As a business grows and evolves, having a flexible structure that can quickly adapt to customer and market conditions is key to success.
The ability to scale up or down depending on whatever projects are going on is essential to most businesses’ ability to stay competitive and innovative.
It is something that, like a lot of things, is easier said than done. Adopting a hybrid workforce brings multiple benefits but, if not done well, can come with many challenges.
In this blog post, we look at the benefits of adopting a hybrid or scalable workforce within the business and the challenges a company might face in the process.
Essentially, a scalable workforce is a human resources management concept that refers to the ability for an organisation to rapidly adjust its workforce, in response to business needs or market conditions. It enables organisations to work flexibly, without excessive disruption.
This kind of workforce agility is becoming increasingly popular for organisations in New Zealand and across the globe. It can be done in a myriad of variations, from temporary, part-time or contract roles for particular projects to the use of a trusted augmentation partner, such as ClearPoint.
When collaborating with an augmentation partner, a scalable workforce can take the form of a hybrid team – where people from the partnering organisation join existing teams, allowing the company to adapt to immediate needs and changes, without committing to significant long-term investments.
Organisations who may have a capacity issue can look to partners such as ClearPoint to not only augment their capacity, but also any capability requirements.
It may be that the organisation has enough capacity in a certain area but is lacking a specific technical skill to drive it forward, or vice versa. An organisation may want a partner to come in to drive the delivery or the man hours to get the deliverables done.
With ClearPoint, it is very much a partnering model – what that model looks like will depend on what the client’s needs are, but it will always ensure the client gets the right outcome.
There are numerous benefits to adopting a scalable workforce. The first and perhaps most obvious one is the flexibility that this hybrid model allows for.
Organisations may need a particular skill gap or shortage filled for a short period of time. Rather than going through a hiring process for one project, companies can use this hybrid model to quickly and efficiently address these skills shortages.
There is no one size fits all as it all comes down to the needs of each client so the hybrid model will vary according to the needs of each client and the project itself.
In the case of ClearPoint, this comes through a catered support model. This model refers to the whole toolkit that ClearPoint wraps around the client to give them everything they need to ensure all aspects of a project are covered – from the team to the financials or HR support.
One benefit that might be less obvious but becomes truly invaluable to clients is the fresh perspective that the partner can bring in. Teams can often get stuck into a particular way of doing things and having new expertise and a fresh perspective on a project can make all the difference.
Bringing diversity into a team brings with it new ideas and experiences that can challenge reinforced beliefs and instead introduce new approaches and ways to unlock further potential.
Businesses often don’t expect the accuracy of outcomes they can achieve from working in hybrid teams, with outside perspectives often bringing a higher level of honesty and transparency around whether the defined project is achievable through the current pathways.
Like all good things, adopting a scalable workforce does not come without its challenges.
There needs to be a high level of collaboration, transparency and trust between the teams – and some can struggle with how quickly that needs to be built up.
ClearPoint’s catered support model requires each engagement to have strong governance with wrap-around support, all overseen by ClearPoint’s technical leadership. This ensures increased velocity within teams as it is needed, with strong technical leadership that can be drawn upon to innovate and deliver faster and safer.
In addition to the added expertise the team brings in, there is also a level of technical uplift that would otherwise be very difficult to achieve, particularly in the same timeframe.
Bringing in ClearPoint’s industry experts for specific engagements means that teams can draw on more modern ways of working and industry best practices, which can be picked up more widely through the organisation.
This level of agility leads to faster outcomes but also better outcomes as the team has a level of expertise that would otherwise take a lot longer to acquire.
The goal should always be that the partner goes in, does the work and leaves the organisation in a better place so they can continue on.
ClearPoint has a large footprint across a number of industries and can offer a different, more dynamic view for organisations in many instances. That knowledge transfer ends up being invaluable, not only for that particular project but for the future of the business.
At ClearPoint, our people seamlessly integrate into your business to deliver results your customers will love. At ClearPoint, our people seamlessly integrate into your business to deliver results your customers will love. Get in touch today to find out how ClearPoint can help you achieve your business outcomes as a trusted resource augmentation partner to join your hybrid team.