Don’t know if you’ve caught any of Microsoft’s spiffy, new $500 million business-targeted campaign. Themed “People-Ready” it asks businesses to consider whether they embody that ideal. Or, in other words, whether they have the tools in place to enable their most important resource – their people. Here’s a press release and an article in AdWeek.
The TV spot I saw had a bunch of business people doing business-y things and talking about differentiation. They ask themselves about operations, about marketing, etc. And they find no opportunity for optimization or advantage. Then, they pose a question that goes something like: “so what IS our competitive advantage?” Then one of the business-y guys nods through the glass to the people working at their desks and says “them.”
It’s no surprise that the push is to convince CEOs and the like that “Microsoft technology can help them get their employees to succeed” in the words of the AdWeek article. But my (obviously skewed and probably simplistic) reaction is to wonder if more word-processing software and an upgraded operating system are really what’s going to help drive people to perform.
As a loyal PC user, I’m excited about Windows Vista and the new Office. They look cooler and seem like they will make some computer things easier and more efficient. But will they “get employees to succeed” in ways they haven’t been able to before? Probably not.
It’s very en vogue these days to focus on people. Companies do it in their annual reports, FastCompany’s “Why we hate HR” article spawned volumes of comment and criticism and software vendors like SuccessFactors are gaining popularity as we help organizations manage talent in new ways. “People” is popular in the business world. But let’s take a minute to understand that people + technology can = many different things.
Spreadsheets, databases, operating systems and word processing software help people do tasks better. Talent management software helps organizations do people better. With all the people-talk these days, don’t get confused. Only one type of technology is truly focused on driving success through people. The rest is just marketing.
