IBM Helps businesses to Improve Organizational Performance

Decision makers of today’s businesses are becoming smarter through faster decision making and by adopting more efficient business processes. In its bid to bring a valued offering to such growth seeking businesses, global technology major, IBM announced new cloud-based solutions and a Talent and Change consulting practice to enable organizations to use analytics and workforce science to identify top talent, deepen employee engagement and manage transformational change to provide differentiated client experiences.

The new offerings are delivered through IBM’s Smarter Workforce initiative and draw upon the company’s 25 years of workforce science expertise, a discipline that helps clients apply proven behavioral science, statistical analysis and psychological principles to improve employee engagement and organizational performance.  In tandem with the new Talent and Change practice, which is backed by 1,600 change management experts, the offerings are also supported by more than 100 behavioral scientists dedicated to helping clients use social, analytics and digital experience technologies to identify top performers, evaluate workforce readiness, and guard against future talent attrition.

The announcement comes at a time when workforce engagement and transformation are top priorities for Chief HR Officers (CHROs) and C-suite leaders.  According to the recent IBM global C-suite study, the pace and magnitude of change are disrupting every aspect of business.  In fact, two out of five CEOs expect their next competitive threat to come from organizations outside their industries, requiring them to completely rethink their workforce design and processes.  A major challenge is the ability to attract and retain top talent while making sure the existing workforce is fully engaged to deliver exceptional customer experiences.

Another critical aspect is the ability of organizations to manage the size, scope and pace of workforce transformation projects to meet these shifting market demands.  A new study released today by the IBM Institute of Business Value found that 87 percent of nearly 1,400 business leaders did not feel enough focus is placed on managing change. In fact, just 20 percent felt they have been successful in managing change throughout the organization, and only 40 percent felt they have the right skills in place to manage change in the future. The study also found that organizations need to build an infrastructure capable of leading change initiatives while embracing emerging technologies.

IBM’s new dedicated Talent and Change consulting practice helps clients prepare for the transformational change required to build a smarter, more connected workforce. The practice gives clients access to organizational change management methods, tools and expertise gained from thousands of client engagements and IBM’s own transformation initiatives.  It addresses four key areas – Organizational Change, Talent Analytics, Employee Experience and HR Cloud – with an overall focus on helping clients use cloud to deploy, manage and access their HR solutions and assets to drive business results.

“People being the most important differentiator, successful Indian companies are beginning to realize the potential of workforce engagement. They are looking for solutions and new ways to attract and retain top talent, adding more precision to role and team design while driving the right organizational culture and adapt to new business opportunities. We have introduced new cloud-based offerings and a Talent and Change consulting practice with data-driven approach, designed to complement the expertise of business leaders and HR professionals,” said Anmol Nautiyal, Director, IBM Social Business and IBM Smarter Workforce.

HDFC Life, one of the leading insurance providers in India, recognized the growing need for a smarter workforce and collaborated with IBMto create a tailor-made High Performance Engagement Model. The model has been built through IBM’s expertise in behavioral sciences and global experience. The solution goes beyond employee engagement and leverages the Smarter Survey Platform that includes analytics & tools that not only offer insights but also enable execution.

“Talent is our key strength and differentiator. We are delighted to partner with IBM to transform our employees into a smarter workforce, which will be critical to strengthen a competitive advantage in the dynamic marketplace. These tools will not only use analytics and workforce science to recognise leading talent but also enhance engagement with employees to manage the transformational change”, said Rajendra Ghag, CHRO, HDFC Life Insurance.

In May, IDC published its latest Worldwide Human Capital Management Applications 2013 Vendor Share report, ranking IBM first in Worldwide Recruiting Applications revenue for 2013.  By combining proven workforce science, analytics, social collaboration tools and compelling digital experiences, IBM's Smarter Workforce initiative is uniquely positioned to help clients deepen employee engagement, deliver great client service and accelerate growth.  Today’s launch also extends IBM’s leadership in Big Data and Analytics, where it has invested more than $24 billion to date in R&D and acquisitions.

The new offerings are available today and will soon be accessible through the IBM Cloud marketplace, alongside more than 100 other IBM SaaS solutions.  The IBM Cloud marketplace is an innovation hub where technology meets business with hundreds of cloud services from IBM, its partners and third party ecosystem.