Software & Platforms

Developing Talent for the Future

Adjusting to Constant Disruptions in the Market with an Agile Pipeline of Leadership Talent

Technology never stops changing. New devices, new markets and new ways of doing business mean the software market doesn’t stand still. Established contenders in the market are fending off challenges from small, nimbler startups and need new ways to develop and deliver products and reach their market.

For software and platform companies, the near-constant state of evolution and transition mean traditional leadership skill sets won’t pass muster. Though they may be “born digital,” companies also need to build a customer focused, diverse and agile talent pool that will understand new market opportunities and prepare them to succeed at the next level.

Our consultants, based in 40 countries around the globe, have helped more than 2,500 technology companies improve performance through unleashing the power of their talent. Our global team knows how to help companies attract, develop and retain the talent needed to execute their business strategies. We work with our clients to build smart solutions that help them apply new technologies, form cultures that foster success and establish a framework that enables them to optimize their talent resources to solve the challenges of the new digital era.

How We Can Help

Your performance and results are what matters. We partner with you to continually evolve and optimize to reflect the changing needs of your business. We help our software clients address challenges like these.

1

A holistic approach to culture change

While most executives agree that being a purpose driven organization is important to organizational performance, many believe their organization’s purpose and culture don’t align with its business strategies and don’t know how to close that gap.

Our consultants take a holistic approach to culture change. We can help you measure your current culture and define your ideal culture based on a data-driven diagnostic assessment, interviews and focus groups. Once we understand the culture that will drive your business strategy, we work with you to structure it and communicate it with your employees. We identify the levers that accelerate transformation, then design and roll out custom programs to engage talent, build new competencies and develop agile leadership models.

2

Build a roadmap for change

Decision-making and overall performance improve when companies have a leadership team composed of people with different backgrounds, races and genders. But building a diverse bench of leadership talent isn’t as easy as hiring from underrepresented groups and offering diversity and inclusion training. There is no standard, one-size-fits-all blueprint for achieving diversity and inclusion in the software sector.

Our consultants realize that every company’s diversity and inclusion journey is different. We help you build a roadmap for change that starts with understanding what’s happening in your company, including conscious and unconscious biases. We explore what barriers exist for minority groups and unearth inequities in your employee experience. Then we work with you to shape a diversity, equity and inclusion strategy that builds a diverse talent pipeline, embeds more inclusive behaviors, and builds fair and equitable talent practices throughout your organization.

3

Build a world-class sales organization

Competition for customers is fierce and top line revenue growth expectations are demanding. Being customer centric requires even the best sales organizations to continually improve the structure and effectiveness of their sales networks.

We understand how to build a world-class sales organization that aligns with your business strategy and your market to help you reach your goals. Our Salesforce app, Korn Ferry Sell, helps you create a strategic selling process to win deals faster. It recommends the seller actions that will most improve the odds of winning a deal, gives sales managers visibility into opportunities so they can effectively coach sellers and shows sales leaders why they win or lose to help replicate success. We also work with you to develop sales leaders and set compensation and rewards structures that improve your seller engagement and retention.

4

Let us be part of your transformation journey and success story

Technology, and especially software-as-a-service and cloud deals, are dominating the merger and acquisition landscape. But half of mergers and acquisitions fail. That's often because the combining entities don’t have compatible corporate cultures or organizational structures. But whether a deal is successful usually comes down to these intangibles.

Our team can work with you to assess the leadership of an acquired organization, and help build a unifying culture and organizational structure that improves engagement and talent retention. We have the expertise, methodologies and technology to help you increase the odds of a successful transition. We find ways to bridge the cultural gaps between merging organizations. We help you learn how to design an organization with the right structures and roles to maximize synergies and chart a path towards growth.

Let us be part of your transformation journey and success story. Contact us and start transforming your organization today so you can thrive tomorrow.

Salesforce Effectiveness and Transformation

We were engaged by a high growth software and platforms organization whose sales organization needed transformation. The client needed to develop a market planning and coverage strategy that would increase overall sales capabilities and bring to market new flexible consumption products. To support the new selling models we had to develop new sales channels, coverage strategies, sales roles and compensation plans.

Results

Translated corporate vertical market segments and sales strategies to area strategies that are actionable in the local markets. Determined drivers of sales potential for major product/service offerings and assisted sales leaders with conducting bottom-up and top-down objectives. Created a consistent staffing planning model by area and local market. Developed actionable tools and market information for sales managers and front-line sellers that can be used daily to execute field sales strategies.

Building Next-Generation Leadership Talent

The client is a $22 billion global leader providing enterprise application software and software-related services to private corporations, government agencies, education and healthcare institutions. The company was transforming from an on-premises software provider to a SaaS cloud provider and needed to define and build a portfolio of next-generation leadership talent. Korn Ferry took an outside-in and inside-out approach to define next-generation talent profiles (competencies, experiences, traits, drivers and roles) that leveraged global best practices and aligned with our client’s strategy, operating model and culture. We defined multiple Success Profiles across four broad areas and assessed over 200 leaders globally. To drive higher performance and accountability for a top performing company, Korn Ferry delivered a holistic solution that included success profiles, assessment, development, and change management.​

Results

Aligned executive team on leadership priorities and build-buy-rent activities. Increased understanding of succession risk and bench strength significantly.

What We DO

We Work with You to Assess the Full Spectrum of Your Talent-Related Needs

Our Software & Platforms Experts

Matt Bohn

Matt Bohn

Senior Client Partner, Technology Practice

Scott Atkinson

Scott Atkinson

Senior Client Partner, Global CEO & Board, Technology & Sustainability

Mathias Herzog

Mathias Herzog

President, Global Technology Practice

Esther Colwill

Esther Colwill

President, Asia Pacific

Chris Cantarella

Chris Cantarella

Senior Client Partner, Global Technology Markets, Global Sector Leader, Software

Elektra Mararian

Elektra Mararian

Senior Client Partner

Paul Dinan

Paul Dinan

Senior Client Partner, Global Technology Market Advisory Leader

Douglas Maxfield

Douglas Maxfield

Chair, Global Promotions, Senior Client Partner, Global Technology Industry

Tarun Inuganti

Tarun Inuganti

Managing Partner, North American Technology Markets & Global Managing Partner, Global Technology Officers Practice

Dan Petrossi

Dan Petrossi

Senior Client Partner, Revenue & Sales

Rick Sklarin

Rick Sklarin

Senior Client Partner, Chief Revenue Officer Practice Lead, Global Technology Industry

Kedist Tsadik

Kedist Tsadik

Senior Client Partner

Stephanie Davis

Stephanie Davis

Senior Client Partner, Private Equity/Technology Leader, North America

Change Starts With a Conversation