Welcome to the third entry in a four-part series designed to discuss the publication of Ardent Partners’ second annual State of Contingent Workforce Management (CWM) research report. The new study, titled A Guidebook to Managing Non-Traditional Talent, was developed and written by Christopher J. Dwyer as the official “handbook” for those organizations seeking guidance and direction in building effective programs for managing all types of contingent labor. To download the new report, click here, here, here, or here.

Last year, Ardent Partners introduced its CWM Framework, a concept that was designed to assist companies in understanding the current scope of non-traditional and contract talent, educating stakeholders on the capabilities and competencies that must be considered as part of a global CWM program. The Framework was broken down into three specific categories:

• Traditional temporary labor is the “classic” view of contingent labor and involves an enterprise sourcing a variety of short-term roles with candidates from staffing suppliers, agencies, and vendors.
• Complex contingent labor includes statement-of-work-based (SOW) labor, professional services, and non-professional services, and is perhaps the most “evolutionary” aspect of modern contract talent. These aspects are “complex” due to the fact that they touch various divisions within the typical enterprise and need to be managed from a variety of “angles,” including procurement, HR, and finance.
• Independent contractors comprise the category comprised of freelancers, consultants, and contractors. They are sourced directly by the enterprise. Independent contractors (colloquially known as “ICs”) carry a variety of risks (namely federal audits and co-employment) if misclassified, but often represent a superior level of talent.

Ardent’s landmark CWM Framework has been expanded in the new State of Contingent Workforce Management research report to further help enterprises understand this evolving space and assist them in leveraging a series of capabilities that will ultimately drive ultimate value from utilization of contract talent. Furthermore, the expansion of the Framework in this year’s report reflects the dichotomy of competencies that are required to manage the intricate components of non-traditional talent.

The CWM Framework lists capabilities in both the tactical and strategic realms. And, while some companies may believe that a focus on the strategic is the best way to manage the evolution of CWM, the truth is that a pure balance between these worlds is the best approach towards managing the complex aspects of contemporary contingent labor.

Tactical measures include robust on- and offboarding of talent and services, supplier identification / optimization, holistic invoicing, and standardized processes specific to each area of the CWM Framework. These tactical capabilities often revolve around day-to-day operational aspects of CWM and cannot be understated in discussions related to the innerworkings of any CWM program.

Strategic capabilities for CWM are designed to help the greater CWM program flourish in the long-term and help drive visibility, value, and insights into how talent will impact the future of the enterprise. These capabilities include supplier performance management, the ability to forecast use of contingent labor, talent forecasting, and competencies related to the tracking of milestones and delivery dates related to SOW-based projects.

RELATED ARTICLES

Your Guidebook to Contingent Workforce Management, Part II: Total Workforce Optimization

Your Guidebook to Contingent Workforce Management, Part I: Engagement Evolution

Visibility: What Does It Mean for CPOs? (Part III)

Three Strategic CWM Capabilities That Matter

Three Tactical CWM Capabilities That Matter

Tagged in: Ardent Partners Research, Christopher Dwyer, Complex Categories, Contingent Workforce, People, Process, Strategy