OHRMCon: Engage Disruption

Disruption isn’t coming, it’s already here. From how we consume news to how we commute, disruption is reshaping industries, expectations, and human behavior. It's not just about replacing the old with the new. It's about rethinking the rules entirely. Technology has accelerated cycles of change, blurring the lines between creator and consumer, expert and algorithm, employer and platform. Amidst this transformation, disruption is often seen as a risk. But at OHRMCon in New York City, the message was different.

The Cost and Payoff of Disruption

Change as a Catalyst, Not a Threat

Disruption doesn’t just destroy it, it reshapes. From information and entertainment to production and logistics, it’s tearing down conventional systems and rebuilding them in ways that are smarter, faster, and often more human-centered. Take the information sector: print gave way to digital, only to see digital deepen its complexity with on-demand, AI-curated content. Music has leapt from vinyl to streaming to immersive virtual environments, where ownership matters less than access and experience. Transportation has shifted too, Uber didn’t just enter the taxi market; it rewrote it. Smart cars, automation, and predictive routing have pushed mobility into a new era.

Production is evolving at similar speed. Machine learning and robotics are no longer futuristic concepts; they're here, building cars, sorting inventory, assisting diagnostics. Even decision-making is being restructured. What used to require physical presence or weeks of analysis now happens through real-time dashboards and algorithms. Platforms like Amazon demonstrate how data, paired with speed, can turn a transaction into a personalized experience. From bundled merchandise to same-day delivery, the innovation loop has tightened, leaving slow movers scrambling.

And it’s not just enterprise that’s affected. Individuals now carry more tech in their pockets than an entire office held two decades ago. Personal habits, shopping anonymity, even pricing have all been upended by data and digital behavior tracking. At OHRMCon, Lee Congdon made one thing clear: disruption, when embraced, becomes a catalyst. It forces tough decisions, yes but it also unlocks unimagined opportunities.

From Garage to Unicorn

The cost of disruption has plummeted. It no longer takes a massive budget or a high-rise in Silicon Valley to bring a product to market. Two people in a garage, fueled by vision and a solid broadband connection, can spark the next billion-dollar idea. That’s the new reality and it’s changing how companies think about innovation entirely.

Lee Congdon emphasized that success in this climate isn’t about size, it’s about speed and flexibility. Legacy systems and hierarchical decision-making don’t fare well in fast-evolving environments. What does? Open-source thinking, agile development, and cultures that prioritize experimentation over perfection.

Innovation is no longer reserved for the elite few. Platforms, toolkits, and cloud infrastructure make it possible for small players to test, iterate, and scale without the drag of traditional barriers. That democratization of disruption means new competitors can emerge from anywhere, at any time. The “garage to unicorn” path is no longer mythical, it’s a strategic possibility.

But to take advantage of this environment, organizations must get comfortable with uncertainty. They need to reframe failure as feedback and see every disruption not as a threat to legacy, but as a chance to rewrite it. It’s not about doing more, it’s about doing what matters, faster and smarter.

Rethinking Culture to Support Change

Even the most brilliant strategy will collapse under a culture that isn’t ready to evolve. That’s why disruption isn’t just a matter of tech or tools, it’s a question of mindset. Lee Congdon urged leaders at OHRMCon to take a hard look at the internal dynamics that either support or stall innovation.

Is your team aligned with your mission? Are your people encouraged to challenge assumptions? Do you reward speed, or just safety? These aren’t theoretical questions, they shape how a company responds when the next big change lands.

One of the more provocative insights from Congdon’s talk was that disrupting your own company is far harder than disrupting someone else’s. But it’s also far more necessary. Culture is what determines whether your people engage with disruption or resist it. It’s the bridge between ambition and execution.

Here are a few reflective questions he posed to help companies frame their approach to change:

• What is your next disruptive investment?
  
  

• Are your people aligned with your mission?
  
  

• Can you move faster?
  
  

• Who are your disruptors?
  
  

These questions aren’t just for leadership, they belong in every team, every department, and every planning session. Because preparing for disruption isn’t about predicting the next big thing. It’s about building the kind of culture that’s ready to respond quickly, intelligently, and with conviction.

Innovation Through Alignment and Open Source

Red Hat and OrangeHRM - An Open Innovation Model

Innovation thrives not just in labs or behind closed doors it flourishes in collaboration. Red Hat, a global enterprise headquartered in North Carolina with over 8,000 associates, has long understood the value of openness. When faced with the challenge of managing leave and compliance across time zones and regions, they turned to OrangeHRM. In January 2011, their first go-live with OrangeHRM’s leave management tools set the tone for scalable, global efficiency. Deployed in 26 countries, the solution helped untangle the complexities of varied labor laws, holidays, and timezone-driven workflows.

But this wasn’t just software deployment, it was a partnership model built on shared values. Both Red Hat and OrangeHRM support open-source development not just as a technical strategy but as a cultural stance. The adaptability and transparency of open systems create room for community input, faster iteration, and continuous learning. It’s less about off-the-shelf software and more about shaping systems together through dialogue, iteration, and collective problem-solving.

This adaptive model allowed Red Hat to stay agile even at global scale. Instead of wrestling with rigid tools or fragmented systems, they harnessed OrangeHRM’s platform as an evolving resource, one they could configure and expand in response to actual user needs. That’s the strength of open innovation: it aligns people, purpose, and process around what works today and what’s coming next.

The Shift from Industrial to Information-Driven Thinking

Lee Congdon’s keynote at OHRMCon made a compelling case: we’re no longer operating in an industrial world. While factories, fleets, and physical infrastructure still matter, the real currency now is information and the speed and accuracy with which it flows. The transition isn’t subtle. Entire industries are reorienting around data, not hardware. Businesses that once led by production scale must now lead through insight and adaptability.

Take Watson, IBM’s AI platform, as an example. Once a supercomputer built to win Jeopardy!, it now underpins applications like OrangeHRM’s ATS Project Nova, which uses machine learning to enhance candidate screening. Instead of relying solely on manual evaluation, Nova helps teams identify patterns, spot alignment, and streamline the early stages of recruitment. It’s not about replacing judgment, it’s about augmenting it with smart tools.

This shift to information-driven strategy requires new skills, new mindsets, and new partnerships. It challenges organizations to see beyond fixed roles and into fluid ecosystems where insight, speed, and integration matter more than traditional hierarchy. It’s a move from static reporting to real-time dashboards, from formal meetings to fast feedback loops. And most importantly, it calls for tools that are extensible, open, and designed to evolve with the organization.

When Disruption Becomes Culture

Disruption, when sustained, stops being an initiative and becomes a culture. It’s no longer about single-point change or heroic innovation, it’s about embedding adaptability into daily operations. For companies serious about staying relevant, this shift is non-negotiable. Disruption must be designed into hiring frameworks, communication rhythms, and performance reviews. Teams need to be evaluated not just on delivery but on learning, pivoting, and contributing to ongoing evolution.

Congdon emphasized that real transformation doesn’t come from tech alone. It comes from reshaping how people relate to change. That includes cultivating openness, rewarding experimentation, and building feedback into everything. It means training teams to ask better questions, take faster action, and think beyond “how things have always been.”

Disruption as a culture isn’t about being chaotic, it’s about being prepared. It means being ready to revise product roadmaps, challenge internal assumptions, and explore new models of collaboration. It’s a continuous posture of curiosity, and it relies on systems that don’t just permit change, but encourage it.

This contrast between old and new modes of thinking is especially clear when we lay them side by side:

This comparison isn’t just theoretical, it’s a reality check. Organizations that continue to rely on traditional models risk being outpaced not by one competitor, but by an entire generation of faster, more agile thinkers. Companies that lean into open source, agile feedback, and people-centered systems, however, stand to lead the next wave of transformation.

Engage Disruption from Day One with OrangeHRM

Disruption doesn’t begin when a product goes live or when a bold idea hits the market. It begins the moment someone joins your organization and continues even as they leave. That’s why OrangeHRM’s newest Onboarding and Offboarding feature isn’t just another system upgrade; it’s a strategic response to what Lee Congdon called out at OHRMCon: the need for alignment, speed, and mindset in every corner of the enterprise.

With this feature, OrangeHRM provides structured support at two of the most critical touchpoints in the employee lifecycle. Onboarding isn’t just paperwork, it’s a curated experience that welcomes new hires into a culture of innovation. Through customizable workflows, knowledge-sharing modules, and early goal alignment, the process helps new employees feel informed, valued, and ready to contribute from day one.

Just as importantly, offboarding is treated not as a formality, but as a valuable transition. Departing employees are encouraged to share insights, identify gaps, and offer feedback that can shape future roles or policies. This data becomes institutional memory feeding directly into strategies for retention, hiring, and team design.

Together, these features reinforce the idea that disruption is not sporadic. It’s systematic. OrangeHRM’s approach ensures every phase of employment contributes to a loop of learning, adaptation, and refinement. When onboarding and offboarding become tools for transformation, companies can move faster and smarter not just react to change, but lead it. That’s the real power of engaging disruption.

FAQ Section

Q1: Is disruption just a buzzword?

Disruption isn’t a trend, it’s a recurring force that has reshaped nearly every industry. From how we shop to how we listen to music or manage teams, technological shifts have demanded new behaviors, strategies, and structures. Disruption is less about chaos and more about possibility.

Q2: How do you prepare a team for disruption?

Preparation starts with culture. Are your people encouraged to ask questions, challenge assumptions, and experiment? Training helps but alignment is critical. Ensure your mission, strategy, and structure support fast adaptation. Tools matter too: platforms like OrangeHRM allow for transparency, agility, and employee empowerment.

Q3: What if our company isn’t “tech” enough?

You don’t have to build new tools to benefit from disruption. What matters more is your approach. Can you act on feedback? Can you learn quickly and make changes? Adopt technologies that enhance your decision-making and collaboration. Think like a builder even if you’re not writing the code.

Q4: How can onboarding or offboarding be disruptive?

They’re both key moments of leverage. Onboarding sets expectations and instills adaptability early. Offboarding, when done thoughtfully, offers invaluable data about how your culture, roles, and systems function in reality. When these processes are connected to learning and improvement, they create a continuous loop of disruption that serves growth.