Summer and vacation are here 🌼
In Stockholm, it feels like we disconnected early this year after a long and cold winter, and the city emptied out already in mid-June. The calm is also reflected in a lower level of interesting news within the HR Tech field 🤔
So today's newsletter will be a bit shorter, perfect for reading in the hammock, deck chair, or perhaps on your last day at work.
After this, the newsletter will take a break until the end of August ⛱️🙏🏻🌻
Message from our sponsor:
Despite your knowledge of strategies, it can be challenging to create an HR digitalization strategy on your own. HR Digi offers several ways to support you and your organization.
Attend a course this fall and gain new perspectives on your thoughts with others - October 15-16✅
Get my help for a few hours to get feedback on your strategic work and how to improve it.✅
Network with others in the same situation
All our tips can be found here!
Today, I want to highlight an important issue that I often reflect on in my role as an HR Tech advisor: the constant need to return to the core of why we do what we do. "Back to basics," simply put.
In a time where new technologies such as generative AI and innovative supplier solutions tempt with their promises of efficiency and innovation, it is easy to be dazzled by the technical possibilities without considering their actual value for our organization and our employees.
You might be surprised that I bring up this issue, as someone who loves tech and constantly explores new possibilities. But for me, tech is merely a tool to achieve our goals – faster, more accurately, and more humanely 💚 Being clear about your WHY is crucial. It’s not just about implementing the latest technology for technology’s sake but grounding every tech decision in the organization's overall strategy and HR strategy. We should look at solutions only when the goal is clear.
As Josh Bersin often points out: "Fall in love with the problem - not the solution."
This is a truth many could benefit from being reminded of, especially when it comes to complex technology decisions.
We live in a time where it is easy to get swept up in the rapid advancements of technology and the many suppliers promising fantastic solutions. Here, AI proponents can sometimes contribute to a sense of stress 😩
But it is important to keep a cool head and not be distracted from first defining and then focusing on our why. This is where the value lies.
In my conversations with HR leaders and colleagues in the industry, I have seen that the most successful organizations are those that not only embrace and explore new technology but also carefully consider how this technology can be integrated into a cohesive strategy. It is about creating a link between technology and people, where every new solution supports and enhances our goals.
To truly succeed, it is also crucial to get the entire organization on board 🙋 Change is never easy, and without engagement and understanding from all levels of the organization, even the best intention can fail. This means we must allocate time and resources to educate and support our employees so that they understand and feel comfortable with the changes taking place.
So let’s "go back to basics." Let us be clear about our goals and needs as we explore all new exciting technology while engaging and supporting our organization throughout the change journey. By doing this, we ensure that every investment in tech, AI knowledge, or new ways of working is not only relevant but also strategically meaningful and takes us forward toward our organization’s goals 🎯
If you need help creating your strategy for both general tech and AI, I recommend either our Two-day course - Digitalization and AI for HR 🤖 or hiring me as an advisor for a few hours for feedback on your thoughts.
You can find several suggestions HERE.
Some interesting findings in this latest Talent Acquisition (TA) report: The market is still economically uncertain. Companies are delaying hiring and TA solution decisions, leading to longer buying processes for suppliers. Some companies negotiate better discounts, while other suppliers add AI features to increase revenue. The next wave of AI innovation will make the candidate experience more personalized and efficient, but human oversight remains important.
Bure becomes a new part-owner of Mentimeter - read more here.
Jobylon has acquired Trustcruit, with support from Private Equity firm Verdane - read more here.
TechWolf, an interesting player in the Skillstech market, has received a large investment.
Meanwhile, Cornerstone OnDemand bought the company SkyHive a few weeks ago to complement their Galaxy initiative, which I wrote about in the previous issue.
This makes Dahlgren Capital the largest single shareholder in Zebrain (a platform for personal coaching for employees and organizations) alongside the founders.
Talent Company continues its investments and has invested a significant amount of money in Tilda, a next-generation learning technology designed to democratize and seamlessly integrate learning into everyday life.
"Job roles and titles have always been an effective way to communicate the type of work someone does and their level of experience. Although they are beneficial, job titles can sometimes be restrictive, vague, and inconsistent, often failing to encompass a person's full set of skills and capacities. This often creates confusion about what work an employee is responsible for. A 'holacratic' workforce, on the other hand, replaces the traditional hierarchy with a flexible organizational structure. Employees are not bound to a specific role or job title; instead, they are self-directed and assigned projects based on their skills and interests. Decision-making authority is distributed among team members, allowing for more autonomy, creativity, and innovation."
Business profiles pour money into the HR platform - read more here.
The Jönköping-based company is developing a kind of "AI colleague" capable of automating everyday tasks. They aim to make it possible for everyone to automate digital workflows at work – even for people without technical skills. Today they are launching a major new initiative. Viss has developed a new language model that, according to CEO and co-founder Philip Alm, is the largest of its kind in Sweden. It will be available to the public as a chatbot but can also be downloaded and run independently.
You can see the full report here.
HR loves Tech & AI - Sweden's HR Association --> Read more and register here.
Isn't it time to educate your HR organization in the areas of tech and AI? The transition support can be used for this course. --> Read more and register here.
Our best local event for innovation inspiration.
--> Read more about the event here.
Sweden’s HR and Personnel System suppliers gather to present their news. -
-> Read more about the event here.
Our best Swedish event for innovation inspiration. -
-> Read more about the event here.
Read more about the event here.
Are you joining me in Las Vegas this year? Feel free to get in touch if you plan to attend at anna@hrdigi.se. I am traveling as usual 🧳✈️. Until June 28, it is the absolute best price.
After that, I hope to get a code for a discounted registration -
A bit like HR Days - but 100x bigger. --> Read more about the event here.
The goal of the newsletter is to write about news in the HR Tech market and the areas of digitalization and innovation for management and HR, and also to talk about episodes of the HR Digitalization Podcast.
My name is Anna Carlsson, and I am a curious HR Tech analyst with more than 20 years of experience at the intersection of business, people, and technology. I believe that technology is not a side activity within HR; digitalization is fundamental to creating a more people-focused workplace. My passion is leading the movement for the future of HR by creating it together with clients and colleagues and educating and developing organizations and individuals.
I run HR Digi, which includes the HR Digitalization Podcast, where I am also the host. Within HR Digi, we offer advisory services, consulting support, training, and inspiration to create a modern digital organization.
I am also listed among the 2024 top 100 HR Tech influencers 👏🏻
👉 Schedule a virtual coffee with me so we can discuss how I can support you in your work.
