Recruiting top L&D professionals is becoming increasingly difficult, especially for rapidly growing companies. The most significant challenges faced are the limited availability of skilled talent and the rising expense of hiring and retaining employees. Furthermore, outsourcing talent requirements in the L&D industry can be difficult and lead to delays in projects or ongoing training programs. As a result, companies in the L&D sector are moving away from traditional outsourcing models and towards more effective strategies, such as agile team augmentation or staff augmentation.
A Statista report predicts global staff augmentation spending will reach $81.87 billion by 2025.
Staff augmentation involves enlisting external professionals to support and strengthen an organization’s existing workforce. This approach is particularly well-suited to the changing business environment, as it allows companies to quickly and easily scale their L&D team up or down as needed.
Team Augmentation Versus Other Hiring Models: A Comparative Analysis
Agile team augmentation differs from other hiring approaches, such as outsourcing and freelancing, because of its unique features and benefits. Outsourcing entails delegating complete accountability for a particular project or business process to a third-party company. Freelancers are self-employed or independent employees who take on short-term projects for multiple clients.
Staff augmentation is when you hire individual employees from an external company to join your existing team. The augmented employees become part of the team, working alongside internal employees. This integration leads to seamless communication, knowledge sharing, and efficient coordination, resulting in better teamwork and unity within the organization.
Additionally, team augmentation gives organizations more control and flexibility than outsourcing or freelancing models. Organizations that own the project and supervise the augmented staff have more control over the project’s outcomes, timelines, and quality standards. This control helps ensure that the augmented staff members work towards the company’s goals and values.
The Crucial Role of Skilled Experts in Driving Business Expansion
Today’s fiercely competitive business landscape underscores the critical role of skilled professionals in driving business growth. Companies need a workforce with expertise and up-to-date knowledge to maintain a competitive edge. Team augmentation provides a means for businesses to rapidly acquire the talent and competencies necessary to tackle complex projects and meet the evolving needs of their customers.
Organizations gain access to new thinking, creative solutions, and specialized expertise by augmenting their staff with skilled workers. These professionals bring their diverse experience and knowledge to help businesses improve their problem-solving skills, create a culture of learning and growth, and achieve their strategic goals more quickly and efficiently.
Common Drivers for Agile Team Augmentation in the Workforce
Organizations opt for augmented teams based on their specific goals for different purposes. Below, you’ll find a list of the primary reasons people opt for team augmentation services:
- Cost Reduction: Augmented teams can often save organizations money and time compared to the costs and time associated with hiring new employees or managing outsourced operations. When an organization doesn’t have the upfront budget to hire a permanent employee, agile team augmentation can be a cost-effective way to get the same resources for a shorter period.
- Resource Flexibility: It can be difficult and time-consuming to scale your workforce up or down, whether you need to expand or reduce employees. Hiring new employees often takes time and resources and can sometimes take longer than the ongoing project. Augmented team members are available on demand, making it easier to adjust your team size to meet your current project needs.
- Improved Output Quality: Team augmentation allows organizations to carefully select the best resources to contribute to their projects, which can significantly improve work quality. Often, the entire team benefits from fresh perspectives and insights into new processes and best practices.
- Transparency into Progress: Keeping development efforts in-house typically leads to more effective and timely communication with the business. This streamlined communication makes it easier for the team to inform stakeholders about project progress and address challenges.
- Closer Alignment with Business Goals: Traditional outsourcing can carry the risk of misinterpreting the business’s vision, values, or goals. Having a team that is tightly integrated into the organization and has a deep understanding of its operations helps to ensure that projects remain aligned with the business’s desired outcomes.
On Demand Resource Utilization with Agile Team Augmentation
The importance of staff augmentation is highlighted by a 2022 survey by ManpowerGroup, which found that 76% of employers worldwide had trouble finding the skilled IT and technology talent they needed. In the L&D industry, access to a pool of skilled and experienced professionals on demand is crucial for timing your L&D initiatives to perfection and giving them a competitive edge. Infopro Learning focuses on providing augmented team resources and working closely with L&D organizations to fulfill their specific needs at any moment.
Expand your learning and development team quickly and easily with our high-quality team augmentation services. We provide contract-based talent to fill any gaps in your team and adjust to your changing needs quickly, so you can achieve your business goals with agility.
