1. STRATEGIC HR/WORKFORCE PLANNING,
METRICS AND SUCCESSION PLANNING
CHARLES COTTER PhD, MBA, B.A (Hons), B.A
www.slideshare.net/CharlesCotter
KAMPALA, UGANDA
JULY 2018
2. • Objective #1: Defining the fundamental HR Planning
concepts
• Objective #2: Diagnosis of current HR Planning practices – 10
Best Practice Criteria/guidelines
• Objective #3: Applying the 6-step Strategic Workforce/HR
Planning process
• Objective #4: Strategic Workforce Planning metrics and -
auditing
• Objective #5: Succession Planning – principles and process
2-DAY, TRAINING PROGRAMME
OVERVIEW
4. • Individual activity:
• Complete the statement by inserting one (1) word only. As a
HR Manager, in order to effectively apply strategic
workforce/HR planning in my organization, I need to/to be
.…………………………………..
• Now find other learners with the same word as you.
• Jot these words down on the flip-chart.
• Each learner will have the opportunity to elaborate on their
chosen word.
INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITY
13. DEFINING STRATEGIC
HUMAN RESOURCES
MANAGEMENT (SHRM)
• SHRM is defined as an approach to managing
people that deals with how the organization’s
goals will be achieved through its human
resources by means of integrated HR strategies,
policies and practices (Armstrong, 2016).
• SHRM propositions:
The HR of an organization play a strategic
role in it’s success
Human capital is a major source of
competitive advantage
It is people who implement business
strategy
A systematic approach should be adopted
to planning and implementing HR
strategies
HR strategies and plans should be
integrated with business strategies and
plans
21. CLEAR VIEW – LINE OF
SIGHT STRATEGIC
WORKFORCE PLANNING
• Inventory of available organizational
core competencies?
• Inventory of organizational scarce skills?
• Mission critical organizational jobs (to
enable strategy achievement)?
• Critical employee segments (to promote
business continuity/sustainability –
future-proofing)?
• Competitivity and readiness of
organizational talent pipeline?
• Identification of organizational talent
gaps?
22. • https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JMXSR2T
• #1: Aligned with the organization’s strategic business plans and priorities.
• #2: Future-focused, adopting a strategic, medium to long-term forward-
looking approach.
• #3: Pro-active, sensitive and responsive to (internal and external)
environmental change and trends.
• #4: Provides accurate and reliable (clear view) talent
planning/management information for the organization e.g. available core
competencies; scarce skills; critical jobs and employee segments and
talent gaps.
• #5: Collaborative, well coordinated and partnering effort (HRM has co-
opted business partners e.g. line managers to the process).
DIAGNOSIS: 10 BEST PRACTICE
GUIDELINES FOR EFFECTIVE SWP
23. • https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JMXSR2T
• #6: Integrated (bundled) with other HRM value chain processes e.g. Recruitment,
Succession Planning, Retention and Leadership Development.
• #7: Generates meaningful business intelligence for the organization which
shapes, informs and influences business planning and supports strategic decision-
making.
• #8: Integrates both scientific (HRM metrics, predictive analytics and strategy
maps) with artistic (planning) principles.
• #9: Dynamic - regularly and systematically monitored, reviewed, evaluated and
adapted (committed to continuous improvement processes).
• #10: Yields a positive ROI, with tangible/demonstrable outcomes and impact for
the organization i.e. creates sustainable HCM competitive advantages
DIAGNOSIS: 10 BEST PRACTICE
GUIDELINES FOR EFFECTIVE SWP
24. LEARNING
ACTIVITY 1
• Individual Activity:
• Diagnose your organization’s
current Workforce Planning
practices against the ten (10)
best practice criteria.
• https://www.surveymonkey.co
m/r/JMXSR2T
• Group Discussion:
• Identify gaps and recommend
improvement strategies.
• Refer to the research findings:
https://www.linkedin.com/puls
e/reality-check-chief-human-
resources-officers-africa-hrm-
cotter-phd/
26. MEASURING THE STRATEGIC IMPACT &
VALUE OF HRM/L&D
• Over the past 12 months, I’ve developed Survey Monkey quizzes, based on compliance of current HRM/L&D practices,
measured against 10 best practice criteria, that I’ve used on various training and conference speaking assignments in
South Africa, Ghana, Zambia, Mozambique, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya.
• The respondents from these seven (7) countries were HR/L&D managers and -professionals, representative of both
public and private sector institutions.
• The ten (10) focal points of these mini surveys include the following HRM/L&D value chain processes:
Strategic Performance Advisor (SPA)
Strategic HR Planning
HRM Metrics and Analytics
Strategic Total Rewards Management (STORM)
Skills Auditing
Strategic Learning Partner (SLP)
Ethics of S.A trainers
Succession Planning
HRM Auditing
Future fitness of HR professionals
• Refer to the following links:
• https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/reality-check-chief-human-resources-officers-africa-hrm-cotter-phd/
• https://www.slideshare.net/CharlesCotter/measurement-of-the-strategic-maturity-of-hrm-and-ld-practices-africa
27. OVERALL FINDINGS
HRM/L&D Value chain
process
Number of
responses (N)
Mean Score Relative
Difficulty
ranking
Standard
deviation
Level of Strategic
Maturity
Strategic
Performance
Advisor (SPA)
79 60% 6 15% Level 2 (Transactional)
Strategic HR
Planning
67 64% 8 14% Level 2 (Transactional)
HRM Metrics and
Analytics
98 53% 2 11% Level 2 (Transactional)
Strategic Total Rewards
Management (STORM) –
Principles and Best
Practices
18 50% 1 11% Level 2 (Transactional)
Skills Auditing 33 57% 3 14% Level 2 (Transactional)
28. OVERALL FINDINGS
HRM/L&D Value chain
process
Number of
responses (N)
Mean Score Relative
Difficulty
ranking
Standard
deviation
Level of Strategic
Maturity
Strategic Learning
Partner (SLP)
27 62% 7 13% Level 2 (Transactional)
Ethics of S.A trainers 58 59% 4 12% Level 2 (Transactional)
Succession Planning 43 76% 10 18% Level 3
(Transformational)
HRM Auditing 23 59% 4 10% Level 2 (Transactional)
Future fitness of HR
professionals
54 67% 9 12% Level 3 (Transformational)
OVERALL 500 61% Level 2 (Transactional)
31. STRATEGIC HR PLANNING – WIDEST
COMPLIANCE GAPS
BEST PRACTICE CRITERIA RELATIVE
DIFFICULTY
RANKING
MEAN SCORE
Your organization's HR plan integrates both scientific (HRM
metrics, predictive analytics and strategy maps) with artistic
(planning) principles.
1 58%
Your organization's HR plan yields a positive ROI, with
tangible/demonstrable outcomes and impact i.e. creates
sustainable HCM competitive advantages
2 60%
Your organization's HR Plan provides accurate and reliable
(clear view) talent planning/management information e.g.
available core competencies; scarce skills; critical jobs and
employee segments and talent gaps.
3 61%
32. STRATEGIC HR PLANNING – MOST
COMPLIANT CRITERIA
Range Median Mean Standard Deviation
33-93% 64% 64% 14%
BEST PRACTICE CRITERIA DIFFICULTY
RANKING
MEAN SCORE
Your organization's HR plan is collaborative,
well-coordinated and a partnering effort (HRM
has co-opted business partners e.g. line
managers to the process).
10 67%
34. RELATED RESEARCH
• Although 92% of companies have some level of workforce planning, only 21% take a
strategic, long-term approach to addressing the talent demand, talent supply and the
actions necessary to close the gap between the two.
• Only 11% of organizations have currently reached Level 3 of Maturity.
• Only 10% have reached Level 4.
• Although best-practice companies align workforce planning as an integral part of their
business and financial planning, 67% of companies at every level still conduct workforce
planning on an “as-needed” basis.
• Only 25% of workforce plans are effective at helping business leaders forecast revenue and
operating budgets.
• Only 27% of workforce planning processes are conducted by recruiting and staffing
departments. The majority of workforce planning processes are owned by individual
business leaders – so they are disjointed from recruiting and even HRM.
• SABPP HR Audited ratings (x39 companies)
36. SYNOPSIS OF THE STRATEGIC
IMPACT AND VALUE OF HRM
“Seemingly, current HRM
practices are administrative,
compliance-driven and
transactional and not
strategic, commitment-driven
and transformational.”
(Cotter, 2018)
37.
38. LEARNING
ACTIVITY 2
• Group Discussion:
• By referring to the illustration
of the HR planning process,
evaluate the effectiveness of
each process step in your
organization. Compare your
organization’s effectiveness
with the findings of the HCI
(2014).
• Identify areas of improvement
(gaps) and recommend how
HR management can enhance
performance and value add.
46. STEP 2: FORECASTING
HR DEMAND
• Forecasting should consider the past and the
present requirements as well as future
organizational direction/s
Number of employees
Type of employees
Skills requirements of these employees
• Consider and assess the challenges and
constraints
• Preferred Scanning tools –”What If” and
Scenario Planning
47.
48. STEP 3: ANALYZING CURRENT SUPPLY
• Assess the current HR capacity of the
organization by means of the Skill
inventories/audits method
The knowledge, skills and abilities of
your current staff need to be identified
Employee experience, education and
special skills
Certificates or additional training
should also be included
• A forecast of the supply of employees
projected to join the organization from
outside sources
• HRM indicators, metrics and indices e.g.
turnover rates
50. SKILLS AUDITING
PROCESS
• Step 1: Determine Skills
Requirements
(Competency profiling)
• Step 2: Audit actual skills
• Step 3: Determine
development needs and
plan for
training/restructuring
51. STEP 1: DETERMINE SKILLS
REQUIREMENTS
• In order to determine skills requirements, an organization should identify current
and future skills requirements per job.
• The end result is a skills matrix with related competency definitions. Definitions
can be allocated against various proficiency levels per job, such as basic,
intermediate and complex.
• Objective: Determine the critical or required skills (elicited from job profiles, your
strategy, or competency matrix).
• Skills matrix process:
Step 1: Workshop with a project team (include Subject Matter Experts)
Step 2: Use outcomes analysis to derive skills/knowledge factors and unit standard titles
Step 3: Use results of outcomes analysis and value chain process to develop a skills
matrix and titles matrix
Step 4: Verify matrices with SMEs and finalise
54. STEP 2: AUDIT ACTUAL SKILLS
• Step 2 involves an individual self-audit and skills audit
• Results are collated into reporting documents that may
include statistical graphs, qualitative reports and
recommendations
• A skills audit includes auditing qualifications,
experience and training (knowledge)
• Conducting a Skills Gap Analysis
56. SKILLS AUDIT RATING SCALE
Rating Description Definition
0 No evidence of competence An individual does not currently display any form or level of competence in the
skill listed. He or she may require formal training and exposure to the skill in the
workplace.
0.25 Some evidence of competence The individual may demonstrate part competence, but definitely needs formal
training and exposure to the skill in the workplace.
0.5 Evidence of competence, needs further
training
An individual is competent, but needs to improve. Training is the most effective
solution. The individual may be at a lower level than the position requires, i.e. at
linear, instead of complex level.
0.75 Evidence of competence, needs more
exposure to the skill
The individual is competent and has undergone training. Further exposure in the
workplace would ensure improvement and full competence. The individual may
be at a lower level than the position requires, i.e. at linear, instead of
intermediate level.
1 Full evidence of competence The individual is competent in the skills at the level allocated to his/ her position.
59. STEP 5:
IMPLEMENTING -
INTERVENTIONS
• Develop and initiate a
Resourcing Strategy
• Matching strategy
(intervention) with
scenario (surplus or
deficit)
• Action plan-based
implementation
methodology
60. HR ACTION PLANS
• There are five HR strategies for
meeting organizational needs in the
future:
Restructuring strategies
Training and development
strategies
Recruitment strategies
Outsourcing strategies
Collaboration strategies
61. RESTRUCTURING STRATEGIES
• Reducing staff either by termination or attrition
• Regrouping tasks to create well designed jobs
• Reorganizing work units to be more efficient
• If your assessment indicates that there is an oversupply of skills, there are a
variety of options open to assist in the adjustment.
• Termination of workers gives immediate results. Generally, there will be
costs associated with this approach depending on your employment
agreements. Notice periods are guaranteed in all provinces.
• Be sure to review the labour/employment relations standards in your
province or territory to ensure that you are compliant with the legislation.
62. TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
STRATEGIES
• Providing staff with training to take on new roles
• Providing current staff with development opportunities to prepare
them for future jobs in your organization
• Training and development needs can be met in a variety of ways.
• One approach is for the employer to pay for employees to
upgrade their skills. This may involve sending the employee to
take courses or certificates or it may be accomplished through on-
the-job training.
• Many training and development needs can be met through cost
effective techniques.
63. RECRUITMENT STRATEGIES
• Recruiting new staff with the skill and abilities that your
organization will need in the future
• Considering all the available options for strategically promoting
job openings and encouraging suitable candidates to apply
• For strategic HR planning, each time you recruit you should be
looking at the requirements from a strategic perspective.
• Example: Perhaps your organization has a need for a new
fundraiser right now to plan special events as part of your
fundraising plan. However, if your organization is considering
moving from fundraising through special events to planned giving,
your recruitment strategy should be to find someone who can do
both to align with the change that you plan for the future.
64. OUTSOURCING
STRATEGIES
• Using external individuals or organizations to
complete some tasks
• Many organizations look outside their own staff pool
and contract for certain skills.
• This is particularly helpful for accomplishing specific,
specialized tasks that don't require on-going full-time
work.
• Some organizations outsource HR activities, project
work or bookkeeping.
• Example: Payroll may be done by an external
organization rather than a staff person, a short-term
project may be done using a consultant, or specific
expertise such as legal advice may be purchase from
an outside source.
• Each outsourcing decision has implications for
meeting the organization's goals and should therefore
be carefully assessed.
65. COLLABORATION STRATEGIES
• Finally, the strategic HR planning process may lead to indirect
strategies that go beyond your organization.
• By collaborating with other organizations you may have better
success at dealing with a shortage of certain skills.
• Types of collaboration could include:
Working together to influence the types of courses offered by
educational institutions
Working with other organizations to prepare future leaders by
sharing in the development of promising individuals
Sharing the costs of training for groups of employees
Allowing employees to visit other organizations to gain skills and
insight
71. THE FUTURE OF HR METRICS &
ANALYTICS?
“HRM will have to migrate from the
fundamentals of people science to the
complexities of data science.”
(Cotter, 2017)
72. STRATEGIC WORKFORCE/HR PLANNING METRICS
(DR. JOHN SULLIVAN)
• 1. Do we have the right number of people in our
organization?
Does HR have a metric/system for ensuring we are not
OVERSTAFFED?
Do we compare our Headcount per unit of
production/ sales to that of our direct competitors to
ensure we don't have headcount "fat"?
Are we UNDER STAFFED in areas, where if we added
people in key areas, we would increase our
profitability?
• 2. Do we forecast and prevent people problems better
than the best in the industry?
Have HR "smoke detectors" and forecasts given top
management sufficient warning of possible "people
problems"? Has it allowed us to effectively mitigate
their impact upon the business?
HR develops programs and solutions before smoke
turns into fire and before managers have to request
them.
Do we provide our managers with sufficient lead-
time and a "heads up" on people issues that will/ do
face them?
73. STRATEGIC WORKFORCE/HR PLANNING METRICS
(DR. JOHN SULLIVAN)
• 3. Do we rapidly redeploy our people resources
from areas of low return in the corporation to
areas of high return?
What % of our workforce moves internally
each year between business units?
What % of our workforce have we had to
"layoff this year?
Is there evidence that we get the most from
our talent?
• 4. Succession Planning
The percentage of Executive roles for which
there is a succession candidate, which is
calculated by the number of Succession
Planning Candidates/Executive Level
Headcount
74. AUDITING STRATEGIC WORKFORCE
PLANNING
• 1. Do you have an up-to-date organizational chart and other planning documents
to enable workforce planning?
• 2. Do you perform workforce planning and/or a needs assessment at least
quarterly?
• 3. Do you have a method for forecasting staffing needs by production
requirements?
• 4. Do you track and manage operations by utilizing essential metrics such as
turnover, full-time equivalents (FTE), time to hire or revenue to productivity?
• 5. Are turnover levels appropriate for the nature of your industry/business?
• 6. Does your Company have an established succession plan?
76. LEARNING
ACTIVITY 5
• Group Discussion:
• Describe the
Strategic Workforce
Planning metrics that
your organization
applies.
• Describe how you
can audit Strategic
Workforce Planning
in your organization.
79. • Succession planning is the identification and development of
potential successors for key positions in an organization,
through a systematic evaluation process and possible
training or mentoring.
• Succession planning and management involves an integrated,
systematic approach to identify, develop and retain talent
for key positions and areas in line with current and projected
business objectives.
• Succession Planning is "a means of identifying critical
management positions, starting at the levels of project
manager and supervisor and extending up to the highest
position in the organization.”
DEFINING SUCCESSION PLANNING
80. PURPOSE OF SUCCESSION PLANNING
• Succession planning is a process of determining critical roles within the
company, identifying and assessing possible successors, and providing
them with the appropriate skills and experience for present and future
opportunities.
• Succession planning is a forward-looking process, anticipating what skills
will be needed in the future.
• Thinking about the business strategy and determining what skills you will
need when.
• Succession planning ensures that high quality replacements for those
individuals who currently hold positions that are key to the organization’s
success.
• These positions include executive, management, specialists, technical and
professional positions and any critical positions motivated by a Line
Manager.
81. • Succession planning is about filling the
organization's talent pipeline and
building internal bench strength.
• It is about leveraging the talent that
the organization already possesses by
developing it to full potential.
• The focus is on developing employees
so that the organization has a pool of
qualified candidates who are ready to
compete for key positions and areas
when they become vacant.
OBJECTIVES OF
SUCCESSION
PLANNING
82. • Keeping or preserving key positions, core skills, and special business know-how
• Maintaining business competiveness on key or core areas or positions
• Minimizing the impact on business due to unexpected key turnover or extended employee
absences due to health or personal issues (i.e. have candidates “ready now” to replace
planned and unplanned losses on key positions)
• A more efficient and effective public/customer service with increased ability to deliver on
business goals
• The development of a qualified pool of candidates ready to fill key positions or areas
• Improved employee engagement through career development and resulting cost benefit
• The opportunity for corporate knowledge transfer
• When succession planning is linked to internal leadership development activities, additional
benefits are realized.
BENEFITS OF SUCCESSION PLANNING
83. DESIRED RESULTS OF SUCCESSION
PLANNING
• Identify high-potential employees capable of rapid advancement
to positions of higher responsibility than those they presently
occupy.
• Ensure the systematic and long-term development of individuals
to replace key job incumbents as the need arises due to deaths,
disabilities, retirements, and, resignations other unexpected
losses.
• Provide a continuous flow of talented people to meet the
organization’s management needs.
• Meet the organization’s need to exercise social responsibility by
providing for the advancement of successors in the organization.
84. BEST PRACTICE SUCCESSION PLANNING
PRINCIPLES
• Refer to the link https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Y7VCY2P
• #1: Succession planning is a strategic driver of sustainable organizational
development and competitive advantage.
• #2: Succession planning is vertically aligned with the strategic business plan and
an enabler of the achievement of strategic goals/objectives.
• #3: Succession planning is multi-level is implemented on 3 levels i.e. executive
management; senior management and critical/key roles (professional and
technical) to develop qualified successors.
• #4: Succession planning builds organizational capacity, promotes institutional
memory and stimulates knowledge and skills transfer.
• #5: Succession planning is horizontally integrated with other HRM value chain
processes e.g. Career Planning, Workforce Planning; PMS; Learning and
Development etc.
85. BEST PRACTICE SUCCESSION PLANNING
PRINCIPLES
• Refer to the link https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Y7VCY2P
• #6: The talent pipeline is vibrant in creating an adequate succession planning
rate/ratio e.g. 1:3 and talent bench strength of high potential/performers.
• #7: The succession planning is effective in developing and grooming the depth
and breadth of talent and fast-tracking ready-made successors in identified key
roles.
• #8: The succession planning process is proactive and adopts a medium to long-
term view e.g. 3-5 years and uses scenario planning/”what if” analyses.
•
• #9: The succession planning frequently scans the micro, market and macro
business environments, is consistently reviewed and is agile in it’s response.
•
• #10: Succession planning results in effective leadership development, higher
levels of employee engagement and improved employee retention.
86. LEARNING
ACTIVITY 6
• https://www.surveymonkey.com/
r/Y7VCY2P
• Individual activity:
• On a rating scale of 1 = Poor and
10 = Excellent, diagnose the
current degree of strategic
relevance and importance of your
organization’s succession
planning.
• Group Discussion:
• Identify gaps and recommend
improvement strategies to
address these process gaps.
88. SUCCESSION PLANNING – WIDEST
COMPLIANCE GAPS
BEST PRACTICE CRITERIA RELATIVE
DIFFICULTY
RANKING
MEAN SCORE
The talent pipeline is vibrant in creating an adequate
succession planning rate/ratio e.g. 1:3 and talent
bench strength of high potentials/performance.
1 70%
The succession planning process is proactive, adopts
a medium to long-term view e.g. 3-5 years and uses
scenario planning/"what if" analyses.
1 70%
Succession planning frequently scans the micro,
market and macro business environments, is
consistently reviewed and is agile in it’s response.
1 70%
89. SUCCESSION PLANNING – MOST
COMPLIANT CRITERIA
Range Median Mean Standard Deviation
22-100% 79% 76% 18%
BEST PRACTICE CRITERIA DIFFICULTY
RANKING
MEAN SCORE
Succession planning builds organizational
capacity, promotes institutional memory and
stimulates knowledge and skills transfer.
10 86%
90. THE STRATEGIC IMPERATIVE OF
SUCCESSION PLANNING AND LINK
WITH ORGANIZATIONAL
SUSTAINABILITY
• Strategic imperative (of
succession planning)
• Defining organizational
sustainability
• The Triple Bottom-Line
92. • Succession planning starts
when you can accurately
measure the performance of
employees, assess skills and
career growth information.
• Succession planning tools need
to have extensive integration
and customization options to
support all of your talent
management efforts.
• Refer to the software criteria
and requirements
• Succession Planning metrics -
Measure outcomes, not
process
SUCCESSION
PLANNING TOOLS
95. U.S. OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT MODEL -
ILLUSTRATION
96. STEP 7 REVIEW AND EVALUATE THE
IMPACT/EFFECTIVENESS OF SUCCESSION PLAN
STEP 6 MONITOR AND TRACK PROGRESS
STEP 5 IMPLEMENT SUCCESSION PLAN AND
DEVELOPMENTAL STRATEGIES
STEP 4 DEVELOP SUCCESSION PLAN AND STRATEGIES
STEP 3 IDENTIFY TALENT GAPS
STEP 2 IDENTIFY AND ASSESS SUCCESSORS – POTENTIAL
AND PERFORMANCE (9-BOX MATRIX)
STEP 1
IDENTIFY CURRENT CRITICAL/KEY POSITIONS AND
ANALYZE FUTURE REQUIREMENTS AND
COMPETENCIES (BUSINESS STRATEGY)
GENERIC
SUCCESSION
PLANNING
PROCESS
100. LEARNING
ACTIVITY 7
• Group discussion:
• Apply steps 1-4 of the
generic succession plan
process to your organization:
Step 1: Identify current
critical/key positions and
analyze future requirements
and competencies (business
strategy)
Step 2: Identify and assess
successors – potential and
performance (9-box matrix)
Step 3: Identify talent gaps
Step 4: Develop succession
plan and strategies