New technology could be hindering staff, consultants warn

IT solutions within an organisation could actually be hindering staff performance, instead of helping them to realise their full potential, according to change consultancy The Quo Group.

David Halliday, Senior Partner at The Quo Group will tell HR professionals at the Softworld HR & Payroll event next month (20 ñ 21 October, NEC, Birmingham) that new technology and the training that often accompanies it is unlikely to change the behaviour of staff and the performance they deliver. Halliday argues that in fact, it often leads to a reduced performance.

HR is part of the value chain, delivering this through its relationships with other internal functions and into the organisation’s relationship with its customers, users and stakeholders comments Halliday. Systems, per se, add limited value down the value chain in terms of improved performance unless they are accompanied by changed behaviours in the people themselves. In many organisations, systems are introduced under the pretext of adding value to a customer (internal or external) when in reality they are being introduced for the greater convenience of the service provider, rather than for the greater value to the customer.

Halliday’s debate at Softworld will focus on two inter-related issues:
Marrying behavioural change with technology change
Linking both to added value through to the internal partners and the external customers
This will then lead delegates to a simple model against which HR can self-assess the way it selects and introduces new systems.

Softworld HR & Payroll is Europe’s leading software event for the HR and payroll community and in addition to the free educational programme comprises an exhibition of over 40 leading exhibitors, such as Frontier Software Plc, Northgate, Sage (UK) Ltd, Snowdrop Systems and KCS. This autumn’s event will run concurrently with three other events: Softworld Accounting & Finance, Softworld Business Integration Expo and the Business Performance & Project Management Forum. Visitor badges will allow a free cross-over between all four.

All masterclass sessions are operated on a first-come, first-served basis. Delegates can view the full programme, and pre-register to attend the event at: www.softworld.co.uk/hrp. For more information on The Quo Group, please visit: www.quogroup.com.