• Which people does the organization need to meet its growth
goals? What are the top, mission-critical positions in the
organization for the coming year and beyond?
• Do you need builders or day-to-day managers? Consider
which roles maintain the existing business and which will
build the business. Who are the builders? Have they had
successes that can be emulated? In building an international
business, consider which roles will translate to other
countries and how roles can change to adapt to the local
marketplace.
Top performers:
• Who are the current top performers in your organization
(the top 20 percent of your employee base)?
• How can their success be replicated in order to meet yearly
goals? What do they consistently do every day to get results?
This replication is needed to scale a business successfully.
• How are you keeping top performers engaged and
enthusiastic about their jobs? Are the top performers
building for succession so others can take on more
responsibility within the organization? Are they expanding
their capabilities by taking on new roles cross-functionally or
internationally?
Bottom performers:
• Who are the bottom performers (the lowest 10 percent of
your employee base)? Why are they at the bottom?
• How is the organization addressing their performance?
• Are the bottom performers in the right positions? Could they
be successful somewhere else in the business? However,
don’t transfer poor performers unless you are confident such
a change supports them and the business positively.
• If these individuals leave the company, how will you fill their
positions?
Retention risks:
• What positions are critical to business success in the coming
year?
• Are the right people in the right positions?
• If the top performers left, how would you address the risk so
the momentum of the overall plan does not slow down?
• Are any individuals retention risks or performance concerns?
• What actions should you take to address retention risk? Are
there any costs associated with this risk?
www.HRCI.org
Retention difficulties:
• Are key positions difficult to fill, and are key skills tough
to acquire? Consider the marketplace when looking at this
aspect of your plan. You may want to develop individuals
within the organization to fill key roles, rather than hiring
from outside the organization. Factor in the investment
of training funds and time, and determine whether these
individuals already have the needed skills and knowledge.
The specificity of the answers to these questions will likely
vary depending on whether you answer them by utilizing
empirical HR metrics and surveys or in-person responses.
Change Insights into Plans
Once you’ve gained the insights from these fundamental
questions, begin planning by determining what capacities to add,
modify or remove to meet your business goals. Identify the human
capacities you have identified as necessary to meet those goals,
and then draft job descriptions. Job descriptions can provide
focus but are flexible enough to ensure that business needs are
met.
With the new job descriptions and an organizational chart,
you can determine if the existing human infrastructure can
meet the business goals. You can identify gaps and overlaps and
reassign either individuals or entire business units. Possible
new positions can be added in relationship to their expected
return on investment. You can also evaluate external and internal
recruitment options more clearly.
This process and a firm understanding of your organization’s
goals and intended outcomes, along with an analysis of the
organization’s structure and people, are essential to HR business
planning. This type of annual planning, in collaboration with
executives, will ensure that you have the right people in the right
positions to achieve your business goals. ■
Mary Ann Dunlop olds the Global Professional
h
in Human Resources (GPHR®) certification
and has 20 years of HR experience. She has a
decade of experience in senior management
positions within the North American technology
industry. Dunlop previously held both
operational and HR leadership positions within
the retail industry, notably with HMV North
America. She also is the creator of HR Intell,
an HR knowledge base aimed at helping small and mid-sized businesses.
She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Western Ontario and
has a proven record in implementing effective HR practices in Canada, the
United States and other countries.
2014: Volume I
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