Yet, acquiring talent, in itself, doesn't pose a challenge. It is rather, constraints within which the process is carried out. For example, anyone with unlimited time, money, and networking capabilities should be able to acquire the right talent. However, most companies are limited by a delivery time, project start time, budget for delivery, or access to Talent. Read on to learn about a new development in talent acquisition that will give your business the transformative edge to compete in today's markets.
The latest development in talent acquisition is known as Talent as a Service (TaaS). TaaS is a new model in talent acquisition, allowing businesses to access high quality, on-demand, yet on-budget talent through cloud-based platforms (some also refer to it as a “direct-to-contractor” model). We like to call it the "Uber-ification" of Talents. While we’ve become mostly familiar with Software, Platform, Infrastructure or Data as a Service (SaaS, PaaS, IaaS, DaaS...etc.), we're less familiar with Talents as a Service, despite the Talents needed to efficiently run all these XaaS platforms. TaaS disrupts traditional understanding of the workforce by modeling the gig economy, introducing a unique approach to crowdsourcing. Essentially, a TaaS model primarily allows companies to instantly and efficiently find contracted talent, it doesn’t rule out finding specialized full-time employees (FTE).
Let us start at what really happens when you don't find the "Talent" on time and on budget. Projects are delayed, put on hold, postponed, or even skipped altogether. The impact is a possible loss of revenue or competitiveness, higher workforce dissatisfaction and resentment, feeling of helplessness ("It is what it is, and we can't do much about it"), and/or dependence on third-party recruiters.
TaaS opens many new possibilities for decision-makers looking to remain competitive in the changing world of work and enjoy benefits in all aspects of life. Consider the possibilities if you could hire immediately and on-demand? What if you could predetermine a talent's specialization, availability, and affordability (rate) in seconds? What if the talent's expertise is rated by hiring peers? TaaS provides the opportunity to hire for "gigs" or contracts significantly easier, by making it simple to find, source, and hire high-quality talent for specific tasks.
Also, consider how you would benefit if you added newer unconventional hiring models to your current conventional ones. A 40 hour per week, 6-month contract would be an example of a conventional model. A 20 hour per week, 6-month contract is less common. Now, where would you go today to hire talent for 10 hours per week for a year (e.g. DBA work)? 5 hours per week for only two months (e.g. an Advisor on Enterprise Architecture)? 50 hours for an undetermined length (e.g. an Advisor on a Transformation-to-Cloud project)? Or 40 hours sporadically (e.g. a Quality Assurance talent to oversee your System Integrator's delivery)? TaaS offers talent on-demand, providing opportunities to increase efficiencies, cut costs, and fulfill projects faster. Furthermore, consider how TaaS offers a unique direct-to-contract opportunity.
A more efficient communication becomes possible. Not only can "the needs expert" and "the product expert" communicate without introducing a third party who may distort the message, but also a direct negotiation eliminates the middleman margins, and expedites the agreement regarding the work-logistics. With this kind of flexibility and cost-reduction, the attention and resources that are reserved for talent acquisition can be redistributed to areas that are often neglected, so you can focus on the innovative and big picture changes that will project your business to new heights.
TaaS as a cloud-based model instantly broadens your access to talent, from local-only access to regional or global reach that is available 24/7. This access is increasingly important at a time when brick and mortar companies are relatively limited and bound to become obsolete. The TaaS pool creates flexibility in terms of when and where people work and collaborate on projects. Talent can work on-site or remotely; you can even start them remotely while in transit before they arrive on-site, removing the constraints of time and space. TaaS allows you to access high performers who are "400 percent more productive than average ones,"[1] giving you an ROI that can make anything possible. Finally, TaaS models also benefit professionals who are looking to work flexibly, which likely reflects positively on attitude and productivity on the job.
