruitment marketing to onboarding and new hire engagement. Consistency of messaging is critically important in a digital transformation.
4. Most Companies are at the Early Stages of Digital Transformation: Over 50% of companies in all regions said that they consider themselves to be in the early stages of digital transformation either just starting their journey or implementation process (Aptitude Research, 2019 Talent Acquisition survey). It is critical for these companies to develop a strategy to achieve success in adopting digital solutions. Industries that have the most mature digital transformation strategies in place include retail, technology and manufacturing according to Aptitude Research. Companies beginning the process should look at these industries for lessons learned and best practices. The true benefit and bi-product of digital is to enable relationships and human interactions.
