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Next-Generation Services Procurement: Data-Driven and Optimized for the Future of Work

Contingent Workforce Procurement Talent Acquisition by Christopher J. Dwyer on 04/26/2023

Ardent Partners and Future of Work Exchange research has long pointed to services procurement (and SOW-based projects and services) as the “next frontier” for contingent workforce management. Comprising upwards of 50%-to-60% (or more!) of the average organization’s total external workforce spending, services procurement remains a prime opportunity for businesses to drive savings, improve visibility, and, most importantly, reshape how work is done.

In a new research study underwritten by Magnit and developed by Ardent Partners and the Future of Work Exchange, we have unveiled some new strategies that can assist enterprises in augmenting services procurement in a Future of Work era:

The large cost savings opportunities that exist for most enterprises in services procurement and the management of SOW-based services make it the next, big frontier for leaders of the extended workforce to tackle. However, a general lack of rigor, combined with issues such as globalization and uncertain economic times, are limiting business leaders’ ability to approach this complex area of spend in a more transformational way.

For enterprises to reimagine the approach to services procurement, they must follow a new model that blends Future of Work accelerants, dynamic data and intelligence, real-time automation, next-generation workforce management technology, and a willingness to adapt and adopt agile solutions.

This Ardent Partners and Future of Work Exchange research report will discuss how businesses can transform their services procurement and SOW (“Statement of Work”) management programs by (1) modifying buying behavior with advanced automation, controls, and data, and (2) developing an impactful initiative that leverages expert services and solutions.

Click here to download the new research study.

Web 3.0 Is Here to Disrupt the Way We Work

Technology and Innovation by Christopher J. Dwyer on 04/20/2023

The next generation of digital technology is here. Web 3.0 is on the horizon and it’s poised to have a significant Future of Work impact due to its revolutionary nature. Web 3.0 is defined as the integration of blockchain technology, artificial intelligence, machine learning, the Internet of Things (IoT), and augmented reality, with the convergence of these advanced digital solutions presenting an innovative transformation for the modern business.

The advent of Web 3.0 is not just a natural evolution of the internet at scale, but rather a calling for a new era of decentralization, automation, and intelligence exchange.

A crucial impact area of Web 3.0 is workforce decentralization. By integrating blockchain, professionals will have more control over their personal data, profiles, and accolades, and thus, will be able to monetize their skillsets via decentralized platforms linked by blockchain technology. By being more empowered and autonomous, the non-employee workforce will be enabled with more control, as well as new and more opportunities, for freelance, contract, and gig-based work and positions.

This autonomous, digitally-enabled decentralization would, in essence, catalyze a boundaryless and frictionless stream of work opportunities matching with available talent and expertise…a true Future of Work disruptor that would transform the way we think about recruitment, hiring, and talent acquisition.

Another impact of Web 3.0 on the Future of Work is the automation of tactical and repetitive tasks. With the integration of AI, robotics and other automated systems will be able to perform menial and repetitive activity, freeing up human workers to focus on more creative and strategic work, a boon for efficiency and productivity.

The promise of Web 3.0 also revolves around the idea of transformative data exchange, with IoT concepts driving seamless sharing of critical data between enterprise devices, platforms, and systems. In a remote-work-driven business arena, this is a crucial element in enabling workers, no matter where they may be, to drive decision-making by leveraging real-time enterprise data. Too, this quashes much of the concern of the distributed workforce: giving on-demand, enterprise-grade access to data via Web 3.0 technology convergence means that workers will always be robustly interconnected to their peers, colleagues, and leaders no matter the workplace model.

There are some concerns that these technological advancements may negatively impact the global workforce, displacing some jobs and roles (and even creating income disparity). It will be incumbent on enterprises and government entities to invest the time and resources for reskilling and upskilling initiatives that would ensure that workers are prepared for a new digital age with the proper and aligned skillsets to adapt.

The future of the Future of Work is based on many factors (as we detailed recently). Web 3.0 and its digital experience will prove to be a major disruptor for the world of work and talent.

How Are Businesses Enhancing the Employee Experience?

Business Leadership by Christopher J. Dwyer on 04/19/2023

It’s all about the “experience” today. All aspects of the modern-day workforce, including both FTEs and contingent workers, revolve around the day-to-day (and long-term) experience within a workplace setting. Business leaders cannot rely on archaic modalities of management any longer if they want their workers to be happy, satisfied, and, most importantly, productive. In the latest edition of the Future of Work Exchange‘s exclusive infographic series, How Are Businesses Enhancing the Employee Experience?, we unveil some new research findings on how business leaders plan to improve their employee engagement and employee experience initiatives.

The Elements That Will Shape the Skills-Based Organization

Talent Technology and Innovation by Christopher J. Dwyer on 02/06/2023

Here’s a phrase that’ll be mentioned many times throughout 2023: the skills-based organization will be the one that thrives during what could be an uneven and uncertain year ahead. Skills is akin to currency in today’s volatile market in such a way that it seemingly creates a have/have not business society. Those with top-tier skills will flourish, and, those who don’t, well…

The latest United States jobs report was rosy from a certain perspective (adding 517,000 jobs in January alone), one that reflects not only the lowest unemployment figures in nearly 55 years, but also an awkward juxtaposition of the discussions around an economic downturn and the continued fight against inflation.

For all the talk about a blooming-yet-complicated job market, there’s another side to this positive news. Ardent Partners and Future of Work Exchange research finds that 73% of businesses currently face a critical challenge in the months ahead: a lack of candidates with the required skillsets for open positions. This is yet another representation of why the skills-based organization (SBO) is a true opportunity to, essentially, reimagine the ways they think about talent acquisition and the role of talent in getting work done.

The most progressive way of thinking here is to apply agility-led principles to the realm of talent acquisition and talent engagement by 1) harnessing the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning to revamp the candidate-matching process, 2) expanding “known” skills taxonomy in an automated manner to account for innovative and future roles, 3) developing a central, on-demand database of skillsets across talent communities (talent pools, talent networks, current employees, etc.), and, 4) leveraging a multi-dimensional nexus of skillsets and expertise from which to address new and evolving requirements based on the trajectory of the greater organization.

The foundational elements of the skills-based organization revolve around the concepts of rethinking the parallels between talent and work; thus, the very future of the skills-based organization depends on forward-thinking strategies, ideas, and, of course technology. Here are the crucial elements that will shape the SBO in the months ahead:

Digital credentialing will emerge as a powerful disruptor in the skills validation market. Even in the technologically-advanced days in which we live, validating skillsets and expertise is largely a manual game. Talent acquisition execs and hiring managers (as well as other core HR leaders) must review portfolios, speak to references, confirm education and backgrounds, etc. to ensure that a candidate holds the proper skillsets for the role in which it is applying. Digital credentialing platforms remove nearly all of the guesswork and the tactical elements of skills validation and provide a veritable gateway into verified skillsets, strengths, certifications, etc. that candidates can maintain throughout the duration of their career. Solutions like Credly, Sertifier, Accredible, and Certifier are revolutionizing both the candidate-facing and hiring-led aspects of digital credentialing.
Blockchain realizes its potential and becomes a gateway for talent. Across the business spectrum, blockchain has so many potential paths: augmenting data warehousing, tightening legal and financial intelligence, and, yes, reinventing the ways enterprises find and connect with talent. In a hyper-competitive and globalized talent marketplace, the power of blockchain truly shines through; by defragmenting traditional barriers to talent acquisition, blockchain-fueled candidate networks enable hiring managers (and similar leaders) with the ability, in real-time, to view candidate profiles, validate expertise, and confirm career data and portfolios. Candidates own their information, and, subsequently, their career pathways, an important factor in today’s labor market from the worker perspective. The speed in which blockchain presents a match and a connection can dwarf that of traditional hiring. Platforms like the non-profit Velocity Network and innovative solution Braintrust are helping businesses reboot their talent strategies.
AI moves firmly into the talent acquisition arena. Artificial intelligence has become, particularly over the past several years, a formidable means of visualizing workforce data through dynamic analytics. Predictive analytics and scenario-building capabilities within workforce management suites and VMS platforms have changed the way HR, procurement, and talent acquisition leaders access total talent intelligence and supercharge their talent-decision making with that data. However, 2023 is the year of AI in talent acquisition; it is imperative that businesses drive real workforce scalability and boost their skills-oriented approach by leveraging artificial intelligence to better validate candidate profiles, enhance skillset-to-job matching, and improve the overall hiring process. Talent acquisition is entering a new, AI-charged era in part because of the advanced technology that can seamlessly streamline the ways businesses not only engage candidates, but also the ways they catalyze the skills-matching experience. Platforms like Opptly represent this exciting new generation of technology, along with solutions like Phenom, Gem, and Gloat, as well as Magnit and both its ENGAGE Talent tool and total talent intelligence offering. Too, solutions such as Glider.ai (robust skills verification and candidate assessment), Fuel50 (recalibrating workforce intelligence), and HiredScore (next-generation, proactive talent-fueled AI) will also disrupt the concept of AI in talent acquisition.

One other factor that could play a pivotal role in the evolution of the skills-based organization is direct sourcing and its impact on digital recruitment, an arena that is founded on the ability to better match open positions with top-tier skillsets. Today’s direct sourcing platforms are a key cog in developing a skills-oriented approach towards talent acquisition, with solutions such as WorkLLama, whose AI-fueled recruitment tools revolutionize candidate collaboration and boost talent acquisition strategies, and LiveHire, whose end-to-end recruitment and direct sourcing technology facilitates a dynamic and holistic approach towards total talent management,

Artificial Intelligence Streamlines Contingent Workforce Management Decision-making

Business Leadership Contingent Workforce General Insights Technology and Innovation by John Yuva on 02/02/2023

In today’s labor and economic climate, enterprises cannot afford to make poor hiring decisions. And with 47.5% of an organization’s workforce comprised of contingent workers, per Ardent Partners and Future of Work Exchange research, an extended worker hire is just as critical operationally as a permanent employee. The ramifications of a hiring mistake — whether it’s an extended or permanent role — can cost businesses 30 percent of the employee’s first-year earnings, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. However, artificial intelligence is now shaping the future of contingent workforce management (CWM) to help avoid those employment missteps.

CWM Optimization Through Artificial Intelligence

Through artificial intelligence, enterprises can harness the value of structured and unstructured data to streamline contingent workforce management decision-making. AI also opens the door to new user experiences to better attract, acquire, and retain top-performing talent and improve operational execution — all leading to cost savings. Using prescriptive analytics for CWM optimization is an evolving but critical piece of AI strategy. While artificial intelligence has existed for a decade or more, the wider scope of its capabilities is only now being utilized.

Subsets of AI, such as machine learning (ML), predictive analytics, and natural language processing, coupled with complementary technologies like augmented reality and the metaverse are game changers for contingent workforce management optimization.

Putting Artificial Intelligence to Work

Enterprises and HR executives who are not at least exploring the possibilities of AI’s impact on CWM will find themselves at a competitive disadvantage when sourcing talent and executing extended workforce strategies. Ardent Partners and Future of Work Exchange research cites that 80% of businesses expect AI to transform CWM in the year ahead. These are several ways that AI and associated technologies are getting the job done.

Enhance the candidate matching process. Enterprises are under pressure to not only attract and acquire the right candidates but do so in a short time-to-hire time-frame. The talent need is often immediate, leading to more costs as the vacancy persists. Enter artificial intelligence that can streamline the candidate screening process by matching critical role-specific skills with existing candidates in enterprise talent pipelines (e.g., direct sourcing, talent marketplaces, etc.). AI can narrow the field even further through questionnaires and even simulated exercises to test candidate skill proficiency — all while increasing hiring speed and attaining higher-quality candidates. With 74% of businesses planning to leverage AI to enhance the candidate experience (per Ardent Partners and FOWX research), it’s clear that the potential of the technology is being recognized. This is critical because it means enterprises can use data to understand how and why candidates are choosing our business or leaving/jetting for other companies. It also exposes gaps in the hiring process that must be remedied to enable real-time hiring capabilities. The war for talent is raging…having a process that essentially finds those talent needles in the haystack is the competitive differentiator.
Expand overall total workforce visibility. Much of the value attained by artificial intelligence is more efficient identification, organization, and utilization of data. Prescriptive analytics, for example, provides the optimal use of collected data. When evaluating the total workforce holistically, enterprises need insights into their full-time and contingent employees. What are their skillsets? Which department do they work in? How long have they been contracted with the enterprise? What is their past project or team participation. Answering these questions creates a strategic profile for every full-time and contingent employee. Those total workforce profiles make real-time hiring and seamless succession planning a reality. Transparency into both operational challenges and available talent is a dual threat to lagging competitors.
Leverage predictive analytics and scenario planning. Ultimately, organizations want the ability to use data to predict future scenarios and potential outcomes. As a subset of artificial intelligence, predictive analytics is used in a variety of operational settings, particularly for supply chain planning. However, it is just as valuable for contingent workforce management as a predictor of future talent needs. Predictive analytics takes prescriptive analytics and workforce profiles a step further by combining operational and profile data to identify talent deficiencies and operational weaknesses, while also projecting how talent should be utilized to close those gaps. This is transformative for large-scale enterprises with tens of thousands of employees across the globe. It can also be talent-defining in scenarios where succession planning comes into play. So much of the hiring focus is on the “immediate need” rather than the gaps silently forming with aging workers eyeing their next opportunity post-retirement. Predictive analytics can address workforce scalability related to resignations, retirements, labor movements, etc., and how those will shape the workforce short and long term. In the case of a recession or other economic crisis where scalability becomes an essential strategy, enterprises can leverage internal talent data and combine it with market and labor insights to more effectively understand how operations will be affected. Which skills are required immediately versus long-term CWM planning? The ability to scale the workforce quickly and efficiently cannot be understated.

AI Becomes a Permanent Fixture for Talent Strategy

Artificial intelligence is becoming a permanent fixture as part of today’s enterprise operations and talent management strategies. For the contingent workforce, AI serves as an essential technology to streamline candidate pairings with operational needs, while increasing transparency of available skillsets and workforce contributions. Those insights prove valuable when talent gaps appear, or workforce scaling is necessary. Artificial intelligence will continue to evolve and with it, more CWM opportunities will emerge. Today, leverage the AI capabilities that exist to better plan for tomorrow.

Web 3.0 Is Here to Disrupt the Way We Work

Technology and Innovation by Christopher J. Dwyer on 01/18/2023

The advent of Web 3.0 is not just a natural evolution of the internet at scale, but rather a calling for a new era of decentralization, automation, and intelligence exchange.

The future of the Future of Work is based on many factors (as we detailed yesterday). Web 3.0 and its digital experience will prove to be a major disruptor for the world of work and talent.

A Time for Workforce Management Innovation

Direct Sourcing Solution Providers Talent Acquisition Technology and Innovation by Christopher J. Dwyer on 01/10/2023

Humans are what drive the Future of Work today. What it all comes down to, in essence, is that a business relies on its people to get work done, to survive, and to thrive. The workforce has undergone some seismic shifts over the past several years, from the rise of the extended workforce to non-employee talent becoming a source of real enterprise agility.

Ardent Partners and Future of Work Exchange research has discovered that 82% of businesses leveraged more contingent workers and sources of external talent in 2022 than in 2021, a powerful statistic that represents the relative power of the extended workforce, its overall value, and its impact on enterprise operations.

Considering that the specter of an economic recession lingers, as well as Year Four of the Pandemic That Will Not End, this means that now, more than ever before, businesses will require Best-in-Class strategies and solutions for engaging the best-fit, best-aligned talent, and, of course, managing it in a frictionless way.

What this means, of course, is that the workforce solutions market is what will set the tone for enterprises as they reimagine their outlook for 2023 and ensure that talent-fueled agility is the foundation for success in the year ahead.

The great news, though, is that this technology industry is abound with innovation. Heavyweight platforms like Beeline bring cutting-edge workforce management functionality and a talent-centric focus that will assist enterprises in achieving true total workforce management, while solutions such as Magnit seamlessly connect top-tier direct sourcing, services procurement, DE&I, total talent intelligence, and VMS technology under a frictionless platform approach. SAP Fieldglass continues to innovate around its idyllic blend of VMS, services procurement, and candidate management functionality, all of which are built on a foundation of high-powered analytics and intelligence offerings. Prosperix brings a truly unique “VMS network” vision to life through its next-generation solution, and VNDLY (a Workday company) converges procurement-centric solutions with the HR bliss of the Workday suite of technology. Coupa Software’s contingent workforce tool is an exemplary confluence of VMS technology, business spend management automation, and real-time talent visibility.

Technologies like Opptly are redefining talent acquisition via artificial intelligence-fueled functionality and dynamic candidate matching tools. LiveHire represents the convergence of deep direct sourcing, ATS, and CRM technology and real total talent management solutions. WorkLLama is a strong reflection of “Direct Sourcing 2.0,” in which robust, end-to-end workforce management technology catalyzes progressive candidate-focused functionality. HireGenics brings the power of enterprise brand management, “MSP 4.0” innovation, and diversity-led solutions to the direct sourcing arena. Worksuite (formerly Shortlist) continues to provide enterprises with an all-in-one, flexible platform that combines the power of VMS, digital staffing, and services procurement. HireArt’s unique approach converges workforce management functionality with forward-thinking talent curation, direct sourcing, and compliance management tools.

The realm of digital staffing is also actively contributing to the workforce innovation arena. Upwork, a giant in the talent marketplace solutions landscape, offers wide-scoping workforce management technology that is built on perhaps the world’s largest talent community. Toptal continues to revolutionize what “workforce agility” means to the modern business by enabling development of fully-scalable teams of top-tier, remote talent. The Mom Project’s continued evolution reflects their commitment to diverse talent acquisition, streamlined talent engagement operations, and Best-in-Class enterprise technology. Talmix leverages global talent intelligence and next-level automation to revamp the talent acquisition process.

Catalant‘s Expert Marketplace is more than a digital staffing solution, offering 80,000+ experts and freelancers in an enterprise platform that facilitates project-scoping, team management, payments, and compliance and risk management. GR8 People‘s innovative “Everyone Platform” is a stout, end-to-end tool that encompasses the best of recruitment technology, direct sourcing, ATS, and CRM that enables total talent management and a revolutionary candidate experience.

Artificial intelligence and next-level analytics are now front-and-center in the world of workforce management technology. HiredScore is an AI-fueled platform with “talent orchestration” technology that is perfectly-aligned with the evolving world of work’s need for real-time talent intelligence. Glider.ai continues to revolutionize candidate intelligence through assessment, interviewing, and engagement innovation.

With talent as the very nexus of the contemporary enterprise in 2023 and a linchpin to true business and workforce agility, organizations have access to the dynamic solutions that can transform talent acquisition, reimagine talent engagement, and spark next-generation workforce management.

Welcome to the Future of Work in 2023

Business Leadership Contingent Workforce Technology and Innovation by Andrew Bartolini on 01/06/2023

Happy New Year!

At the behest of our rock star analyst, Christopher Dwyer (also our SVP of Research), Ardent Partners launched this site in the summer of 2021 to help HR, talent acquisition, procurement, IT, and finance executives understand the critical convergence of talent and innovation and the impact that the extended workforce has had and will have on business operations and bottom-line performance. I would argue that as we kick off the new year, nothing is more important to a business than understanding the Future of Work in 2023 and having the right strategies, tools, and approaches to manage it well.

The Future of Work in 2023 already looks very different from just a few years ago, driven by a few large trends that are discussed below.

AUTOMATION

One of the biggest drivers of change in the Future of Work is automation and the tools used to perform tasks that were previously done by humans. This can include everything from manufacturing and assembly line work to data entry and customer service. As automation is adopted and becomes more prevalent within the enterprise, efficiencies and perhaps more importantly, effectiveness, increase as staffers can spend more time on deeper strategic elements of their work.

With today’s growing extended workforce, enterprises need flexibility and scalability. Automation can bridge the various data points related to recruitment, onboarding, and payroll, allowing HR to focus on strategic workforce development and management planning. Through direct sourcing initiatives and automation, an enterprise can flex its extended workforce requirements quickly and efficiently, providing the necessary support before ramping down.

AI

Another significant trend in the Future of Work is the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI). AI refers to the development of computer systems that can perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as learning, problem-solving, and decision-making. AI is already being used in a variety of industries, including healthcare, finance, and retail. We are in the early stages of an AI revolution, but this technology is almost certainly going to play an even larger role in the way we work, potentially leading to the creation of new job roles and a better understanding of how to staff the most successful teams and projects.

Of all the technologies available to enterprises that help automate key workforce processes, AI is the pure representation of the Future of Work. However, there are different shades of artificial intelligence helping organizations optimize the way they get work done and how they think about talent. It’s more than having an artificial persona to help figure things out and make decisions — instead, it’s enabling smarter decisions.

If bias can be removed from decision-making and technology, and AI is set up in such a way that there is no unconscious bias, then it is possible to understand how diverse the workforce truly is. The Future of Work Exchange has long said (including many years ago) that a diverse workforce is the deepest workforce. Being able to bring in different voices from different cultures allows businesses to be more innovative and think outside the box. And AI is a perfect conduit for that.

THE HYBRID WORKFORCE

In addition to automation and AI, the Future of Work is also likely to be influenced by the increasing popularity of remote work and flexible scheduling. With the advancement of communication technologies such as video conferencing and project management software, it is becoming easier for employees to work from anywhere in the world. This trend is being driven by a variety of factors, including the desire for work-life balance, the need for companies to access a global talent pool, and the cost savings associated with remote work.

Progressive companies realize the importance of hybrid work options for employees. While compensation remains a major factor when accepting a job offer, it is benefits such as hybrid work that are attracting more job candidates. Hybrid work models are also contributing to healthy employee well-being and mental health — both of which can have a significant impact on the bottom line. A hybrid workforce makes healthy sense to workers and fiscal sense to the enterprise.

SUMMARY

As technology continues to advance at an unprecedented pace, Ardent Partners expects to see significant changes to the way we will work in the coming years. Whether it is through upskilling and retraining or embracing new technologies, the key to success in the Future of Work will be adaptability and a willingness to embrace change — namely automation, artificial intelligence, remote work, and flexible scheduling.

And, as the Future of Work continues to evolve, it is important for both individuals and companies to stay abreast of these trends and to be proactive in preparing for the changes that are likely to come. That’s where THE FUTURE OF WORK EXCHANGE site comes into the picture — if you haven’t already, bookmark this site and make it a regular stop as you pursue your workforce goals and objectives in 2023 and drive to become a Best-in-Class operation.

The Six Trends That Will Shape The Future of Work in 2023 (On-Demand Webinar)

Events by John Yuva on 12/20/2022

Last week, Ardent Partners and the Future of Work Exchange hosted an exclusive webcast focused on the six critical trends that will shape the Future of Work in 2023 and beyond. The Six Trends That Will Shape The Future of Work in 2023 featured an in-depth discussion on the various strategies, approaches, technology, functionality, and innovation that are set to pave the way for work optimization in the year ahead. The Exchange‘s Managing Director, Christopher J. Dwyer, discussed:

How “non-technological” strategies, such as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I), will have a massive impact.
Why direct sourcing and omni-channel talent acquisition will play major roles in 2023’s talent acquisition initiatives.
How the transformation of business leadership (including conscious leadership styles) will be required for workforce management.
The roles of extended workforce, VMS, direct sourcing, and MSP solutions on talent engagement and workforce management, and;
How businesses can best prepare to thrive in 2023 by leveraging the power of their talent and talent strategies.

Check out the on-demand edition of the webcast below, and be sure to participate in our new research study to gain complete access to our entire research calendar, which will include studies, reports, and thought leadership pieces centered around direct sourcing, total talent management, DE&I, HR’s role in the Future of Work, extended workforce management, and much, much more.

The Future of Work Exchange Podcast, Episode 705: A Conversation with Athena Karp, CEO and Founder of HiredScore

Podcast by Christopher J. Dwyer on 12/14/2022

An all-new episode of the Future of Work Exchange Podcast, sponsored by Beeline, features a discussion with Athena Karp, CEO and Founder of HiredScore. Athena and I discuss the power of artificial intelligence in talent technology, its impact on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I), and what lies ahead for the Future of Work movement in 2023.

Tune into Episode 705 of The Future of Work Exchange Podcast below, or subscribe on Apple Music, Spotify, Stitcher, or iHeartRadio.