Christopher J. Dwyer, Author at The Future of Work Exchange

“The Greatest Resignation” Means We Need to Start Thinking Differently About the Workforce

Business Leadership Talent by Christopher J. Dwyer on 04/05/2022

“Find joy in everything you choose to do. Every job, relationship, home… it’s your responsibility to love it, or change it.” – Chuck Palahniuk, Best-Selling Author

For months now, “The Great Resignation” has been dominating headlines, thought leadership, workforce news, and all of the appropriate responses to the transformation of talent and work. By now, we know the stakes: millions of workers are voluntarily leaving their jobs for a variety of reasons, all of which prove that there’s more to life (and work!) than just cold, hard cash.

The Future of Work Exchange has been covering this topic for months, encouraging business leaders to think about The Great Resignation from a different perspective, that of a “Talent Revolution.” So it goes, the foundational elements of what’s also being called “The Big Quit” revolve around the concepts of purpose, career journeys, and alignment between a human and his/her/their work. Too, aspects like better working conditions, inclusive workplace culture, and, yes, of course, compensation, are all driving factors of the revolution happening right in front of us.

So, given all of this, when does The Great Resignation end? Well, it seems we’re heading in the opposite direction. Let’s just call it The Greatest Resignation, because:

Last Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Labor announced that nearly 4.4 million Americans quit their jobs in February.
Better than January? Oh, gosh no. This was 100,000 more resignations than the U.S. experienced in January, and…
…it’s also perilously close to The Great Resignation’s prestigious world record, set with 4.5 million resignations in November 2021.

“Great” has become “Greatest” as this phenomenon marches on. We’re supposed to be living in a “let’s just deal with it” phase of the pandemic, so shouldn’t that mean all of those aspects of business disruption, including staffing shortages and massive resignations, start to curtail as we move towards our so-called “new normal”?

In an article on CNBC, Daniel Zhao, senior economist at Glassdoor, said that “These quits are still extremely high, and that shows the Great Resignation is still in full swing,” and that “It wouldn’t be a surprise to see that cool down in 2022,” Zhao said. “But that’s not to say we should expect the Great Resignation to disappear overnight.”

So, in essence, it’s a hiring purgatory, isn’t it? For now, it certainly seems like it. However, just perceiving all of this with a different mindset is the first, and most crucial, step in moving out of this unique period in business (and staffing) history.

Here’s the wake-up call: no matter the level of benefits nor the amount of compensation, a business cannot effectively fulfill a worker’s ultimate aspirations without purposeful and meaningful work. There must be a catalyst that drives that realm of joy within a professional’s heart and mind. The Great Resignation is not a fight over money, nor is it a sign that workers have become greedier and are asking for the moon.

This all simply means one thing: the pandemic has shaped our lives in such a way that the personal and professional dichotomy has become intertwined. Workers are people and people are workers. They want purpose. They want joy. They want to earn a living (a nice living) while doing something they love.

There’s a critical reason why we should be looking at The Greatest Resignation much differently. It’s not a war of attrition nor a battle for higher wages, but rather a revolution in which humans are doing everything they can to align their purpose, culture, and journey with the many, many hours they spend at work.

Prosperity and Disruption: Prosperix’s VMS Network is a Future of Work Innovation

Solution Providers Technology and Innovation by Christopher J. Dwyer on 04/04/2022

Vendor Management System (VMS) technology, along with Managed Service Providers (MSP), are typically considered the two most traditional and widely-used solutions in the greater workforce management technology market. Rightfully so: each of these on their own drive services-based (MSP) and end-to-end automation (VMS) for their clients in such a way that there may never be a time when Best-in-Class organizations aren’t utilizing one of the two (or, in many cases, both) to gain visibility and control, and, of course, optimize, the way extended talent is brought into the organization and ultimately managed.

Today, the landscape looks much different than it did even a couple of years ago. The pandemic brought about revolutionary change in how executive leaders perceive their operating structures, finances, technology utilization, and, critically, their workforce. The talent acquisition arena has been permanently altered, with enterprises finding that there is so much more to engaging top-tier talent than simply filling out a job requisition and expecting candidates to flock to open roles.

“To remain competitive, businesses must brace for more dramatic changes than ever before,” said Sunil Bagai, CEO of Prosperix. “The rapidly-evolving landscape requires new solutions and ways of thinking that allow businesses to become more agile, resilient, and more capable of meeting the seemingly endless demands today’s business landscape presents.”

When we examine the talent technology market today, there are many variables that have accelerated just as quickly as those Future of Work attributes (such as remote work, hybrid workplaces, etc.) that were quickened due to the pandemic’s far-reaching grasp. Talent marketplaces and digital staffing platforms enable users with on-demand and real-time access to pre-vetted, top-tier talent that align with dozens of project- and role-based perquisites.

Direct sourcing solutions actively assist enterprises with the ability to curate known and new talent into talent communities, nurture those communities with relevant and engaging content, and ensure that all recruitment streams leverage these talent pools. “Direct Sourcing 2.0,” a concept heralded by the Future of Work Exchange as the next iteration of direct sourcing, involves the application of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other innovative functionality to drive repeatability and scalability of core direct sourcing mechanisms.

Within 2022’s evolving world of work and talent, San Jose-based Prosperix is taking all of the above into consideration as it launches its new “VMS Network” offering. Prosperix’s core VMS solution is not just a standalone VMS platform, but rather an extended workforce management tool that enables a dynamic connection between enterprises and talent via a robust, on-demand network of suppliers, candidates, and businesses.

“When we built our VMS Network solution, we understood that providing exponentially greater access to talent would be a game changer. And that’s proving to be the case,” Sunil said. “Clients become a node in an open, connected network where their jobs are matched to a network of suppliers and talent pools. This network effect enables jobs to be filled in record time, with amazing quality, and at lower costs. Additionally, the interconnectedness of the network allows us to leverage data and algorithms in ways that were not possible with siloed VMS systems. This is revolutionary for the industry, and we are excited to be the first to bring this compelling new technology to market.”

The Prosperix VMS Network is unique in the sense that it effectively blends a fully-digital talent network (akin to what most talent marketplaces offer) with a powerful, end-to-end series of functionality that leverages modernized reporting, analytics, and intelligence that drive better business outcomes and better matches between candidates and open positions/projects.

And, on top of those features, Prosperix leverages a candidate-centric approach that provides, among other things, candidates with their own career dashboard where they can apply to matched jobs across an ecosystem of clients and stay up-up-to-date on their job applications. This is aligned with the company’s overall purpose as a technology platform: to fuel human, workforce, and business prosperity.

As we wrote about the solution in 2021 upon its rebranding: “Prosperix’s messaging is incredibly unique in today’s workforce solutions market, leading with an edge that differentiates the company from others in the space. Understanding that it is the convergence between the “human” and “technology” elements of workforce management that will help both candidates and businesses prosper in the face of continued evolution across the greater world of talent and work.”

“I don’t think any business is standing still today. Most are adapting just to survive, and those that embrace change as the norm have the potential to thrive. Our VMS Network makes it possible for businesses to achieve greater scalability, agility and resilience, so they can more easily manage the expected while being better-prepared for the unexpected. And they can do all of this while attaining extraordinary hiring outcomes,” Sunil said.

Ardent Partners and the Future of Work Exchange believe that there is still much, much more change ahead for the world of talent and work. As “The Great Resignation” continues its rampage and the “Talent Revolution” becomes a foundational element of the Future of Work movement, solutions like Prosperix will be a guiding light for enterprises that not only want to tap into the power of the extended workforce, but also leverage next-generation technology to drive workforce prosperity.

Where Does the Extended Workforce Go From Here?

Talent by Christopher J. Dwyer on 03/31/2022

The Future of Work is many things: technology, transformation, work optimization, innovation, collaboration, and, of course, talent. Depending on who you’re talking to, the Future of Work movement’s nexus could be defined as any of those previous attributes, and rightfully so: technology and innovation drive the optimization of how work is done, while the transformation of business leadership translates into an enhanced ability to retain top talent while attracting new skillsets and expertise.

The extended workforce has long been a critical realm within the concept of the Future of Work, fueling a strategic approach towards talent management that has a variety of key benefits ranging from shorter-term engagement, more focused projects and initiatives, access to the world’s deepest skillsets, and the traditional cost savings that have long been associated with this type of labor.

And, speaking of the “traditional” aspects of the extended workforce: the Future of Work Exchange defines this talent as the natural evolution of the contingent workforce, meaning that, at its core, this workforce is still comprised of non-employee talent, however, its impact, value, flexibility, purpose, and accessibility have all progressed to become key elements of the Future of Work movement (even more so than ever before).

There has been so much transformation over the past two-plus years regarding the way work is done, from the absolute domination of remote and hybrid work to massive changes within the realm of business and executive leadership. We’re now two years deep into a pandemic that is finally (hopefully?) just beginning its escape from its “emergency” phase into one that is, again, hopefully more livable. Other aspects of the Future of Work, specifically changes in leadership and the realm of innovation and new tech, have clear pathways ahead of them.

The question remains, then: where does the extended workforce go from here?

The extended workforce of 2022 and beyond is a force that will continue to grow in size, scope, impact, and value. Future of Work Exchange research pegs contingent labor at 47% of the average company’s total workforce, a statistic that is only expected to grow in the months and years ahead. When we’re talking about nearly half of all talent that is found, engaged, and sourced via this realm, we’re essentially discussing a critical piece of the Future of Work puzzle that should be considered the contemporary nexus of all things related to how work is addressed and done.

Consider that business leaders are experiencing the most volatile labor market of their careers, with a dearth of options for filling critical positions as The Great Resignation continues its rampage. And, too, the Talent Revolution is becoming more of a reality for enterprises as workers fight for better conditions, more flexibility, and enhanced benefits. The extended workforce already sits within the crucial inner-workings of the Future of Work movement and will continue to drive value if enterprises:

Leverage the extended workforce as a primary means of getting work done.
Transform the “hiring manager experience” to make it simpler and easier to align enterprise needs with open talent across talent pools, talent communities, supplier networks, and alternative talent channels.
Harness the inherent flexibility of the extended workforce to navigate a challenging, evolving, and frustrating labor market.
Utilize total talent intelligence to configure how the extended workforce will influence future hiring initiatives, and;
Lean on the extended workforce’s top-tier skillsets and expertise to “future-proof” the greater enterprise at scale.

Perhaps the most interesting facet of today’s extended workforce is the fact that technology and innovation are abound: only several years ago, the technology landscape for managing the contingent workforce focused more on the tactical elements of this realm of talent. Today, it’s a much different story.

Platforms like Utmost are bringing a Future of Work-first focus to how business leverage their non-employee workforce to get work done. Beeline continues to progress its technology to match the evolving needs of HR, procurement, and talent acquisition practitioners. PRO Unlimited (who just made another major move this week) continues to expand its innovative platform philosophy. Prosperix just unveiled its VMS Network solution, which seamlessly connects businesses, talent suppliers, and job candidates together in its unique ecosystem. VMS solutions like Eqip, VectorVMS, FlexTrack, Pixid, and ELEVATE are also offering technological differentiators to the extended workforce solutions marketplace.

WorkSuite has a powerful engine from its Shortlist days (and a business outcome-focused variety of technology), while once-traditional talent marketplaces such as Upwork, Toptal, Bluecrew, and Talmix offer enterprise-grade innovations that represent the fluidity, flexibility, and long-range strengths of the extended workforce and freelance talent.

The Future of Work Exchange Podcast, Episode 614: A Conversation With Paul Vincent, EVP and Head of the Global Services Procurement Practice at Randstad Sourceright

Podcast by Christopher J. Dwyer on 03/30/2022

This week’s Future of Work Exchange Podcast, sponsored by PRO Unlimited, features a conversation with Paul Vincent, at Randstad Sourceright. Paul and I not only unveil some sneak peeks of a progressive new research study on the evolution of services procurement, but also discuss why this arena requires a Future of Work and “business first” focus.

Tune into Episode 614 of The Future of Work Exchange Podcast below, or subscribe on Apple Music, Spotify, Stitcher, or iHeartRadio.

Results-Driven in the Future of Work: PRO Unlimited Acquires MSP Leader GRI

Solution Providers Technology and Innovation by Christopher J. Dwyer on 03/29/2022

For nearly the past two years, PRO Unlimited has revolutionized the way the contingent workforce solutions market operates. Through its mix of proprietary software, Wand Vendor Management System (VMS), longstanding Managed Service Provider (MSP) solutions, and a mix of exclusive partnerships and key acquisitions, the integrated workforce management platform provider has been perhaps the most aggressive in the industry since mid-2020. Through its unique “platform approach” (as an “Integrated Workforce Management” platform) towards extended workforce management, HR, and talent acquisition technology markets, PRO Unlimited continues to deliver on its ultimate vision.

This morning, the company announced that it entered into an agreement to acquire fellow MSP offering Geometrics Results, Inc. (GRI). GRI has long been an innovative and powerful solution in the MSP landscape (most recently evaluated as a “Market Leader” in the Ardent Partners/Future of Work Exchange MSP Solution Advisor report) through its robust Managed Direct Sourcing (MDS) offering, coupled with one of the industry’s deepest intelligence engines (Envision Analytics) and a dedication to a variety of key market verticals.

GRI is currently owned by MSX International, a technology-enabled business process outsourcing firm, which is a portfolio company of funds managed by Bain Capital Europe. GRI has 150 customers across the world, representing over $4 billion in spend under management (particularly concentrated in the United States, the UK, and India).

The GRI acquisition, according to PRO Unlimited CEO Kevin Akeroyd, is a multi-faceted move that will help the solution expand on many of its forward-thinking goals for the greater industry.

“Our mission is to be the centralized system of record and a truly holistic platform for the extended workforce,” said Akeroyd. “M&A activity is a key piece of our mission, and when we think about satisfying the many “flavors” of how work gets done, including managed services, end-to-end software, data and intelligence, payrolling, and the worker experience, this acquisition firmly supports that vision, allowing us to deliver something very special for the marketplace.”

The GRI acquisition will allow PRO Unlimited to continue expanding its growing market, particular within additional industries that GRI has long specialized and served, including automotive and light industrial. In addition, GRI’s long list of large and mid-market clients will be a nice addition to PRO’s Global 2000 portfolio of customers.

From a solutions perspective, the Future of Work Exchange believes that PRO’s acquisition of GRI is an ideal and complementary piece to key areas within several of the solution’s Best-in-Class offerings, particularly direct sourcing (DirectSource PRO) and data and intelligence. GRI’s Envision analytics tool is one of the industry’s deepest and most powerful, a “gold standard” for total talent data and insights across the workforce management solutions industry. PRO’s agile reporting functionality will benefit from GRI’s on-demand, Envision-driven data and intelligence, which helps users better understand the impact of the extended workforce and how to maximize it by using predictive modeling and scenario-building.

“GRI will harmonize PRO’s analytics and intelligence capabilities, which are already the largest data-led offerings in our space,” said Akeroyd. Pointing to its recent acquisition of PeopleTicker, its stout RatePoint offering, and the “jewel” of the Workforce Logiq acquisition (ENGAGE AI), Akeroyd said, “Envision fits really nicely into all of that and what we’re offering from a total talent intelligence perspective and will be a nice boost to that critical aspect of our solution.”

With the GRI acquisition, the PRO umbrella of solutions will account for over $22 billion in spend under management, a figure which would make them one of the three or four largest MSPs in the workforce solutions marketplace.

“This acquisition will continue to enhance our overall vision, with GRI serving as yet another extension of the end-to-end platform,” said Akeroyd. “Many of the best brands in the world rely on GRI as a world-class MSP; we now have the opportunity to help enable these household-name organizations with world-class workforce management services, worker experience solutions, technology, and total talent intelligence.”

Conscious Leadership Should Be a Future of Work Focus

Business Leadership by Christopher J. Dwyer on 03/28/2022

In the earliest months of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a dearth of the one thing that every person thrives on that, unfortunately, we had taken for granted for far too long: human contact. Every video conference with older family members, every Friday afternoon virtual cocktail hour, the absence of fun evenings at the local sushi joint down the street…there was always that missing sense of human contact that nipped at the back of our minds as we experienced a crisis together.

While we are clearly out of the “emergency phase” of the biggest health crisis of our lifetime, with vaccines and immunity leading to a more “normal” way of life (barring another serious surge of cases), it doesn’t mean we should be abandoning the newfound focus on aspects such as empathy, compassion, and emotional-led thinking both in our personal and professional lives, however.

The Future of Work Exchange has long been a proponent of empathetic leadership and its many, many benefits. We even wrote about it last week and discussed why the Future of Work movement required more humanity within its innerworkings. It’s with this backdrop in mind that business leadership must continue to evolve; what the Future of Work needs today is conscious leadership.

Enterprise leaders in 2022 sit in a very, very different position than they did just a couple of years ago. And while the pandemic played a very critical role in how leadership has changed for the better, the fact is that the business arena would eventually experience this revolution of leadership simply because the workforce, the enterprise vision, and getting work done all now require a reimagined and strategic approach towards leadership.

“For years we’ve recognized that people’s dedication to their work has shifted: whether that be in time, energy, or emotion spent. People have the opportunity to reap so much from their careers, but only if the environments in which they work recognize and honor that and play an equal part in the relationship,” said Ashley Andersen, Leadership Coach and Partner at 10X Leadership Lab. “No longer are people just happy to have a job. They want and deserve more from their work- they want to use their work to create a positive impact and they want their work to in turn have a positive impact on them.”

The realm of conscious leadership follows a similar path to the one paved by empathy, in that nearly every facet of human contact between an executive and his or her colleagues and staff is rooted in a meaningful, genuine purpose. A leader’s core approaches involve them becoming more aware of their actions, more aware of how kind and, yes, conscious, those actions and insights may be perceived by the organization’s workforce.

Andersen and her 10X Leadership Lab team are focused on helping leaders become more conscious in their overall styles and approaches, augmenting leadership strategies with positive psychology and an emphasis on the fundamental behavioral change that is required for executives to reboot their approaches towards revolutionary leadership.

“At 10X Leadership Lab, we see leadership as a tremendous responsibility and, in that responsibility lies to the opportunity to have real impact – not just on the bottom line, but on the overall well-being of those around you and the systems you work within,” said Andersen. “Think about the last time you felt really heard, seen, understood, and valued at work – what was the impact of that? The leaders who show up in that way are the ones we’re willing to go the extra mile for, the ones we want to stick beside and learn from, the ones whose feedback really matters.”

One of the most critical aspects of conscious leadership is purpose (which we’ve written about recently). Workers desire work that has purpose, that is fulfilling, and aligns with their own specific journeys, goals, and life objectives. Leadership must change and evolve to suit this critical Future of Work tenet. Leadership must have the capability to be influential, purposeful, and deliberate in how it drives the overall vision of its staff, its product, its culture, and the greater organization.

“Everything begins with purpose at 10X, whether you are working with us in 1:1 coaching or at the systems level through our Thriving Culture work, because it’s the foundation that determines how we operate, the decisions we make, the attitudes we hold, the language we use,” said Andersen. “At 10X, our purpose is to make the world better by making business better. If we meet with a prospect who doesn’t share an interest in maximum impact beyond profit, we aren’t the right company for them and we politely part ways. It’s not always an easy decision to make, but it’s one that leaves us standing in integrity, which feels a whole lot different than the alternative. This work isn’t easy, that’s not what it’s about, but it’s always worthwhile. It’s what the Future of Work demands and deserves from us, and it’s what we are most passionate about.”

The Future of Work Exchange Meets the “Off the Cuff” Podcast: A Conversation About “The Great Resignation”

Talent by Christopher J. Dwyer on 03/24/2022

I had the pleasure of joining SSI People’s Off the Cuff podcast to chat about the Future of Work, “The Great Resignation,” the “Talent Revolution,” and so much more related to the evolving world of work and talent. Hosted by SSI’s Christina Vinson, it was a delight to chat about these topics with EVP of Strategy and Development at SSI, Manny Vidal.

Another Potential COVID Wave Should Permanently End Hybrid Work Hesitation

Business Leadership by Christopher J. Dwyer on 03/23/2022

I know, I know; we don’t want to hear it, especially after so many restrictions were loosened over the past several weeks. The more transmissible Omicron subvariant, called BA.2, has been causing a bit of havoc in China, the UK, and other areas that had (even recently) experienced a dramatic down-tick in virus caseloads over the past month or two.

The hard truth here is that, by utilizing wastewater analysis, we can detect increased COVID caseloads before they actually occur…and, as reported in The Wall Street Journal, things aren’t looking so rosy for the United States regarding another Omicron wave.

“The last few days have been a little worrisome,” Larry Madoff, medical director of the bureau of infectious disease and laboratory sciences at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, said late last week. “It certainly bears careful watching.”

Wastewater sampling here and at hundreds of sites nationwide is once more drawing closer scrutiny from epidemiologists worried the spread of what appears to be a yet-more-contagious version of Omicron, known as BA.2, and rising cases in Europe could soon spoil the latest U.S. recovery. The number of wastewater sites indicating virus increases on a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dashboard has risen in recent weeks, though the majority of sites still show declining levels.

In Boston and beyond, these systems during the Omicron wave helped quickly detect virus-concentration surges, declines and circulating variants, often before testing and case data. Health authorities believe it will become an increasingly important early-warning tool that can help guide public messaging and other responses, like marshaling resources to surging areas.”

There’s a lot to unpack there: the data shows declining levels, however, there’s more than enough concern to believe that rising cases across the pond predict the same here in America (historically, what happens in the UK is a crystal ball of what will occur in the United States three weeks or so later). “Still, the bottom line is that BA.2 is chiefly dangerous to those people who are not well-protected against the Omicron variant already. If you can’t be personally well-protected, then it is also important to be surrounded by large numbers of people who are. You need to evaluate local protective levels as well as personal immunity and decide on the precautions you want to be taking,” says Dr. John Skylar in his latest “COVID Transmissions” article, which is a must read.

Google and Apple are planning a return to the office early next month (in hybrid form, at least). Dozens of Fortune 500 organizations are doing the same. And then there’s Goldman Sachs, whose CEO David Solomon last year called remote work an “aberration” that needed “to be corrected as quickly as possible.”

I completely understand that business leaders crave normalcy (whatever that is today) and desire some form of in-person collaboration between themselves and their workforce, their workers and each other, etc. However, aren’t we past the back-and-forth now? Haven’t we reached a point when we can firmly say that remote and hybrid work are not only beneficial, productive, and flexible models, but should also be permanent fixtures of the contemporary enterprise?

There are millions of workers that cannot perform their jobs remotely and we need to respect that. However, there are millions more that can, and can do so effectively. We’ve gone through two years of this, particularly the discourse around return-to-office planning, whether it’s actually safe to do so, and how the workforce will react to a switch back to operating in-person.

Solomon said that remote work “is not ideal for us, and it’s not a new normal” at a finance industry conference in February 2021. What Solomon obviously has wrong here is that remote and hybrid work is the new normal, and, any conversations regarding full return-to-office plans are going to be spoiled by a virus that has not yet reached an endemic state. It would be foolhardy, and, to be honest, embarrassing, to mandate workers to return to the office five days a week (as Solomon recently mandated) and then have to re-pivot back to a hybrid model due to a rise in BA.2 cases.

We’re just so past these discussions by now and any CEO, executive leader, etc. that believes returning to the office five days a week is the best path forward is making an absolute miscalculation. The workforce wants to operate remotely. Top-tier candidates crave flexibility and the agility that are ingrained in remote and hybrid work. The Great Resignation, may we reiterate, is happening because workers are leaving jobs that don’t offer these flexible options. In a hyper-competitive, increasingly-globalized, tech-focused candidate market, do business leaders really want to miss out on talent because of their archaic, ignorant thinking?

We don’t know if the Omicron subvariant will cause a similar wave to what we experienced as a country from the 2021 holidays up until just a few weeks ago. What we do know is that even the slightest threat of another surge right now should be a wake-up call that any hesitation around hybrid work should be silenced…permanently.

Reimagining Services Procurement (Upcoming Webinar)

Uncategorized by Christopher J. Dwyer on 03/22/2022

The professional services market is estimated to encompass upwards of $5 trillion annually and only shows signs of increasing as global enterprises continue to integrate project-based work into their overall scope of operations.

External services are often considered a linchpin to organizational success. Businesses frequently require specialized and unique support that necessitates the sourcing of a wide range of professionally delivered services and SOW-based labor, the vast majority of which are often purchased and managed situationally. Ardent Partners and Future of Work Exchange (FOWX) estimates that as little as 30% or less of business services spend is actually and actively accounted for in foundational enterprise planning, budgeting, and forecasting, which elicits two critical questions: 1) how can organizations possibly be confident that they are achieving the best value on this expenditure? and 2) why has it been so hard for MSP programs to gain traction in facilitating SOW-based services/labor when their infrastructure would seem to be so ideally adaptable to the underlying problem statement?

Those services procurement programs which are anchored in a bolder vision from the outset (beyond cost savings) are much more likely to be sustainably successful because they are designed from the point of view of the business and not through the narrower prism of a buy-to-pay lens. The services procurement paradigm of a decade ago, when MSPs started to see the revenue potential in this area, is long gone. Today’s services procurement paradigm needs to follow a much more progressive pattern, one that is founded on “how work gets done” rather than “how we can structure the sourcing activity to reduce the prices paid?”

I’m incredibly excited to join Sarah-Jayne (SJ) Aldridge (Senior Director Services, European Sourcing, Visa) and Paul Vincent, EVP and Head of the Global Services Procurement Practice at Randstad Sourceright, for an exclusive webcast on Tuesday, March 29 at 11am ET (one week from today!); the event will feature a Q&A panel discussion to learn what is really required for services procurement success and how managed services programs (MSPs) can be oriented to deliver these requirements.

Click here or on the image below to save your spot for next week’s event. Hope to see you there!

Agile…Like A FOWX

Business Leadership by Christopher J. Dwyer on 03/21/2022

That handsome man above turns six years old today. His name is Lincoln, and my family and I rescued him from a kill shelter in Mississippi in the summer of 2016. Nearly everyone that sees him for the first time remarks that he resembles a fox; his wild mix of pit bull, golden retriever, chow-chow, and border collie (confirmed via “doggie DNA” test!) resulted in the fox-like features.

Before the Future of Work Exchange launched in July 2021, its top-secret code-name in the Ardent Partners offices was “FOWX” as it went through months and months of development before we went live. Naturally, as we launched the site and its research arm, the “FOWX” vernacular made it into daily conversations with our gracious sponsors, the workforce management solutions industry, and, of course, the HR, procurement, talent acquisition, IT, and other business leaders that read this site every day.

So, making the transition back to our boy Lincoln and the wild animal he resembles: the dominant fox species (the common red fox) is currently living and thriving on all continents minus Antarctica due to their incredible adaptability, amazing flexibility, instinctive intelligence, and advantageous speed. They live and thrive in urban environments, rural areas, and rough terrain all across the world. From a 1998 Deseret article:

“Both the growing numbers of the foxes and their assurance in the presence of humans are signs of a remarkable ecological success story of global dimensions. In an age when so many wild species are under threat, their populations dwindling and their futures insecure, the red fox is thriving like few other wild predators. In fact, biologists say, it has become the most widely distributed wild meat-eating mammal on Earth, thanks to an evolutionary heritage that has enabled it to adapt superbly to the presence and activities of people.”

Let’s re-read those characteristics: adaptability, flexibility, intelligence, and speed. Sound like the hallmarks of an agile enterprise, doesn’t it? It seems like kismet that our beloved Future of Work Exchange’s acronym (FOWX), its cute logo, and the animal it was based on all revolve around the concept of agility (not to mention that fact that my sweet Lincoln resembles a fox). Agility has become the foundation of the Future of Work, and rightfully so:

Businesses were essentially forced to be adaptable over the past two years given the shift towards more remote- and hybrid-based work, changes in safety and health standards, and renewed focus on DE&I, empathy, and other non-technological aspects of talent and work.
Intelligence is at the center of all talent- and work-related strategies, as businesses leverage data and information to execute more strategic workforce planning, optimize how work is done, and continue to prepare the business arena’s continued evolution in the months to come.
“Flexibility” has become the literal nexus of the Future of Work, with workers craving flexible work options, leaders becoming more flexible in how they manage their staff, and flexible work models becoming the ideal means to get work done in a revolutionary world of talent, technology, and business transformation.
The relative “speed” of an organization in its response to real-world challenges and pressures (and let’s be honest: there’s been a bunch over the past couple of years, right?) contributes to how truly dynamic the enterprise can be during these transformative times.

What’s in a name? FOWX or fox…it’s all about agility and just how dynamic, flexible, and adaptive a business can be in 2022 and beyond.