Logo Why Cornerstone Solutions Resources Company Book a Demo Logo Topics Resource Categories ARTICLE Let’s power the future ready workforce I know I’m not alone. We’ve all felt first-hand the personal and professional impact of the past 18 months. Navigating a global pandemic and the resulting “big reset” that turned our work and life environments upside down, advocating for diversity, inclusion and equality for all people, and most recently, managing through the “Great Resignation.” All these things have fundamentally changed my own life and my work. I am still trying to balance the ever-evolving needs of my family and myself as we re-emerge from the effects of the pandemic. At the same time, I work to lead, motivate and engage a team of diverse, distributed people, ensuring that we stay connected and find common ground so we can execute huge, transformational work for our customers. As a team, we’ve found new and innovative ways to maximise our productivity while staying as agile as possible. And, we are all looking to the future with excitement, as we reflect on our personal and professional goals and seek new ways to grow – both individually and together. This is the picture of our work today The dramatic changes in our lives, the tectonic shifts in the way we work, and the new things we’ve learned about ourselves and each other shine a bright light on the opportunities we have in this moment. We are all searching for new ways to get inspired and to engage and grow at work and life — in a way that aligns with our ever-changing situations, which are all so uniquely personal. And whether change is required or chosen, it’s our human nature to try to “reweave” ourselves back into our new environments. To reconnect us back to purpose, to people, to the world around us. The experience of personal exploration, development and learning have been age-old ways to help us do that. But as important as this personal growth exploration is to us as humans, we can’t forget about the essential requirements of work. Enabling our people to grow and succeed in a way that works best for them AND enabling our business to grow and transform to meet the needs of our customers and markets is not an either/or conversation. Our ability to successfully navigate at this intersection is the lynchpin to the future of work. That’s the current gap we see in the market today Experience and intelligence must go hand in hand. To navigate the future of work successfully, we need to make a fundamental shift in the way we think about talent technology. To effectively adopt “back to human” strategies and elevate the people experience we need to harness — not ignore — the value of the essential talent tools, processes, workflows, and troves of people data and intelligence we’ve worked so hard to put in place. We’ve heard this from our vast and diverse customer base, and we believe Cornerstone is in a unique position to help solve this problem. It’s why we’re so excited that our latest innovation, Cornerstone Xplor, is launching today. It’s a new solution in our portfolio, but it represents more than that. Cornerstone Xplor works at the intersection of experience and intelligence Cornerstone Xplor is the manifestation of our company’s bold vision to revolutionise how people and teams will learn, grow, connect and thrive in this new world of work. It’s a holistic people growth experience that delivers a fully integrated and hyper-personalised journey of learning, skill development, growth and career mobility for every person. Cornerstone Xplor homepage See full Cornerstone Xplor homepage preview — The Cornerstone Xplor homepage is personalised to help employees see the content you’ve promoted, the training they need to take or the content that will help them meet their skill or learning needs. But unlike traditional Learning Experience Platforms (LXP) or other similar niche applications that create “experience silos,” Cornerstone Xplor brings every element of people growth into one single destination, so every person in your organisation can: Design a personalised skill development and growth plan and a path to get there. Easily find the most engaging, relevant content that matches the skills they want to develop. Explore careers that are a fit for those skills. Connect with coaches and mentors who have mastered those skills. Join communities and explore gigs where they can practice those skills. Connect to an internal marketplace of job opportunities that align with those skills. Engage with others who share similar interests and ideas that have nothing to do with skills! Here are two examples of how Cornerstone Xplor supports a better growth experience for people: Careers Explorer in Cornerstone Xplor See full Career Explorer preview — Career Explorer empowers employees to take career management into their own hands by providing a centralised location to explore career opportunities and to receive personalised development to support career advancement. Discover tab in Cornerstone Xplor See full Discover preview — Go beyond static content recommendations with Discover, a view into learning content recommendations inclusive of in-house and on-the-web content, all curated and filtered for quality, and searchable by skill and even by content vendor. And Cornerstone Xplor doesn’t detach this people experience from the systems and intelligence talent leaders need. Because the experience is only as powerful as the intelligence behind it. This is where the foundational strength of Cornerstone comes in. Cornerstone Xplor harnesses the power of our industry-leading learning, skills, content and talent capabilities, the broadest, deepest people data lake and purpose-built AI Engines to fuel continuous personalisation and optimisation of the people experience while delivering new levels of depth, flexibility, scale and insight for talent leaders. Supported by an AI-powered and skills-forward talent system As Cornerstone Xplor works on the experience layer, talent leaders have access to a whole new level of intelligence under the hood. They can easily identify their experts and offer them new opportunities to grow, visualise the skills they have across the organisation, create new talent pools based on skills, and more precisely map and align the skills of their people to the evolving requirements of the business. They can auto-generate learning and skill development paths, create seamless skill and career journeys, deliver fresh, relevant, high-impact learning content — all surfaced by Cornerstone Xplor based on individual interests, goals and career aspirations — without all the heavy lifting. They can leverage Cornerstone Xplor to surface relevant learning and skills content, help people connect to mentors and experts, reveal options for both traditional and non-traditional career and skill paths, and connect people to an auto-matched “marketplace” of new jobs, gigs and projects. They can meet their people where they are with personalised learning, skill development and career growth opportunities – at scale and with more intelligence than ever — while keeping that experience tightly connected to their existing systems, workflows and essential learning and talent programs. Let’s meet this moment together How often do we REALLY get to shape the future of work? To inspire our people, help them achieve their goals and become their most extraordinary? To create a better world – the one we all aspire to live and work in? To empower our people to infuse their unique perspectives and personalities and strengths into work, and dazzle us with the results? It’s time to create this new world together. On behalf of everyone at Cornerstone, I’m excited to be on this journey with you, as we make our way together into the future of work. Today’s launch of Cornerstone Xplor is just the beginning of that journey, and we hope you like what you’re hearing. If you have questions, send me a message, I’d love to connect with you, even if we may not be able to do that in person, yet! To get a closer look at Cornerstone Xplor, check out this video Editor's Picks ARTICLE Behind the scenes of Cornerstone’s bold new vision to power the future ready workforce WHITEPAPER Meet the Future, Ready: A Guide for Talent Leaders Shaping the New World of Work EBOOK Empowering people in the age of agility RESEARCH The Business Case for Skill Intelligence Discover more about Cornerstone Learn how we can help your organisation attract, develop, retain, and manage talent to maximise business results. Learn More Latest Stories DATASHEET Cornerstone Xplor: Skill building for the future of work The world of work has evolved, and the way people development works must too. Organisations and employees need more insight into their skills, where they can grow, and what will help them get there. Cornerstone Xplor delivers personalised experiences that drive the skill-building and growth you need to keep your organisation competitive. Download this datasheet to learn more about how you can build connections between your people, resources, and opportunities for every employee in your organisation using the skills AI built into Cornerstone Xplor. DATASHEET Effectively manage organisational change Too many HR teams waste time navigating multiple reporting systems, spreadsheets, and charts because they don’t have their organisational structure consolidated. Saba Organisational Planning is a comprehensive solution that consolidates critical HR data into an easy-to-use platform. You’ll see headcount, budget, performance, structure, and more all in one place, enabling instant and accurate insights. When the business environment changes, you’ll be empowered to proactively adapt and align with the goals of your organisation. DATASHEET Cornerstone Performance: Connect employee goals with business outcomes Ensuring that all of your people are motivated and engaged can be challenging. You need them to find purpose in what they’re doing while aligning that purpose with your organisation’s goals. With its detailed insights into your talent landscape, Cornerstone Performance helps you quickly identify and mobilise employees to solve your organisation’s top priorities. More Stories Trends at Work WHITEPAPER EBOOK RESEARCH Meet the Future, Ready: A Guide for Talent Leaders Shaping the New World of Work “Unprecedented times.” “The next world of work.” “The great reset.” You’ve heard these phrases repeatedly. And it’s true: The COVID-19 pandemic and other world events have radically changed how we work, where we work, and what employees expect from work. But in many ways, that’s a good thing — because a shift in the way we work has long been in the cards. Standing at the edge of a 5th industrial revolution, employees are now heading back to work after the most intense period of change the modern world has ever experienced. This also means organisations have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to re-build work in a way that works for everyone. And the future of work now lies squarely in the hands of HR and talent leaders. Like no other business leader, talent leaders hold the golden threadto reimagining the workplace for today — and whatever comes next. As agents of change, you have the opportunity to empower a more connected, collaborative, and future-ready workforce. The future belongs to organisations with the courage and mindset needed to reimagine how they work. To meet the future ready — with agility, resilience, shared purpose, and alignment — you must deliver a connected experience that creates value for people, and an environment that’s designed for collective growth and success. This opportunity to redesign the way we work and pursue what’s possible may never come again — let’s not waste it. To help guide your path forward, we asked talent practitioners around the world – as well as renowned thought leaders from companies like The Josh Bersin Company, The Fosway Group and more – what they have to say about rebuilding a future that works for all. And what they had to say may just give you a new lens through which you view your organisation’s approach to work. Filled with proven strategies, revealing statistics, and practical examples, this guide will give you the insights and inspiration you need to meet the future ready. You’ll learn why (and how) you should: Make learning foundational to people and business growth Turn skills into your new growth language Connect skills development to career paths Let artificial intelligence (AI) do some of the heavy lifting Download the guide now to learn how you can rebuild a workplace that empowers everyone to adapt, grow, and succeed! RESEARCH The Business Case for Skill Intelligence Research from the Institute for the Future reveals that a staggering 85 percent of the jobs that will exist in 2030 haven’t even been invented yet. Now more than ever, employees need to be adaptable, able to pivot, and ready to take on any challenge. Without deep insights into employee skill sets, where employees’ strengths lie, or how to tap into their hidden talents, however, none of that is possible. Skills have become the universal language for growth and success for every organisation. And skill intelligence allows businesses to better understand, develop, and provision talent to dynamically meet the needs of the organisation. It even allows us to make business-critical decisions more quickly and with greater confidence. But how exactly do you get those insights? Artificial intelligence (AI) for HR is game-changing AI has the power to increase HR scalability, recognise patterns in people’s behavior, and offer personalised support where and when needed. Using AI, HR and business leaders can more effectively upskill and reskill employees to meet shifting business needs and objectives — whatever demands the future may bring. With the right application of machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies, employers can go beyond tracking skills to enable action-oriented talent practices like never before. In this Lighthouse Research & Advisory report — based on a study of more than 1,000 employers and thousands of workers — you’ll learn: the concept of skill intelligence how AI forms the core of these initiatives the use cases and applications of skill intelligence Download the report now to learn how AI and skill intelligence can help your organisation uncover better insights about the business, make predictions, and effectively respond to dynamic market changes. BLOG POST 10 tips on how HR can impact business COVID-19 has accelerated digital transformation for many parts of businesses, including the HR department. Adapting to social distancing rules, quickly shifting to a remote workforce and having to deal with new schemes like furlough, all whilst continuing to support the company have been on many of HR’s to-do lists over the past few months, and no doubt HR has played an important role within the digital transformation. However, in order to achieve a successful process, HR departments must balance running day-to-day business smoothly and also participating in the development of the company’s digital strategy. Simpler, faster, smarter and more efficient. By following these four principles, you can succeed in transforming your HR function to better meet the expectations of your people. Here are ten tips to transform your business processes and create value throughout your business. 1.Streamline your organisation Break the silo mentality and encourage networking between departments that work together at the same time. Use tools that facilitate collaboration and communication no matter where your employees are located. With so many organisation switching to virtual communications in the wake of COVID, ensuring that all the energy of the company remains directed toward creating value for the customer is important. 2.Change the way you work Implementing change is not easy. To inspire the company and encourage new changes, discuss it with the key players in your organisation and try adopting a ""test and learn"" mode to push new work patterns that meet the expectations of your workforce. To do this, companies must endorse a real cultural change and not have a fear of failing. Instead, failure should be considered a source of progression. Take inspiration from the famous quote: “Try again. Fail again. Fail Better.” 3.Optimise HR processes If you are committed to transforming your business, you will need to revisit your own HR processes. According to the IDC research, 87% of UK organisations recognise digital transformation as a business priority, including the digitisation of HR processes. These processes include areas such as talent and skills management, training and development, succession planning and adopting a lean management approach to HR. Focus on the highest value task at hand – but don’t hesitate to experiment. 4.Be involved in strategy Many HR processes can either jeopardise or positively impact the business. Know how to build a clear and effective global strategy plan for career development, employee expectations and technologies. This is the added value that HR departments can bring to companies today and is especially important as businesses continue to ride the wave of coronavirus. If the company's performance is intimately linked to its ability to adapt to an ever-changing environment – such as the digital age – then HR must anticipate the effects of these transformations on the organisation in order to propose proactive means to take advantage of them. 5.Get closer to management Only four meetings per year occur between HR departments and managers. It is important to develop a relationship with management, to discuss strategy development with them, but also to provide them with effective solutions and approaches. As for digital transformation, managers are particularly important as they must anticipate its impact on both the market and their teams whilst also finding ways to gain a tangible, competitive advantage. HR can help this process by recruiting new talent, retaining key players and managing the well-being of teams. 6.Meeting the needs at the right time You have to work at the same pace as the industry. This of course, means providing your people with the right tools to collaborate quickly and efficiently. However, it also requires solutions that allow you to follow trends and to provide corrective solutions at the right tempo. For example, the average recruitment time for an executive is now nine weeks, but in four out of 10 cases, it’s much longer than that. Social networks, talent pools, videos, recommendations, and more optimise the recruitment process, meaning that you can respond more quickly to the demands of your people. 7.Use the power of analytics HR data requires precision, not instinct or guessing. The data is huge and you have to build skills in data management in order to serve your people and the future needs of your organisation. Big Data can be useful for many processes such as optimising candidate sourcing, streamlining the recruitment process, helping retain employees, following trends, improving employer branding and so on. Having holistic people data allows companies to make better people decisions. 8.Invest in data security 90% of UK data breaches are caused by human error and the ramifications of data breaches on market shares and reputation can be huge. With HR holding the responsibility for people data, it’s important to invest in data security to help avoid any security flaw that could break trust with employees. In the age of GDPR, personal data management across businesses is more important that ever. 9.Get predictive To gain support from the C-suite, show that your vision is looking into the future. Adopt analytical tools that allow you to track trends and give your organisation a head start. Predictive HR can optimise the recruitment process and help to find skills gaps, resulting in better planning management. Our recent acquisition of Clustree, an industry-leading, AI-powered skills engine and extensive skills ontology, aims to help organisations match their employees’ skills with specific job roles. 10.Adopt the ROI culture How you impact the business will come from your attitude to change; give reasoning to your decisions and model your projects. Understand the challenges of other departments in order to respond to their needs specifically and achieve concrete results. At the same time, apply these principles to your own HR activities by defining key performance indicators (number of recruitment appointments scheduled, number of job interviews, pool of candidates, delay in the recruitment process, recruitment satisfaction etc.) that will allow you to calculate the return on investment of your HR functions. More Trends Skills Building DATASHEET Cornerstone Xplor: Skill building for the future of work The world of work has evolved, and the way people development works must too. Organisations and employees need more insight into their skills, where they can grow, and what will help them get there. Cornerstone Xplor delivers personalised experiences that drive the skill-building and growth you need to keep your organisation competitive. Download this datasheet to learn more about how you can build connections between your people, resources, and opportunities for every employee in your organisation using the skills AI built into Cornerstone Xplor. WHITEPAPER EBOOK RESEARCH Meet the Future, Ready: A Guide for Talent Leaders Shaping the New World of Work “Unprecedented times.” “The next world of work.” “The great reset.” You’ve heard these phrases repeatedly. And it’s true: The COVID-19 pandemic and other world events have radically changed how we work, where we work, and what employees expect from work. But in many ways, that’s a good thing — because a shift in the way we work has long been in the cards. Standing at the edge of a 5th industrial revolution, employees are now heading back to work after the most intense period of change the modern world has ever experienced. This also means organisations have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to re-build work in a way that works for everyone. And the future of work now lies squarely in the hands of HR and talent leaders. Like no other business leader, talent leaders hold the golden threadto reimagining the workplace for today — and whatever comes next. As agents of change, you have the opportunity to empower a more connected, collaborative, and future-ready workforce. The future belongs to organisations with the courage and mindset needed to reimagine how they work. To meet the future ready — with agility, resilience, shared purpose, and alignment — you must deliver a connected experience that creates value for people, and an environment that’s designed for collective growth and success. This opportunity to redesign the way we work and pursue what’s possible may never come again — let’s not waste it. To help guide your path forward, we asked talent practitioners around the world – as well as renowned thought leaders from companies like The Josh Bersin Company, The Fosway Group and more – what they have to say about rebuilding a future that works for all. And what they had to say may just give you a new lens through which you view your organisation’s approach to work. Filled with proven strategies, revealing statistics, and practical examples, this guide will give you the insights and inspiration you need to meet the future ready. You’ll learn why (and how) you should: Make learning foundational to people and business growth Turn skills into your new growth language Connect skills development to career paths Let artificial intelligence (AI) do some of the heavy lifting Download the guide now to learn how you can rebuild a workplace that empowers everyone to adapt, grow, and succeed! RESEARCH The Business Case for Skill Intelligence Research from the Institute for the Future reveals that a staggering 85 percent of the jobs that will exist in 2030 haven’t even been invented yet. Now more than ever, employees need to be adaptable, able to pivot, and ready to take on any challenge. Without deep insights into employee skill sets, where employees’ strengths lie, or how to tap into their hidden talents, however, none of that is possible. Skills have become the universal language for growth and success for every organisation. And skill intelligence allows businesses to better understand, develop, and provision talent to dynamically meet the needs of the organisation. It even allows us to make business-critical decisions more quickly and with greater confidence. But how exactly do you get those insights? Artificial intelligence (AI) for HR is game-changing AI has the power to increase HR scalability, recognise patterns in people’s behavior, and offer personalised support where and when needed. Using AI, HR and business leaders can more effectively upskill and reskill employees to meet shifting business needs and objectives — whatever demands the future may bring. With the right application of machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies, employers can go beyond tracking skills to enable action-oriented talent practices like never before. In this Lighthouse Research & Advisory report — based on a study of more than 1,000 employers and thousands of workers — you’ll learn: the concept of skill intelligence how AI forms the core of these initiatives the use cases and applications of skill intelligence Download the report now to learn how AI and skill intelligence can help your organisation uncover better insights about the business, make predictions, and effectively respond to dynamic market changes. More Skills Talent Strategy DATASHEET Cornerstone Performance: Connect employee goals with business outcomes Ensuring that all of your people are motivated and engaged can be challenging. You need them to find purpose in what they’re doing while aligning that purpose with your organisation’s goals. With its detailed insights into your talent landscape, Cornerstone Performance helps you quickly identify and mobilise employees to solve your organisation’s top priorities. DATASHEET Cornerstone Learning: A complete learning experience for everyone Today’s ever-changing business conditions require you to be adaptable, drive productivity, and continue to test the resiliency and growth of your organisation. To reach the level of agility today demands, you need to connect your people’s success to your organisation’s success. With Cornerstone Learning, you can deliver modern learning at scale to your people. And when you can connect your people, data, content, and systems, you’ll optimise your continuous talent development DATASHEET Cornerstone HR: Better people data. Better decisions. By centralising HR record management and connecting data to skills, you can create a better experience for your people. A successful HR project requires quality employee and organisational data. With Cornerstone HR, you’ll give your employees and managers the ability to directly view and edit their data, equipping you with up-to-date information for better strategic planning. Your HR department can easily trigger essential processes and initiate key events such as developing improvement plans, tracking probation periods, and managing onboarding and offboarding. More Resources Talent solutions that power the future ready workforce with a system of work that works for everyone. 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