Workforce &
Succession Planning
Gary Watkins
Workplace Performance Technologies (Pty) Ltd
trading as Workinfo.com
AGENDA
Introductions
 Admin Issues
 Workforce Planning – Intro
 Workforce Planning Models
 Phase 1
 Phase 2
Admin Issues?


Breaks

Tea : 10:00 – 10h30

Lunch : 13h00 – 14h00

Tea : 15h00 – 15h30
Workbook and Exercises
VP of Workforce Planning?
"Being strategic demands that you look at the
big picture, that you forecast and attempt
to prepare for the future by taking into
account as many variables as possible.
Without forecasting fluctuations needed in
the demand, supply, and movement of
talent, a.k.a. “workforce planning,” HR will
continue to get blindsided by "surprise"
internal and external events.“
Dr. John Sullivan
What is Workforce Planning?

Right people - With the Right skills - In the
Right Place - At the Right Time
or

Systematic approach for identifying the
workforce competencies required to meet
the company’s strategic business objectives
and developing the strategies to achieve
this
What is Workforce Planning?
Simply put…..

Attracting and retaining the talent /
skills needed to survive…
Main Drivers of Workforce Planning
Why do Workforce Planning?






Addresses the organization’s competency/
skills needs
Provides workforce demographics,
retirement projections, and succession
planning.
Provides rationale linked to expenditures for
recruitment, training, employee
development, retention…
Provides tools to address changes
Assists in creating a high quality workforce
Provides critical information
Why do Workforce Planning (2)?











EE numerical targets
WSP
BBBEE
Emerging competencies / tasks needed
Retrenchments
Transfers, mergers and acquisitions
New HR service delivery models
Human capital/talent management
Transformation initiatives in public sector
Labour market trends
Social/Market influences – HIV/AIDS,
Why do Workforce Planning (3)?

Demographics and Trends in the workplace
have changed.

These changes have impacted YOUR
organisation

Recognising and being prepared (WFP) –
you ensure you have the necessary human
capital to achieve your mission (Business
Strategy/objectives)
Trends?

Baby Boomers (BB) are getting older

BB redefine retirement age

Technology – changes HR Function

New Legislation

Labour pool is shrinking

Globalisation

Workforce needed for tomorrow is very
different from today
[Activity]
Trends?????
IPMA Workforce Planning Resource Guide
Therefore WFP is….
Not Just…
It Is…
Predicting the future
Building a longer-term context
for short term decision making
An inventory of all positions
Focusing on positions where you
need to be proactive
Creating plans as a one-time
‘event’
Creating plans in response to
changing strategies
Creating reports and listings that
describe ‘what was’
Focussing on planning and
looking ahead to ‘what will be’
Building HR Capability
Solving staffing problems/issues
IPMA Workforce Planning Resource Guide
WFP and Succession Planning?
WFP : Right People, right place, right
time
 Succession Planning : Subset of WFP –
right leadership in every place in the
organisation (prepare for
advancement through development)
– talent management!
Page 9

HR Strategic Plan
Changing HR Roles and Strategy
HR – strategic HR Skills and abilities
 Competencies

Leader – influence the direction of the
business
 Change Agent – addressing and
initiating improvements
 Business Partner


WFP – integral to your HR Strategy
Exercise
HR as a Business Partner
• Minimal Involvement
• Problem Finding
• Post-hoc Critique
New delivery model
Role transformation
Strategic
planning
•
•
•
•
Reactive
Slow to Adapt
Data Maintenance
Organizational Hierarchy
Driven
• Technology Constrained
•
•
•
•
Manually Intensive
Cumbersome
Redundant
Data Rich/information poor
Customer
service
Process
redesign
Strategic
planning
Customer
service
Administration
Integrated
systems
Old paradigm
Administration
• Sophisticated Analysis
• Strategic Issues
• Problem Solving
•
•
•
•
•
•
Embedded
Accountability
Cost/Benefit Sensitive
Relevant to Business
Information Rich
Integrated
• Automated
• Streamlined
New paradigm
Reduced cost
New sourcing model
Shared Service Models
Is there a generic model?


Both public and private, have developed
models for workforce planning…the
processes are all very much alike.
All rely on an analysis of





present workforce competencies (demographics,
retirement projections, etc);
identification of competencies needed in the future;
a comparison of the present workforce to future needs to
identify competency gaps and surpluses;
the preparation of plans for building the workforce needed
in the future; and
an evaluation process to assure that the workforce
competency model remains valid and that objectives are
being met.
Source: A Guide to Workforce Planning in the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Personnel Policy
Workforce Planning Model
WFP Model
Phase 1 – Planning Stage
Phase 1
Planning stage
Steps
Strategic planning
)
Key Activities


Establish workforce
planning team


(
Assess organisational
readiness for
workforce planning








Determining desired outcome of
workforce planning exercise
Determine organisational goals,
mission, vision, values and objectives
Establish workforce planning team
Specify Name, Occupational group,
Specific role, Responsibility & Time
committed to projected
Resources and capabilities
Commitment
Expertise
Time
Money
Technology
Develop communication strategy
Assess employee readiness for
change
Strategic planning (1)
Assemble workforce planning team
 Assess organisational readiness for
workforce planning









Resources and capabilities
Commitment
Expertise
Time
Money
Technology
Develop communication strategy
Assess employee
Strategic planning (2)

Conduct analysis of business
requirements

Determine scope of workforce
planning project

Identify outcome priorities
WFP Scope





What is the focus of the plan?
Why are we doing it?
What do we want to achieve?
Is this plan for the whole organisation or just
for my work unit?
Where does the plan “fit” in terms of the
organisation’s hierarchy of plans; that is,
strategic, operational, corporate, specific
purpose?
Purpose of Planning Phase

Focus on function, not on people needed to
do the job. Once you have a strategic plan,
you need to think about what functions you will
need to perform in order to accomplish the
strategic mission of your organization.


Key positions or their work requirements will
NOT remain forever static.
There is no foolproof way to predict key
positions with absolute certainty. Some
possible approaches are:
Analytic Tools & Exercises

Functional Scanning: A systematic process
of examining external trends.


Exercise
Economic, government/legal, technological, social,
geographical, and other issues affecting the organization's
external environment.
Organizational Analysis: A systematic
process of examining how an organization is
positioning itself to address future challenges
(SWOT analysis).
How well-positioned is the organization to respond to the effects of future
trends?
 What action steps can the organization take to meet the threats and
opportunities posed by future trends?
 How can the organization maximize its strengths and minimize its
weaknesses as the future unfolds?

Impact Analysis

Initiative
Overview of impact analysis template
Potential
Impact
Workload
Type of
work
Org. structure
e.g.
Supervisory
Ratio
Mix of skills
Workforce
change
Implications for workforce planning
Results Matrix
Initiative
(trends, issues,
and challenges)
Impact on
Workforce
(increase /
decrease / no
change)
Specific
functional /
departmental
impact
Impact rating period (short /
medium / long
term)
Impact rating priority (low /
medium / high)
Keys
 decrease
 low
 increase
 high
 no change
 medium
Possible
solutions
Costing
Level of
analysis
Phase 2 – Analysis Stage
Phase 2
Workforce
analysis
stage
Steps
Determine workforce
profile
Key Activities







Business and staffing
outlook




Employment equity profile
Age
Tenure
Employment status (permanent vs.
contingent)
Occupational levels
Occupational categories
HIV / AIDS assessment impact
Identify current business strategy
Identify emerging business strategies
Identify critical business objectives (BEE, EE,
Skills Requirements)
Conduct SWOT analysis
Identify outcome
priorities

Priorities workforce targets based on
opportunities and risks related to outcomes,
results, productivity, turnover, costs, strategic
factors, trends
Demand forecast

Identify needed competencies
Determine competencies needed to
accomplish organisation's future goals and
objectives / functional requirements
Job analysis and competency information
Workload projections
Diversity and internal staffing requirements




Phase 2 – Analysis Stage (ii)
Phase 2
Workforce
analysis
stage
(contd.)
Steps
Supply projection
Key Activities




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


Gap and priority
analysis

Projected workforce supply profile of present workforce
projected out as if no special
action was taken to address
attrition or develop staff
Identify current competencies
Workforce composition statistics
Occupational levels and
categories
Demographics
Locations (geographic)
Turnover projections and rates
Individuals, jobs, organisational
groups, teams, units
Identification of gaps (shortages)
and surpluses (excesses) in staffing
and competency levels needed
to meet future functional
requirements
Workforce Planning - Analysis
•
•
•
•
•
Workforce Profile
Business Outlook
Staffing
Company Strategies
Competencies
Current State
Base-Line
Future State
Vision
Demand Forecast:
•
•
•
•
Projected Workforce
Future workloads
Competencies Needed
Technology
Supply Analysis focuses on identifying
organizational competencies, analyzing staff
demographics, and identifying employment
trends.
Strategy
GAP ?
Competencies?
Labour Market?
Org. movement
Business Activity
Projected Needs?
Impact of Changes?
Technology?
Demand Analysis deals with measures of
future activities and workloads, and
describing the competency set needed by the
workforce of the future.
Key Questions
WFP IMPLEMENTATION ROADMAP
Supply Projection:
• Approach :
How will you achieve your
goals? (how will you reduce
the gap?)
• Challenges :
What are the strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities
and threats you must
understand in order to
achieve your vision
• Benefits
What is your value
proposition to business?
• Metrics
How will you know if you
are successful?
Workforce Planning - Analysis
•
•
•
•
•
Workforce Profile
Business Outlook
Staffing
Company Strategies
Competencies
Current State
Base-Line
Future State
Vision
Demand Forecast:
•
•
•
•
Projected Workforce
Future workloads
Competencies Needed
Technology
Supply Analysis focuses on identifying
organizational competencies, analyzing staff
demographics, and identifying employment
trends.
Strategy
GAP ?
Competencies?
Labour Market?
Org. movement
Business Activity
Projected Needs?
Impact of Changes?
Technology?
Demand Analysis deals with measures of
future activities and workloads, and
describing the competency set needed by the
workforce of the future.
Key Questions
WFP IMPLEMENTATION ROADMAP
Supply Projection:
• Approach :
How will you achieve your
goals? (how will you reduce
the gap?)
• Challenges :
What are the strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities
and threats you must
understand in order to
achieve your vision
• Benefits
What is your value
proposition to business?
• Metrics
How will you know if you
are successful?
Analysis – Supply & Demand

Scan the environment

External Environment
Demand and Supply of workers
 Emerging occupations
 Retirements
 Competitors
 Legislation
 Competitors
 Economic conditions
 …..

Analysis – Supply & Demand

Workforce Profiles
How many employees at each organizational level?
2. What is the grade structure for these levels?
3. What is the average education level/grade/step/time in position
for employees in this field?
4. What is the turnover rate? Are employees leaving the
organisation to transfer to other organizations (public / private /
competitors)?
5. Are employees in this field moving around within the
organisation?
6. Are employees retiring when eligible?
7. What is the predicted retirement count for the next five year?
8. What is the average age and years of service at retirement?
9. What are the gender/racial/age/disabilities statistics for this field?
10. How are contract employees utilized?
11. Can / Should any of the work be outsourced?
1.
Analysis – Supply & Demand

Demand Analysis

Qualitative data on anticipated workload
changes

Workforce changes during the planning period

Qualitative and quantitative data on future
competency requirements
Workbook Resources
Supply
 Demand
 Summarise

Analysis – Competencies
Competencies are a set of behaviours that
encompass skills, knowledge, abilities, and
personal attributes are critical to successful
work accomplishment.
 Workforce Skills Analysis


Core Competencies


The skills needed to carry out the a function
at an organisational level
Across the organisation and between jobs
Individual Competencies
Analysis – Skills & Competencies
What skills are currently available?
 What skills will be needed in the future?
 Gap?
 Competency Model?


A map to display a set of competencies
that are aligned to the company vision,
mission and strategic goals.
Analysis – Skills & Competencies

Developing Competency Sets
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Perform Job Analysis to identify job tasks for
critical positions
Broaden to include Knowledge, Skills and
Abilities
Identify Job competencies (effective
performance)
Develop model for new roles
Develop preliminary clusters for organisational
positions
Page 101 of exercise book
Gap Analysis
Indication:
Supply Projection:
•
•
•
•
•
Workforce Profile
Business Outlook
Staffing
Company Strategies
Competencies
Current State
Base-Line
-
Strategy:
-
GAP ?
-
Demand Forecast:
Projected Workforce
Future workloads
Competencies Needed
Technology
-
-
Future State
Vision
•
•
•
•
•
Future shortage
Supply is less
than Forecast
Recruitment
Training
Succession
Critical gaps analysed
Timely intervention
Gap Analysis
Supply Projection:
•
•
•
•
•
Workforce Profile
Business Outlook
Staffing
Company Strategies
Competencies
Current State
Base-Line
Future State
Vision
Supply is greater
than Forecast
Indication:
-
Strategy:
-
GAP ?
-
Demand Forecast:
•
•
•
•
•
Projected Workforce
Future workloads
Competencies Needed
Technology
Future excess
Skill sets no longer
needed?
Retraining
Transfers
Separation incentives?
Gap Analysis Process
How
What
Assess
The current supply of Human
Capital
Factor in
Variables and Assumptions
To come up with
Supply of Human Capital, then
Compare to
Demand
To come up with
Gaps and Surpluses
Action Items
 Phase 3 – Implementation
 Phase 4 – Evaluation & Monitoring

Technology Will Become The Norm
Phase 3 – Implementation Stage
Phase 3
Steps
Key Activities
Implementation
Strategy Development






Implement Strategy







Identification of specific strategies or
actions to take to resolve projected
staffing and competency gaps and
surpluses
Results of Gap Analysis; strategy tools
and resources
Select and integrate strategies
Cost-benefit analysis of strategies
Evaluate options - time, resources,
workplace dynamics
Develop communication strategy
Use basic project management
Ensure buy-in and support
Allocate resources, finances and
technology
Clarify roles and responsibilities
Establish timelines
Determine performance measures,
milestones
Communicate elements of workforce
plan
Setting the Strategic Direction

This is the process of preparing a model for your
organization's long term success. All organisations
should establish a three or five-year strategic plan,
and continually update and evaluate it in terms of
mission changes and results.

"...a continuous and systematic process where the
guiding members of an organization make
decisions about its future, develop the necessary
procedures and operations to achieve that future,
and determine how success is to be defined."
Goodstein, Nolan and Pfeiffer
Setting the Strategic Direction
1.
2.
3.
Organize and mobilize strategic partners:
Locate and enlist key players within the
organization and among customers.
Set vision, mission, value, and objectives:
Compose vision, mission, values, and
objective statements that provide a
foundation for defining and implementing
strategic plans.
Review organizational structure: Examine
current workforce demographics,
competencies, and workload.
Setting the Strategic Direction
4.
Conduct business process reengineering:
Analyze and redesign processes across the
organization.
5.
Set measures for organizational
performance: Define how the organization
will know when and if it has succeeded.
6.
Position HR to be an active partner: Put HR
leaders in the front of the strategic
planning effort.
Strategy Development

Appropriate recruitment, development, and
retention strategies and timelines to address
gaps and surpluses to ensure that the
organization will have appropriate staffing
to meet its future functional requirements
and carry out its mission.
Strategy Development

The final step involves the development of
strategies to address future gaps and
surpluses.

There is a wide range of strategies

There is also a myriad of factors that will
influence which strategy or, more likely,
which combination of strategies that should
be used. Some of these factors include, but
are by no means limited to, the following:
Considerations?






Time. Is there enough time to develop staff internally for anticipated
vacancies or new competency needs, or is special, fast-paced recruitment
the best approach?
Resources. The availability of adequate resources will likely influence which
strategies are used and to what degree, as well as priorities and timing.
Internal depth. Do existing staff demonstrate the potential or interest to
develop new competencies and assume new or modified positions, or is
external recruitment needed?
“In-demand” competencies. How high the competition is for the needed
future competencies may influence whether recruitment versus internal
development and succession is the most effective strategy, especially when
compensation levels are limited.
Workplace and workforce dynamics. Whether particular productivity and
retention strategies need to be deployed will be influenced by workplace
climate (e.g., employee satisfaction levels), workforce age, diversity, personal
needs, etc.
Job classifications. Do the presently used job classifications and position
descriptions reflect the future functional requirements and competencies
needed? Does the structure of the classification series have enough flexibility
to recognize competency growth and employee succession in a timely
fashion? Does it allow compensation flexibility?
Transactional vs Workforce Planning
Operational
 Filling of current day
to day vacancies
Workforce Planning
 Competency gap
analysis
 Long term
identification of
staffing needs,
development of
long term talent
acquisition &
retention methods
Develop Workforce Strategy
The overall result of this step is a workforce plan that provides
ways to ensure that the organization will have the appropriate
staff and other personnel, e.g., contingent workforce, to do its
mission related work.
Workforce plan components
 Workforce plans should be updated at least annually and
should include the following:
 staffing needs assessment;
 business plan requirements;
 workforce composition and demographics;
 skills gap analysis;
 identification of skills needed and those no longer needed;
 assessment of training and development needs and
resources;
 assessment of recruiting needs and resources;
 evaluation; and
 action plans.
Implementation
Certain basics of any good project management
plan should be addressed when implementing the
Workforce Plan strategies which include:






Ensuring organization buy-in and support.
Allocating necessary resources to carry out workforce
strategies.
Clarifying roles and responsibilities in implementing
strategies. This includes identifying who is involved in
implementing what, and where coordination among
different parts of the organization or with different
organisations is needed.
Establishing timelines.
Determining performance measures – milestones and
expected end product.
Communication of plan. The basis of the plan, as well as its
elements, should be communicated to all employees. That
is, why and how it was developed, how it will be applied,
and how it will affect staff.
Initiatives to kick start WFPlanning





In-house conference on workforce planning
Briefing sessions with line managers (focus
groups) on key principles
Build grassroots appreciation of w/force
planning & how benefit line managers/
business
Use the language of finance / operations &
principles of project management
Build awareness / knowledgebase / case
studies (intranets)
Phase 4 – Evaluation Stage
Phase 4
Evaluation
stage
Steps
Evaluate, monitor
and revise
Key Activities









Review performance
measurement information at
designated intervals
Assess what's working and not
Make necessary adjustments
Address new workforce issues
that may arise
Analyze and document
leanings
Validate plan
Cost-benefit analysis
Return on investment
Impact on business
Evaluation









Consider the following in evaluating the planning effort and
preparing for the next planning project. Most of these
questions will become relevant only after you are fairly far
along in implementing solutions.
Has the strategic plan or other plans changed since the
beginning of the effort?
If so, what are the implications for the strategies
implemented?
Have the implemented strategies achieved the intended
results?
What worked well? What didn't?
To what extent have demand and supply projections been
borne out?
Is a new analysis necessary before revising the strategies?
What adjustments to the strategies are needed?
What changes would you like to make to the planning
process?
Example : Attrition Model
Barriers to Workforce Planning
US Forest Service Workforce Plan



Methodology
Detailed information on the methodology used
Sources of information include;




detailed information on workforce status and trends,
interviews with a wide variety of field and national
headquarters line and staff officials,
a competency survey and assessment of staffing
adequacy which was sent to a select group within the
National Forest System, the research stations, and national
headquarters functional organizations;
data was obtained from the National Research Council of
the National Academy of Sciences, the Pinchot Institute,
and public and private sector organizations that have
been successful in workforce planning.
Occupational Overview – historical
trend analysis
Occupational Overview
Permanent Employment
Total Employment
Sep-92
May-99
Change
Forestry Technician
7830
6423
-1407
Forester
5298
3132
370
% Change
Sep-92
May-99
Change
% Change
-18%
17079
13019
-4060
-24%
-2166
-41%
5416
3220
-2196
-41%
352
-18
-5%
1710
1580
-130
-8%
1642
927
-715
-44%
1898
1096
-802
-42%
Biologist
736
1020
284
39%
787
275
-512
-65%
Wildlife Biologist
895
722
-173
-19%
1129
871
-258
-23%
1035
666
-369
-36%
1051
675
-376
-36%
2
462
460
23000%
2
464
462
23100%
Title
Biological Science Technician
Engineering Technician
Civil Engineer
Compliance Inspector
Average Age Overview
Average Age
Net Change
Sep-92
May-99
Group
42.4
45.8
3.4
Forester
42.1
45.1
3
Biological Science Technician
44.2
45.1
0.9
Age Distribution - Permanent
Employees
Age Distribution - Permanent Employees
Under 25
25 - 34
35 - 44
45 & Over
May-86
380
7188
11926
11879
Apr-92
643
6449
14436
13542
May-99
106
2835
9075
16070
Other scenarios - age distribution by key occupations (scarce skills)
Retirement Eligibility (Permanent
Employees)
Total Workforce
Regular Retirement
%
Early Retirement
%
Sep-92
35301
1783
5.05%
5682
16%
Sep-97
29558
1795
6.07%
5795
20%
Sep-98
28388
1589
5.60%
5930
21%
02-Dec
28194
6709
23.80%
8737
31%
Capability gap matrix



Use the capability gap matrix diagram to assess the priority for
development and record in the priority column. For example,
if you have indicated that a behaviour is essential for a role,
and needs significant development then the priority would be
1—highest priority for development. Similarly if you indicated
that a behaviour is desirable for a role and needs
development, then the priority for development would be 2—
medium priority for development. You may then want to
discuss with your manager areas you have identified that
need further development or experience.
This will form the basis of your capability development plan
and learning agreement.
Source: Leadership capability development planning
(Australian Public Service Commission) www.apsc.gov.au/ils
Conclusions -actioning
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
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Using tools for workforce adjustment to fit changing skill requirements. The Forest Service
has gone through a period of major downsizing. This has been accomplished with
minimal separation of employees through reduction- in- force procedures. The approach
to minimize adverse impact on employees was generally a good one involving use of
separation incentives, and placement of excess personnel in other jobs. The problem,
according to some Forest Service managers, is that the placement of excess people has
sometimes resulted in diminished capacity to perform at the optimum level due to the
qualifications of the person being placed. The report recommends that the Forest Service
use all tools available, including reduction- in- force, as a last resort, to achieve the right
skill balance to meet strategic objectives.
Capturing and leveraging expert knowledge. When the retirement bulge anticipated in
the next five years occurs, many thousands of years of expert knowledge will be lost
unless it is captured now. The report recommends that the Forest Service explore the
establishment of a knowledge management program that will ensure that this
knowledge is not lost forever to the organization. In addition, knowledge management
can provide a mechanism for sharing new knowledge, widely and expeditiously, as it is
acquired. Also, knowledge management systems can be used to guide training and
retraining initiatives. Many leading corporations have recognized the need to
aggressively pursue knowledge management as a competitive strategy. The Forest
Service’s dependence on knowledge work makes it an ideal setting for such an initiative.
Using non- permanent employees. The research and development organization, in
particular has been successful in using term appointments to efficiently create a
workforce that is flexible to meet changing demands. The U. S. Office of Personnel
Management has raised issues about the use of these appointments in some instances.
The Academy team recommends that the Forest Service continue to use, and possibly
expand, its use of term appointees and other contingent employment tools such as
temporary and on- call (when actually employed) employees. This will provide an
effective way to adjust the workforce as strategic priorities change.
Occupations and competencies - priorities for the future, in terms
of competencies and staffing levels.


Organizational Programs. Five regions were surveyed to
identify those competencies that they believed were
important for the future. Four of the regions reported a need
for increased competency for the social science occupation
to address issues related to increasing public usage of the
forests. Two regions indicated a need to improve
competencies for geographers, geologists, range
conservationists, archeologists, and criminal investigators.
Business Operations and Administration. Human resources has
redefined its expectations for the staff and placed emphasis
on moving from transactional work to an advisory/ consulting
role while implementing new technology to do processing in a
centralized manner. This will require training for new
competencies related to this new role, and on the use of the
new technological tools that are being contemplated. In
particular, leading change, leading people, being results
driven, business knowledge and building coalitions are seen as
needed competencies for the future.
The problem - leavers


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2006 Baby Boomers enter 60’s (retirement
age)
US Labour Stats: result in a labour shortage
of 10 million qualified workers by 2010
Forrester Research: 45% of US public
employees will reach retirement age within
5 years
Forrester Research: replacement – 7 years
o.j.t or 2 – 5 new employees to replace one
skilled & experienced retiree
The problem - replacement
US Dept of Education: 60% of all new
jobs in 21st Century will require skills
possessed by only 20% of existing
employees
 National Association of Manufacturers:
80% of manufacturers face a shortage
of machinists, craft and technicians
 Bureau of Labor Stats: 1,3 million of
new IT jobs created between 1996 and
2006 unfilled

Goal Alignment
% employees whose goals are aligned
to business strategy
 51% of senior managers
 21% of middle managers
 7% of line employees
 Kaplan & Norton (USA), The Strategy Focused
Organisation, Harvard Business Review, 2001
Cost of misalignment
10% overspend on workforce related
costs (compensation, benefits,
inappropriate training, turnover,
excessive headcount)
 Underperforming by 10% (unfilled
positions, poor scheduling, poor work
performance, slow response to
initiatives / market / customer &
strategic imperatives)


Dr Richard Beatty, Workforce Agility: the new frontier
for competitive advantage, PwC, 2005
Top Five Talent Challenges
Talent Challenges
Maturity of Talent Management
High-Impact Talent Management
Q?: Align this model with the Strategic HR Model

"Workforce planning is the most critical
human resource management
challenge today.... To make workforce
planning succeed, HR professionals will
be called upon to master new roles as
leaders, business partners, and change
agents. "
Planning the communication
strategy
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Determine your communication
requirements
Identify your stakeholders
Identify the correct communicators
Communicate the message via the
correct medium
Drawing up the communication plan
Measure and evaluate your
communication
Workinfo.com
Advantages of strategic internal
communication

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Strategic internal communication planning can be a
proactive approach to building a better, more directed and
efficient workforce.
The most successful organisations are normally those that
ensure that all their staff understand the mission, goals, values
and procedures of their organisation.
Effective internal communication is a shared management
responsibility.
Communication should be an open two way dialogue
because:
 Taking account of the views and concerns of employee
unions, representatives and associations can also lead to
more effective management.
 Engaging employees in a conversation for action allows
institutions to tap into a vast pool of intelligence and
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The various stages of commitment
Stages
Level of commitment
Awareness
No commitment YET
Understanding
Very LIMITED commitment
Acceptance
LIMITED commitment
Involvement
FULL commitment
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Basic Principles of Communications
Be credible in all
communication
activities.
Ensure that the
communicators
are trusted and
respected.
Repeat
messages via
various
mediums but
avoid
information
overload.
Where
appropriate,
involve the
audience –
don’t just inform
them.
Tailor the
communication
to the different
audience
needs.
Use the most
appropriate
communication
channel.
Encourage
questions.
Whenever
Ensure that the
possible use
messages are
face-to face
consistent.
communication.
Workinfo.com
Manage
expectations.
Listen and act
on feedback.
Building the message
When building your message – ask
yourself:
 What?
 Why?
 Who?
 When?
 How?
Workinfo.com
Stakeholders
Annexure 1
Who are stakeholders?
 Anyone who has an interest in the communication or who can
impact the communications.
Organisation Structure
 Here you should outline the structure of your division or
organisation in order to make sure that you do not leave out
any important stakeholders.
Key Stakeholders
 Here you should outline who your stakeholders are according to
who needs to be actively involved and who needs to be fully
informed.
Stakeholder Map
 The stakeholder map should allow you to plot where you think
the various stakeholders are in terms of their degree of
influence in the organisation, how important it is that they buyin to the communication and their
possible resistance to the
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Drawing up the communications plan
Communication Plan
•
Communication Issue
•
Key Messages
•
Desired Outcomes
•
Actions / Initiatives
•
Stakeholders
•
Communication Channel
•
Timing
•
Budget
Workinfo.com
Can you measure your success?
If you don’t evaluate the success of
your efforts, sooner or later, someone
else will.
List a couple of ways that we can
measure whether your communication
strategy was a success?
Workinfo.com
Measurements of success
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
General Employee Surveys
Climate studies or staff moral surveys
Readership / viewership surveys
Focus groups or interviews with staff
Suggestion Box
Provide an email address to which staff can send
suggestions, complaints etc.
Place leaflets / questionnaires in the staff
newsletter
A manned telephone line that staff can call
Competitions that prompt staff to give feedback
by incentivising them by way of a prize.
Staff Feedback
There are a number of ways to receive feedback
from staff:
 Staff forums or focus groups
 A suggestion Box
 An email address
 A telephone line
 Competitions that prompt staff to give feedback
The following rules should be observed:
 Always meet deadlines.
 Wherever possible get your staff or colleagues involved to
assist.
 Always reply if required to do so, don’t just ignore the request
for information.
 Respect confidentiality and anonymity
Missing Statistics
Age Analysis
 Retirement analysis
 Average tenure
 Organisation and per occupational
group


Auditor General