In an informal poll taken at the recent HR Technology Conference in Chicago, Illinois, earlier this month, only 2 percent of the attendees at a session said they were considering more outsourcing of HR. (When 56 percent said they "weren't sure," the speaker joked, "those are the guys who 'don't know' their jobs are going.")

Self-service HR was in a similar state, at least for these attendees. What is surprising is that attendees, mostly consisting of HR managers from larger organizations, are by the fact that they attended the conference, committed to technology solutions.

What is behind this? Is outsourcing dead on arrival?

Perhaps not, but we are at a very interesting point The technological phenomena known as Web 2.0 and SaaS (Software as a Service) could drastically change the way we approach HR in the coming years. At the HR Technology Conference, Jason Corsello from Knowledge Infusion, predicted that this will alter the way HR departments work, but cautioned that we are several years away from mass adoption.

What we are seeing is what always happens when new technology comes along. At the earliest phase, the users are hobbyists. They are the true believers who are so enthusiastic that they're willing to deal with frustrations in order to be using it. Next come the experts. They profit from the experience of the hobbyists who helped the developers work out the kinks. These experts bring a lot of attention and skill to the programs, and they have to, because they're still not yet ready for the masses.

Finally, once all the kinks have been worked out, comes mass adoption.

You can see this with things like cell phones, Palm Pilots and PCs. When they first come out, only a select few use them. They're willing to put up with confusing interfaces and bugs. And, they don't mind if they have to replace their gadgets every year. That's part of the fun. But when it comes to the masses, things have to be easy and obvious.

That's where we are with a lot of the "outsourcing" on the web. It is possible to do it, if you are willing to work at it. And some people are. In a few years, as the kinks get worked out, we will see greater and greater adoption.

So, should you be standing around waiting? It depends on your needs. If you have lots of people coming on board or lots of people management problems that can be solved through technology, it is probably worth it for you to look for solutions today. If your needs are more modest, look for small-scale solutions targeted directly at your needs.

At the HR Technology Conference, a panelist at one presentation objected when someone said he didn't have talent management software. "We use the 'Micorsoft solution,'" he said, referring to Excel and Word. Ten or fifteen years ago, their power was awe-inspiring. They still work well for lots of solutions.