Main story – HR tech review events – is HR still listening?
A few weeks ago, we put HR tech in the hot seat. Now, the big HR tech fall show is in the books – so where do we stand?
Our in-depth coverage of Workday Rising is a reference point. Meanwhile, Brian is loose in Vegas at HR Tech and SAP Success Connect. He released an epic two-parter, with rumors of more salty analysis and tarmac tunip follow:
Brian saw some (HR) things he liked in Vegas, but he kept it real:
- The completeness or science behind some solutions can leave you wanting at times
- And, integration is the problem CHROs still face with some great solutions in sight
When I explored developments in “continuous listening,” I returned to Brian’s stash: employers now have the tools to listen effectively – but do they? And will they act? Digital HR exhaust can also enable a surveillance culture; will HR gain the trust to listen? “Smart” HR tools can be cut in the same way. Cath files an important piece that drives the point home: You’re fired! Can we trust algorithms to decide who gets fired and who doesn’t?
While AI-enabled firings aren’t happening industry-wide (yet), Cath provides enough proof points to drive any HR tech advocate crazy (I didn’t know Facebook fired 60 contractors last year month, randomly selected by an algorithm).
What is worrying about enterprise blockchain is the lack of live projects. Enterprise AI has the exact opposite problem: we’re constantly learning about ill-conceived, poorly designed use cases that are already in production – an overreach with all-too-human consequences. One snarker on Twitter told me:
AI can do a better job of firing than humans.
Sadly, that can sometimes be true. But it is wrong to use one extreme to justify another. A well-designed AI tool should help people be more responsible (and fair) in their decisions – and vice versa.
As Cath wrote:
Apart from the ethical, moral and reputational issues, such situations are something that the AI industry needs to examine, explore and start taking some responsibility for.
Vendor review, diginomica style. Here are my top picks from our vendor coverage:
Our coverage of Dreamforce 2022, wall to wall
Missed something at Dreamforce that you want to catch up on? You’ve come to the right place – diginomica’s “saturate Moscone” Dreamforce coverage began before the show; our on-the-ground + remote combo team stacks up from there. Here are some high points:
I can’t sum up Dreamforce in a blurb, but this bit from Stuart Benioff’s piece jumps out. Benioff noted the number of large customer teams that showed up last week. Stuart wrote:
Perhaps that’s not so surprising given comments made by both Salesforce and others in the tech sector of late to the effect that purchasing cycles are lengthening as organizations take more time to jump on all the approvals in the review and procurement process. Do these large teams perhaps indicate a more cautious decision-making environment as the Vaccine Economy develops?
Benioff has strong views on this idea, asserting that the buying environment is stable and Salesforce’s relevance has never been higher. Customers need these solutions to be successful, he says.
This is just my opinion, but I’m pushing the “great-to-be-back” storyline of the fall shows. This is true, but there is more to it. Instead, I buy this: we’re in this together, whether we could make the event or not. And, from an economic point of view: we will need the best enterprise software technology – and companies – to come out of this for the better. Today’s software purchasing patterns, though erratic at times, reinforce this fact.
Jon’s grab bag – “For most companies, going to market is broken.” That’s a good hook for Barb’s Go-to-market is broken – GTM Partners wants to help you fix your approach. Neil reports on a different approach to quantum innovation in The Israel Innovation Authority is building a new quantum computing research center – what Will there be an impact? Big tech faces regulatory headwinds in the EU; Derek adds the UK to that mix with the UK regulator to check the market power of Amazon, Microsoft and Google – could lead to action.
Best in the enterprise web
My top seven
Whiffs
My tweet on the dangers of being data-driven sparked a firestorm of riffs on Twitter:
Question for the “data driven” –
What happens if the data is bad?
Is it like running your car off a cliff, or maybe like getting a speeding ticket and a ding on your insurance?
CC: @BrianSSommer
— Jon Reed (@jonerp) September 21, 2022
I got something keeper responses:
In the early days of car navigation systems, there were times when cars ran off the road into rivers – because the ferry was marked as a bridge and the drivers believed the data.
MyPoV: make sure the data is good before you let it drive. And have a plan b
— Thomas Wieberneit (@twieberneit) September 21, 2022
I also return to my previous scratching post, Zuck’s metaverse:
Mark Zuckerberg: The metaverse will open in 3 steps, and one is happening ‘sooner than I thought’ https://t.co/0fphteUkgb
-> Zuck is excited because some people are exercising with their peers online. Wow this is some revolutionary stuff
— Jon Reed (@jonerp) September 24, 2022
That leads me to this moment of clarity ventilation:
I’m strong on real world AR, but I’m rooting against the immersive metaverse that Zuck enjoys because mainstream adoption is directly proportional to worsening real-world conditions. AR will enhance real life, VR is an escape from it https://t.co/V7LNxEPtpn
— Jon Reed (@jonerp) September 24, 2022
Finally, I have a burning question for Brian Sommer:
Now the word from Brian on this one for now… If you find one #engsw piece that qualifies for hits and misses – in a good or bad way – let me know in the comments as Clive (almost) always do. Most of the Enterprise hit and miss articles are selected from my curated @jonerpnewsfeed.