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

Navigating the Current and Future State of Total Talent Management

Contingent Workforce HR Procurement Talent Acquisition by Christopher J. Dwyer on 07/29/2024

I’ve been in the Future of Work, talent acquisition, and workforce management arenas for nearly 18 years. Over that time, I’ve witnessed (as many of us have) two equally-devastating economic downturns, multiple waves of technological innovation, numerous hype cycles of various proportions, the continued evolution of talent management, and one worldwide pandemic that set off Future of Work-era accelerants that have shaped how we work today. Suffice to say, the last two decades have brought tremendous change to the greater world of work and talent.

Even though I identify as an “elder millennial” or “geriatric millennial,” I feel as if I’ve spent enough years in the business world to truly understand what is hype, what is theory, and, of course, what is reality.

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How Direct Sourcing Drives Talent Sustainability

Direct Sourcing Talent Acquisition by Christopher J. Dwyer on 07/22/2024

In today’s dynamic business landscape, the age of “omni-channel talent acquisition” has emerged, providing businesses with diverse options to source and manage their workforce. From digital staffing marketplaces to traditional vendors and staffing suppliers, professional services, talent networks, and social media platforms, the choices are abundant. With this wealth of talent channels, matching project requirements with suitable skillsets has become more accessible than ever. Yet, securing top talent has grown increasingly challenging and competitive. Organizations that effectively harness direct sourcing and talent pools can cultivate a flexible, adaptable workforce, granting them a competitive advantage in a market that values agile, talent-centric responses to evolving business challenges and demands.

When it comes to direct sourcing, even the most basic programs can indeed yield tangible value, yet the stakes are higher than mere cost reduction and talent pipeline expansion.

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When a Return to the Office and Workplace Culture Collide

Business Leadership by Christopher J. Dwyer on 07/15/2024

Although it’s hard to believe, it’s been more than four years since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. And in that time, several key Future of Work “accelerants” took the business arena by storm. The extended workforce, long a viable source of talent, saw a remarkable increase in utilization as businesses sought true workforce scalability in the face of uncertain times.

Direct sourcing began to take off as a means of nurturing talent communities and developing a near-self-sustaining source of on-demand expertise. Skills-based hiring emerged as a way to look “beyond” costs and pay rates to revolutionize how enterprises innovative and leverage next-generation skillsets.

Empathy-led leadership and emotional intelligence became crucial endeavors to separate the successful leaders from those that would eventually lose their staff to the Great Resignation. And, of course, the most famous Future of Work accelerant of all, remote and hybrid work, drew most of the spotlight and headlines.

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The Most Powerful Future Of Work Tool? Our Minds.

Business Leadership by Christopher J. Dwyer on 07/01/2024

There is often a major discussion around the technology-led attributes of the Future of Work movement, particularly with artificial intelligence (AI) garnering headlines and encompassing the average LinkedIn feed. However, entering a new year, there should just as much conversation around another key facet of the Future of Work: the transformation of business thinking.

This space and most of the Future of Work Exchange’s thought leadership revolves around the concepts of automation, technology, and the platforms revolutionizing the greater world of work and talent. In fact, our definition of the Future of Work pointedly refers to these advancements: the evolution of talent engagement and talent management through new technology, as well as the introduction of exciting platforms that are actively pushing the boundaries of “work optimization,” are two distinct components at the very core of this movement.

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The Future of Work Exchange LIVE 2024: The Future of Work is…Human

Events by Christopher J. Dwyer on 06/18/2024

“The Future of Work is many things: technology, innovation, evolution, and transformation. But most importantly, the Future of Work is human.”

It was a bold statement but one I was comfortable making during the welcome address at the Future of Work Exchange LIVE executive roundtable in Boston last week (at the historic and elegant Harvard Club venue), the third annual event (hosted by Ardent Partners) that brought together swaths of procurement, HR, talent acquisition, contingent workforce, and recruitment professionals.

*Lori Hock, Raleen Gagnon, and Rebecca Valladares discuss how AI can push role-based hiring into skills-based hiring.*

Given the audience, as well as the natural Future of Work undercurrent permeating the event’s core sessions, it only appropriate to view “the human factor” as a natural link to the day’s core themes and topics, such as AI in talent acquisition, skills-based hiring, direct sourcing, extended workforce management, DE&I, and the evolving workplace.

*Benjie Hanson, Dawnette Cooke, and Craig Coe discuss data-driven extended workforce management.*

Highlights of the event include:

Some wonderful commentary on artificial intelligence and its place in the evolving concept of skills-based hiring by Lori Hock and Rebecca Valladares (Opptly) and Raleen Gagnon (TalentEdge AI). The three longtime industry thought leaders took the audience through moving from role-based to skills-based hiring and highlighted the criticality of AI as the foundation for this transformation; Hock and Valladares provided real-world context around the continued evolution and influence of artificial intelligence (and how AI is a “rising tide” in today’s fast-paced talent acquisition arena), while Gagnon gave some robust commentary on AI in action for talent acquisition and workforce management.
A riveting panel discussion on the data-driven evolution of extended workforce management, courtesy of Beeline’s Craig Coe and Benjie Hanson and TalentProcure’s Dawnette Cooke. Hanson illuminated the power of data-infused extended workforce management (with Coe adding Beeline customer examples of this in action), while Cooke provided some incredible commentary from her deep expertise as a solutions leader.
A compelling look at direct sourcing and its future, heralded by Guidant Global’s Robin Sanders, WorkLLama’s Kevin Leete, and Splunk’s CWM program lead, Ashley Wilson. Sanders gave an incredible perspective of direct sourcing from the MSP purview, buoyed by years of Guidant’s stance as a pioneer in the field. Wilson provided real-world context around her current experiences with direct sourcing within Splunk’s extended workforce program. Leete, as he has done in years past (this is his third appearance at FOWX Live), converged progressive direct sourcing commentary with technology- and innovation-led examples of how the strategy (and its associated functionality) can revolutionize hiring.

*Ashley Wilson, Kevin Leete, and Robin Sanders comment on the future of direct sourcing.*

As always with FOWX Live events, a highlight of the day was the opportunity for the conference’s attendees to not only engage and interact with each other, but share best practices, discuss challenges, and learn from each other at interactive roundtable conversations on topics like extended workforce management, direct sourcing, artificial intelligence, DE&I, technology and innovation, and new hiring strategies.

And, too, another endearing attribute of that “human factor”: the ability to converse, engage, and network with so many incredible leaders across the talent technology ecosystem, as well as the HR, talent acquisition, and procurement professionals who live the Future of Work 24/7.

At the end of the day, it’s the connections we make with our colleague. It’s the handshakes and hugs, the smiles and conversations. It’s meeting people in-person for the first time after only hearing voices and seeing faces on a screen. It’s the feeling of knowing that this industry, for all of the incredible innovation and technological advancements happening almost daily, is about the human connections we make with each other.

The Reality (and Future) of Direct Sourcing

Direct Sourcing by Christopher J. Dwyer on 06/10/2024

In the ever-evolving realm of workforce management, every “hot” topic comes with its fair share of buzz. Yet, amid the hype machine that often surrounds emerging strategies, the question arises: does direct sourcing fit the mold, or is its true significance more profound than the proclamations of technology providers, executive leaders, and industry pundits (like us!) over the past few years suggest?

One of the primary challenges in understanding the true impact of direct sourcing revolves around the complexities inherent in such a program and the precise definition of genuine direct sourcing. Do enterprises that meticulously curate their talent and channel candidates into a talent pool truly encompass direct sourcing within their core workforce strategies? Does a comprehensive approach to direct sourcing, encompassing segmentation, integration into primary recruitment streams, and the facilitation of talent nurture, necessitate automation to earn its place as a cornerstone program?

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Talent Sustainability and Workforce Scalability: The Hallmarks of Direct Sourcing

Direct Sourcing by Christopher J. Dwyer on 05/28/2024

When we think of “sustainability,” it often brings to mind the idea of businesses operating in a way that benefits the environment, the broader community, and society at large. However, in the realm of the workforce, sustainability takes on a different meaning. It’s about a business’s capacity to maintain a self-sustaining ecosystem of talent by adeptly tapping into dynamic talent sources and channels. Direct sourcing, with its multifaceted intricacies, plays a pivotal role in this concept of talent sustainability.

Through the strategic application of direct sourcing methods and technology, along with the continuous upkeep of internal talent communities and talent pools, companies can construct a seamless pathway towards talent sustainability.

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The Next Great Era of the Hybrid Workplace

Business Leadership by Christopher J. Dwyer on 05/20/2024

“We’re not putting that genie back in the bottle” is a phrase I’ve used at least two or three dozen times over the past few months whenever I’m asked about the realm of remote and hybrid work and how return-to-office (RTO) mandates are impacting these attributes. No matter how the economy shifts and no matter how far the pendulum swings back in favor of the employer, the phrase will always be true.

The COVID-19 pandemic was a watershed moment for humanity. And it was also a turning point in the business world.

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How Will Chat GPT-4o Impact Talent Technology?

Business Leadership HR Talent Acquisition Technology and Innovation by Christopher J. Dwyer on 05/14/2024

“The new voice (and video) mode is the best compute interface I’ve ever used,” said OpenAI CEO Sam Altman yesterday at the company’s launch of its latest AI model, GPT-4o (“omni”). “It feels like AI from the movies; and it’s still a bit surprising to me that it’s real. Getting to human-level response times and expressiveness turns out to be a big change.”

OpenAI’s latest model, GPT-4o, seamlessly blends voice, video, and text to redefine the AI interaction experience, striving for a natural and intuitive engagement. Beyond mere text processing, this model comprehends and reacts to both audio and visual inputs, ushering in a more human-like interaction. Moreover, OpenAI’s efforts in enhancing responsiveness are evident as GPT-4o boasts reaction times in milliseconds, mirroring the pace of a genuine conversation.

There’s a ton to unpack in Altman’s excitement, but there’s a key word in there that means so much for the world of talent technology: expressiveness. And it will take artificial intelligence to the next level in regards to how businesses find, engage, source, manage, and retain talent.

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The Age of AI in Talent Acquisition

Talent Acquisition Technology and Innovation by Christopher J. Dwyer on 05/13/2024

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become an indispensable part of the toolkit for every business professional, whether they are involved in automating internal processes or enhancing customer experiences through AI-driven tools. However, in the realm of talent acquisition, AI emerges as a true powerhouse, poised to transform the way organizations engage with talent, streamline candidate selection, and elevate the overall hiring experience.

From a business and hiring perspective, AI plays a pivotal role in modern direct sourcing programs. Enterprises can harness the capabilities of AI to revolutionize candidate engagement strategies. With AI, organizations can pinpoint the ideal candidates for specific roles or projects by considering a multitude of factors, such as their experience, expertise, portfolios, and even their soft skills. The candidate matching attributes of AI rely on extensive skills taxonomies and innovative skills DNA, which in turn expedite direct sourcing and transform it into a comprehensive talent acquisition tool.

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