Bloom & Wallace Release 2011 — Constellation Research Group

In November, I posted the first installment of this series on planned changes in the mix and style of B&W consulting engagements/projects for 2011.  In December, I posted about the work I’ll be doing in 2011 with Mercer’s Human Capital Operations And Technology Solutions practice with a particular focus on their  Human Capital Connect solution powered by Peopleclick Authoria technology, advising on business and marketing strategy through software architecture and functional roadmaps.  It’s now with great pleasure that I announce another 2011 relationship, the newly formed Constellation Research Group, whose advisory board I am joining. 

Constellation Research is a newly formed IT analyst firm, led by Ray Wang and populated by some really big thinkers, which is focused on a range of disruptive enterprise technologies, including:  mobile, social, cloud, analytics and game theory, unified communications and video, next gen government, and the internet of things.  They will be providing, in addition to their research agenda, a range of both buy-side and sell-side advisory services.  A major goal is to help end-user organizations not only plan for the use of these and more disruptive technologies where they provide leverage to organizational business models but also to help design revised business models and leverage savings from legacy systems optimization to invest in these technology-enabled innovations.  This is indeed a tall order, but the gathering team of analysts and other advisors is very impressive.

My responsibilities as an advisory board member will be to help shape their research agenda, contribute my thinking to that research and the resulting analysis, and bring the human resource management perspective to both the research on disruptive technologies (i.e. which of them and how might they impact the intersection of HRM and IT) and on the challenges of technology adoption in the enterprise.  My interest in taking this role is the opportunity to continue learning and contributing in areas that are beyond the range of any one person to monitor, specifically the mega-changes underway and soon to come in enterprise technologies.  As you may know, I’ve collaborated for years, but very informally, with colleagues at the traditional IT analyst firms in order to learn from their research.  As an advisory board member, I’ll now have a greater opportunity to help shape that research.

I will not be doing any direct advisory work with Constellation clients, whether sell-side or buy-side, through my advisory board membership, but there will be opportunities for me to share my thinking with this broader audience, e.g. by choosing to repost a specific blog post on the Constellation Research blog and/or by participating in a Webinar as a panelist or speaker.  I will also not be doing any direct marketing or sales on behalf of Constellation Research although I may well provide the occasional introduction for them on either the buy-side or sell-side of their primary markets where I see benefits to both parties.  My interest in becoming an advisory board member, beyond the opportunity to collaborate with some really smart people in areas of professional interest, is to ensure that I’m knowledgeable, in the most efficient way possible, about what’s coming next in technology and where it applies/adds value to human resource management. 

This is a new firm, just in formation now, and there will be a natural evolution as they find their voice and market niche.  Some of the lead analysts are known to me through their published work and/or through their participation in the private discussions threads of the Enterprise Irregulars http://www.enterpriseirregulars.com/, and they are a VERY impressive group.  I look forward to bringing my learning from this relationship with Constellation Research into my own work and into this blog. 

As I take on additional strategic relationships, consulting and speaking engagements, I’ll be doing similar write-ups on the other clients/engagements that I’ve selected for 2011, highlighting what it is about a particular initiative or client that makes them a good fit for me.  I’ll also be committing to new licenses in 2011 for my HRM domain object model/architectural “starter kit” and related training, and keeping my eyes open for 2012 clients/initiatives that will be a good fit for me.  Did you think I was retiring just because you’re supporting me on Medicare?      

With many thanks to Leo Collum, the great business cartoonist, from whom I bought the above customized cartoon in the early days of Bloom & Wallace.  Leo passed away in late October, 2010 and is remembered here by The New Yorker.