GM Technology: Insights from our Global Heads Huddle

At our recent Global Heads Huddle, senior mobility leaders got stuck into a lively discussion about GM technology implementation. As always, our sessions follow the Chatham House Rule (what's said in the Huddle stays in the Huddle!), but I'm delighted to share some snippets of wisdom from this knowledge-packed session.

The Technology Selection Minefield

Let's be honest - securing stakeholder buy-in remains the Everest many GM leaders are still attempting to climb! Several of our members are currently knee-deep in RFP processes, with a common frustration that HR teams often view GM technology as merely a "process tool" rather than the strategic game-changer we know it to be.

The vendor landscape discussion got particularly interesting, with candid evaluations flowing freely. One member shared how some providers demonstrated how impressively they have been pushing the development boundaries forward, creating genuine competition and differentiation between products, while others were described as looking "rather dated" by comparison. (I'll just leave that there...)

Crafting That Business Case Magic

How are successful GM leaders getting that coveted approval? The collective wisdom suggests:

• Quantifying admin time savings (one clever member estimated a whopping 2,000 hours annually!)
• Positioning technology as the gateway to strategic work, not a team-shrinking exercise
• Piggy-backing on organisational changes (mergers are apparently a brilliant tech-approval catalyst!)

As one participant brilliantly put it: "Our company goal is to grow, so they understand that to do that, they'll need to follow the tech to help them do so."

Implementation Gold Dust

The real-world implementation advice was pure gold:

• Clear business needs first, wish-list second
• Phased approach (trying to boil the ocean at once rarely ends well!)
• Keep it in the GM team initially before unleashing it on the wider organisation

Crystal Ball Gazing

Looking ahead, our members are watching the spaces of AI assistants for policy guidance and in general, increased automation. It's not all AI, and it's not all in the future either!

Perhaps my favourite takeaway? The simple consensus that no single technology solution fits all organisational needs. In the world of GM tech, one size most definitely does not fit all!

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This session is just one taste of the senior peer-to-peer knowledge exchange happening in our Global Heads Huddles. Feeling a bit of FOMO? For more information about joining our community of GM leaders, drop me a line! greg@expat-academy.com