Organizations Need Good Data to Make Good Decisions
When it comes to making organizational decisions, good data is essential. Especially when we’re talking about decisions that impact the entire organization like technology investments or HR strategy. One of the best ways to get good data is to participate in surveys.
I’m not going to sugar-coat it. Participating in a survey takes time. But the payoff is HUGE because the data is valuable. Obviously, because our time is precious, it makes sense to be a little choosey when it comes to which surveys we participate in. We can’t do them all. So which ones make sense? Well, here’s one that you might want to consider.
Since 1997, the Sierra-Cedar HR Systems Survey is the longest running research in the HR industry focused on the adoption, deployment, and value achieved from HR technology. Over 1,300 organizations participated in last year’s survey, representing over 17 million employees and a wide variety of industries.
The survey covers topics you would expect such as technology risk, security, and integration. And it covers areas like workforce management, talent management, and business intelligence. It also has started collecting data on the impact of socially responsible organizations, to understand the impact of investments in wellness, diversity, flexible schedules, etc.
I’m bringing this up for three reasons:
- If you weren’t aware of Sierra-Cedar and their survey, now you are.
- It’s not too late to participate in the 21stEdition of the survey. The deadline is June 8, 2018.
- You can check out last year’s survey results white paper along with the webinar recording.
I had the opportunity to speak with Stacey Harris, vice president of research and analytics, about latest survey results and she shared with me some interesting information about what organizations are looking for in their technology solutions. “People are beginning to look at issues like cost and customization, being just as important as user experience now in their vendor satisfaction ratings. The ratings would suggest that we’ve overcome the big hurdles with user experience, and now organizations are looking for ways to differentiate their HR practices and get higher levels of value from their applications.”
I’ve always found the Sierra-Cedar survey to be well-managed with excellent results that I can share with senior managers. We regularly talk about the need for environmental scanning in preparing strategic plans. As you’re going into “budget season”, think about the value some survey data might bring to your discussions. It could be the information that the organization needs to make good decisions.
P.S. Speaking of excellent technology and data resources, don’t forget the HR Technology Conference and Expo is right around the corner. It’s scheduled for September 11-14, 2018 in Las Vegas. The ever-popular Women in Technology pre-conference workshop is back. And this year’s keynote speakers include Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs fame and Randi Zuckerberg. Registration information can be found on the HR Tech Conference website. Hope to see you there!
Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby at the HR Technology Conference in Las Vegas, NV
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