Observations About Fusion From HUG Attendees
I recently attended the Oracle Human Resources Group (OHUG) meeting in Orlando. As a consulting partner/vendor I had a chance to talk to a large number customers — both Oracle eBusiness and PeopleSoft HCM– about their current plans and their perception of Fusion.
I have to admit, I was surprised by what I perceived to be a general lack of enthusiasm for Fusion. The conference had a good number of sessions devoted to the Fusion HCM products, but I found out from Oracle that those sessions were not attended as well as expected. Most attendees were focused on their current environment or getting to a supported release of their product set. I even met with a gentleman who was literally in a panic that Oracle was going to force Fusion on him and he didn’t want it. He just wanted to keep his PeopleSoft HRMS.
Obviously, the vast majority of customers are not early adopters — especially when cost-conservatism is still the rule of the day and new technology for new technology’s sake is a no-no. Still, I anticipated there would be more enthusiasm about the fact that Fusion was finally a reality and that the Fusion applications could be considered as part of one’s HCM Roadmap. But most people seemed to be confused as to what the message was about Fusion and in many cases just what Fusion is.
Oracle has been consistent in its messaging to the HCM customers. But what I perceive is that Oracle is saying blah, blah, blah and the customers are hearing exactly that: blah, blah, blah. Messaging is either not crisp or being articulated properly. It is fear from the customers that psychologically blocks the message? Does cost + change equal job anxiety? Is it the belief they will have to surrender their investment in their current system and step into the Wild West with a new platform ?Is the message too marketing-oriented?
Oracle predicts that by OpenWorld there will be a good number of Oracle HCM Fusion early adopters to showcase the success of Fusion. I personally have every reason to believe them, but it won’t happen unless Oracle can figure out how to get the message across in a simplified fashion that makes people feel more comfortable.
Just some observations from where I sit. What is your take?
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