About Joanna Oakley

Why I Believe Change Only Succeeds When People, Process, and Technology Work in Harmony

I’ve spent over two decades in recruitment and staffing. I’ve seen the industry from every angle: as a salesperson on the front line, as a leader managing client accounts, and ultimately as COO for one of the UK arms of the world’s fifth-largest staffing firm. Today, through Argylestone Consulting, I help agencies, in-house teams, and growing SMEs cut through the noise and actually deliver change that sticks.

With that breadth of experience, one lesson stands out above everything else: business transformation fails when people, process, and technology are treated as separate priorities instead of parts of the same whole.

That’s why I believe what I believe. Change isn’t about big bang strategies, glossy slides, or the latest software demo. It’s about simplifying the messy, putting people at the centre, and building processes that work in the real world.

This belief drives my mission. Too often I see leaders invest heavily in systems or “transformation programmes” only to wonder why adoption is low, costs spiral, and performance dips. It’s not because their people are resistant or their systems are weak. It’s because the change was designed in isolation, not in harmony.

1. Simplicity beats complexity every time.
In our industry, we love overcomplicating things. Bespoke workflows, multiple CRMs, endless reporting layers, they look impressive but they grind teams down. In my experience, if a process needs a manual to explain it, it’s already broken. My approach strips back to what really matters: workflows that are intuitive, measurable, and actually used. 

2. Database first, job board second.
Most agencies are still overly reliant on job boards, even when they sit on decades of untapped candidate data. That’s wasted money and wasted opportunity. I believe in a database-first strategy: cleaning, curating, and activating the talent you already have before reaching for paid adverts. It challenges the status quo, but it saves money and makes recruiters smarter. At Argylestone Consulting, I take a collaborative approach to consulting. I work closely with my clients to understand their needs and develop solutions that are tailored to their unique challenges. My approach is transparent, results-driven, and designed to help businesses succeed.

3. Tech doesn’t fail. Adoption does.
This one always raises eyebrows. Too many leaders blame systems when a new ATS or CRM “doesn’t work.” The truth? The technology works fine. What’s missing is adoption, proper training, embedding, and leadership buy-in. I won’t sign off on tech change until I know adoption is built into the plan. That’s what protects ROI and ensures transformation sticks. 

I care about this because I’ve lived it. I’ve been the leader asked to fix broken processes, implement systems that nobody wanted, and deliver results under pressure. I’ve also been the consultant brought in after the money was spent and the programme failed. I’ve seen the cost in wasted investment, frustrated staff, and missed opportunity.

I believe it doesn’t have to be this way.