July 29th, 2009
Alignment vs. Agreement - Which is better?
An Interesting Development from a HR software firm
TalentSphere is a HR software firm that has some interesting intellectual property and an interesting approach to achieving alignment between workers and the companies that employ them. They help firms achieve greater alignment between business strategies and workers’ needs/wants. They also have some creative approaches to help employers find the right kind of workers and match them to the right kind of work situation. When such a match occurs, it is hoped that job stability is increased, employee morale increases and the costs associated with turnover and replacement recruiting plummet.
TalentSphere has apparently been working on a broader application where it helps any two parties achieve ‘agreement’. Agreement is much deeper, fundamental and permanent than alignment. You and your employer may be aligned today but business needs and strategies (like personal needs and wants) change so frequently that alignment is sometimes a transitory goal. A good goal but one that needs lots of re-connecting to ensure it’s still relevant.
Agreement works when two parties want to do something together. They seek a mutual meeting of the minds. When this is achieved, an agreement can be consummated. Great agreements occur when the parties agree to all of the details of an event, contract, etc. They agree on the big items and all the arcane aspects, too.
TalentSphere has something in beta that you might like to try (and it’s free for now). It called ShakeTool. The software lets one party contact another and suggest that they might want to work together to achieve some kind of an agreement. Are you in need of mending a marriage or negotiating a contract for a new roof on your house? Try this product. It lets each side enter in their needs and concerns. Either party can suggest and improve on these terms until both sides agree to a given term. There are no limits as to the number of terms and once each is agreed to, the parties ’shake’ on that item.
I suspect this tool could be useful in HR situations and in other applications. I’m not sure it will always work in the large capital expenditure deals I negotiate as these are often adversarial. But, I’ll keep an open mind.
Hey, it’s in beta and it’s free. Let’s kick the tires…
This blog explores the intersection set between services and technology. If it impacts either space, it will be covered here. Brian Sommer is a former Accenture partner. He did an 18-year tour of duty there and ran three small practice units (Finance Center of Excellence, HR Center of Excellence and Software Intelligence). He’s sold service projects in almost every continent and remains just as current on both services and technology today as ever before. Brian is currently CEO of TechVentive, a strategy consultancy servicing technology providers, and a research analyst with Vital Analysis. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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