Unleashing Human Potential to Change Work for Good

To know where you’re going, you have to know where you’ve been. When SuccessFactors created the talent management software market in 2001, we set out to help people perform better and, in turn, help organizations better develop their people.

For the last 20 years, we have embraced our role as innovators and pioneers to create revolutionary tech, stayed at the forefront of workplace trends, and provided solutions that enable organizations to keep people at the center of their business.

In recognition of our market-defining vision for human experience management (HXM), we were recently featured in the Global Thought Leaders series on CBSNews.com. Building an adaptable and resilient workforce is a critical lever for CEOs to advance business continuity.

The episode, which launches today, shares our strategic vision to bring together the cloud technology, intelligent data, and adaptable tools to complement the agility organizations need to meet the accelerating demands of people and business. The positive impact technology can have on the human experience at work has never been greater.

A Humble Look Back

With a company culture that celebrates our founding principles of “Dreamers that Do,” people who “Lead with Heart,” and “Customer Breakthroughs,” it is in our DNA to continuously look at how organizations and work are changing in order to create the solutions our customers need to stay ahead. The SuccessFactors founders did this when they disrupted human resources (HR) tech in 2001 as one of the first companies to bring HR technology to the cloud — at a time when the world doubted if organizations would ever move away from on-premise software!

We’ve never been afraid to be first. After being acquired by SAP in 2012, we pioneered a global core HR solution. Today, it has unmatched scalability and reach with availability in 45 languages and localization in more than 100 countries and territories. Brands like American Airlines, Microsoft, the NBA, Tapestry, and Whirlpool are using it to tap into a single source of truth for their workforce data to make decisions and foster people-first inclusive cultures.

Then, in 2019, we took our vision for HR and the employee experience one giant leap forward. With the help of industry thought leaders, our research and product teams, and our customer advisory boards, we introduced the HXM category and made a bold commitment to move beyond the limitations of traditional human capital management (HCM) technologies.

By recognizing that top-down, HR-driven processes simply aren’t sufficient to support people amid continuous change, we saw an opportunity to create a new set of solutions that prioritizes the needs, motivations, and aspirations of individuals. We call this HXM. When people feel supported at every point along their journey — who they are and who they are becoming — the results are simply magic. As Charlene Li, chief research officer of PA Consulting, rightly says in the video: “Finally!”

The Power of “And”: Leading HCM and Making the HXM Market

Our HXM innovations help organizations not only listen to but respond to and act on the sentiments, preferences, and motivations of their people. By helping organizations evolve their HR processes from static to adaptable, infused with employee feedback, we are helping them create individualized, modern experiences that make work easy and intuitive. Intelligent mentoring, continuous performance management, and SAP SuccessFactors Work Zone are just some of our modern capabilities that make traditional processes flexible to the needs of the individual.

And we are going even further. With the whole self model as our data foundation, we can create a future of work that is more sustainable for people and the organization. For example, SAP SuccessFactors Opportunity Marketplace matches people with learning, mentors, projects and gigs, and dynamic teams spin up quickly for discrete projects based on each individual’s skills, capabilities, strengths, work styles, and passions.

These capabilities do so much more than simplifying work. It helps people align their careers to their passions. It elevates mental health and well-being, helps employees find the right work life balance, and creates more diverse and inclusive workplaces for a greater sense of purpose and belonging. Plus it ensures organizations have the right people in the right roles at the right time – strengthening organizational capability and building an aggregate understanding for future planning. This is how you drive truly impactful organizational transformations and create a more sustainable future of work.

The Next 20: Reinventing HR and Shaping the Future of Work

People make the difference, and enabling human connections will ultimately create lasting and impactful change. HXM will continue to play a leading role in shaping the future of work because it is the future of people at work.

Together with our customers, we are amplifying the role of HR by shifting focus from processes to people. We are boldly reinventing the employee experience with solutions that empower and inspire. We are reinventing how business is done by shaping the human experience at work to be more connected and sustainable, and by providing of greater purpose, empathy, and belonging. These are the values that stand the test of time.

Watch the Global Thought Leaders documentary on our long-term strategic vision here.

Meg Bear is president and chief product officer for SAP SuccessFactors.