A Transformation Analogy

?A recent catch up I had sparked a rather interesting synergy between how companies are approaching Transformation and the act of Body Transformation. “Building Transformation teams is like bulking and cutting in the gym” were the words of the person I was having a coffee with. Loose link? Ok, here me out!

Much in the same way that many individuals, predominantly those of a body-building disposition, bulk up then cut down by flexing their calorie consumption and training regime in order to improve their body composition, many organisations are going through much the same process in the shape of the composition of their teams.

Bulking vs Cutting

After a period of time where it felt like everyone was bulking up their teams, throwing considerable time, effort, energy and finances in to consistently hiring large numbers of predominantly contract resources, we seem to now be in that moment where companies are looking down at their waistline and trimming back.

Much can clearly be attributed to the fact that we are approaching the end of the Financial Year. Recruitment, after all, is incredibly seasonal and cyclical. However, there seems to be a conscious awareness within many businesses that the period of bulking was becoming unstainable and putting a strain on productivity and profitability. Some might say, there is a sluggishness that can only be combatted by deliberately becoming leaner.

Making your Transformation team leaner

And how do organisations become leaner? Well, in many cases, they strip back their number of contractors, either converting them to permanent employees or allowing them to re-enter the contracting market, moving elsewhere outside of the business. Part of the beauty of hiring contract resources is that ability to ebb and flow when necessary. However, it's also been palpable that the focus in recent times has been on creating persistent teams, with many adopting a Chapter led structure that allows for better fluidity of movement, mobilisation of talent and therefore retention of IP.

The Cycle

Nonetheless, much the same as human nature, at times this focused and disciplined approach will deviate back towards old habits when things become a little tricky. If performance is affected or if things start to become challenging, organisations will naturally rebolster themselves with contractors, and will pad out their Transformation teams once more. As I say, it’s incredibly cyclical. The positive intentions to create a leaner team will often be parked if it means that the task at hand is completed more effectively.

As we head into a new Financial Year, with new budgets and new resource plans in place, it will be interesting to see whether Transformation teams maintain a focus on being lean or whether they go again and decide to bulk out their army of people.

The Dichotomy: candidate heavy vs job heavy

People will forever ask me “what’s the market doing?” and it always seems to see-saw between being a candidate heavy market or a job heavy market. For a while we were so job rich that candidates were inundated with opportunities and flying off the market, but we’re experiencing a consolidation period at the moment. There's a more measured and considered approach to hiring. Is it the calm before the storm or will this pattern continue for a while longer? Only time will tell but I’d say it’s inevitable that it will revert back at some point.

Whatever the impact is on you and your teams and whichever side of the fence you are on, here at Talenza we are here to help you. Whether you are Transforming your career further or you are looking to add to your own Transformation team, let’s talk about how we can get things moving!