What could a video game company, a multinational conglomerate and consumer goods manufacturer possibly have in common? More than you might think.
Many of today’s largest businesses have been facing increasing difficulty in finding the talent they need to sustain growth in a competitive global economy. Nintendo, General Electric and Procter & Gamble are no different. To overcome those challenges, they’ve started turning to freelance marketplaces to plug their skills gaps and access new sources of talent.
The transition to a flexible labor model is quickly gaining favor in the Fortune 500 province as more enterprises recognize the benefits associated with an on-demand workforce of highly skilled independent professionals. To understand how different companies in different industries are capitalizing on this new operating model, let’s look at what Nintendo, General Electric and Procter & Gamble have been doing.
Nintendo: Hiring independent contractors to reach the next level
Nintendo, the world’s largest video game company is regularly listed among the top companies hiring freelancers. The enterprise has created an environment welcoming to independent game developers, offering a simple infrastructure to help developers publish their content on the Wii U platform. In addition, the consumer electronics titan regularly hires independent contractors for its technical positions, like software engineers and technical writers, as well as marketing, business development and other key roles.
Procter & Gamble: Crowdsourcing to find the next big idea
Procter & Gamble (P&G), the consumer packaged goods juggernaut, has recognized the value of a contingent workforce in perhaps the most important part of its business: bringing new product innovations to the market.
According to a recent report by Deloitte, P&G collaborates with outside innovators on more than half of its product initiatives. The company even launched a dedicated Connect and Develop program encouraging external individuals to submit new product ideas and become innovation partners.
The company’s Swiffer Duster — now a billion dollar brand — was the most high-profile success of this effort. P&G now has more than 1,000 such agreements in place, highlighting the value of its independent workforce.
General Electric: Overcoming talent shortages with freelance labor
General Electric (GE) found that employing an on-demand workforce could give it greater flexibility in addressing key talent shortages. This is particularly true with its field services operations, where it predicts that its field services operating model will evolve into a “crowd-sourced on-demand pay-per-use service model that will tap into a global, mobile and flexible workforce.”
These are just a few examples of the global enterprises transforming their organizations — and their operating models — by leveraging an on-demand workforce.
As the technology and tools that support this engagement model continue to mature, we expect to see more and more companies begin their transition to a more sustainable and cost efficient labor model centered around an on-demand workforce.
