Driving change in your organization from the back seat
An organizations ability to be agile and innovative is vital to its future growth and success. In today’s ever-changing world, organizations should be able to adapt to dynamic markets but reality is many organizations still seem to fail in creating innovation driven business decisions that are responsive to change. Unfortunately, this is also often seen in recruitment and many recruiters suffer from the rigidity of their company. While some still manage to make it work, their processes are getting out-dated fast, making it harder and harder to stay ahead. As many organizations do not seem to recognize the risks of stagnation and missing the boat, employees should take initiative and start driving sustainable change from the back seat.
Truth is, most organizations are well aware of the shortcomings of their present business approach. At the same time, too many organizations still seem to fail in solving the issues they face, as they are afraid to actually make the necessary changes. A quite ‘logical’ response considering fear is part of our DNA. Humans find security in habit and get uncomfortable when thinking about taking the plunge in the unknown. It bothers our brains and causes stress, and so, many businesses prefer to be driven by well-honed habits and refuse to recognize the risks of staying the course.
Heraclitus once said; ‘the only thing constant in life is change’. A true saying I believe, and definitely no less true when we’re looking at recruitment. If there was just one ultimate way to hire, we could just program it and repeat it till the end of time. Reality is, however, the process of hiring talented people for your organization is a complex task and always subject to change.
The conservative business approach of many organizations causes critical hiring challenges that can put a strain on the whole company. Processes should develop synchronously with the people it is meant for, in order to maintain a recruitment approach that is attractive and effective. In order to attract great candidates, an employer needs to be able to provide a great process. As people’s behaviour, preferences and lifestyles are changing continuously, it’s really hard to attract them with a not-that-great process that has been stagnant for years. Recruiters are also struggling with an increasing pressure on their processes, as their businesses outdated hiring practices are simply not efficient enough to keep the organization sufficiently staffed in a cost- and time-effective way. In the meantime, the competition in the market is increasing, making it even harder to stay ahead.
While many recruiters already understand the importance of keeping their processes aligned with the market, the rigidity of the company makes it tough to keep their hiring practices responsive to change. Luckily, our technology-driven world has made it possible to place a lot of trust in technology when it comes to redesigning out-dated processes and keeping hiring practices up-to-date. The broad availability of SaaS recruitment software makes it easier than ever to find an effective solution for almost every challenge faced. This sea of smart solutions enables us to make the first changes on an operational level relatively easy, making a lot of progress when it comes to creating adaptable processes. At the same time, the improved results and payoff are visible (and measurable) in all business levels, creating relevance and a broader basis to drive change throughout the organization. When implementing the right tools, process efficiency can be greatly improved, possibilities to attract the best talent enhanced and the risk of bad hires decreased.
The proof is in the results, if a process is working, keep it going. But don’t be afraid to start driving change if it’s not, or be at risk of getting out-dated fast. Remember that past performance is no guarantee of future success. Don’t fear change or the rigidity of your company, fear stagnation and lack of progress. Dare to break through your organization’s tunnel vision if needed. Look at the goals and figure out what you can do to support them. There are possibilities to drive change within your organization in abundance; you only need to seize them.
