What's Your People Strategy?
Updated March 21, 2024
In a dynamic job market, discussions and expert opinions abound about which skills professionals must have to gain the attention of hiring managers. In a dynamic workplace environment, discussion (and complaint) often centers on how to manage new technologies and technology-enabled capabilities that seem to arrive at lightning speed.
Suggestions are usually directed at individuals. But disruption and technology advances over the last few years have wrought major shifts in expectations, and the new expectations have had a huge impact on organizations and their leadership.
Many organizations are looking for ways to not just meet expectations, but create opportunities. Forward-thinking organizations are leveraging new technology capabilities to realize greater efficiencies, build resiliency into operations, and reach new customers. More and more, innovative organizations are using GIS technology to drive new opportunities and growth.
Grow People to Grow Impact
Less talked about is the idea of developing employees as a key growth driver. Despite ubiquitous technology that permeates modern life, human ingenuity and creativity remain indispensable. Organizations that pay attention to motivating and retaining employees have leaders who understand that people are their most important asset—the collective engine behind efficient operations, highly engaged customers, and innovative ideas that move the business forward.
Workforce development is a people-centric strategy that is directly aligned to strategic business goals. Like anything, to be done well, workforce development requires planning. Planning should encompass support for known projects and initiatives but, more importantly, help prepare individuals and teams to leverage new technologies as a lever to improve the current state and seize new opportunities that arise from the yet-to-be state.
The Planning Process
Planning starts with strategic alignment. Managers need to effectively demonstrate how workforce development directly supports the organization's strategic business goals. If they can do that, they earn executive buy-in (and budget approval).
Reviewing the organization's mission statement (typically found on the main website) and executive presentations and communications can help confirm or identify strategic business goals. A key activity is to document how the GIS program directly supports the strategic goals. From there, document the workforce roles involved in creating, managing, and using GIS infrastructure and applications. Ask:
- What are my organization's strategic business goals?
- How do our GIS applications support the strategic goals?
- Which workforce roles support the GIS applications that support the strategic goals?
Next, analyze the knowledge and skills needed for each role. If there are gaps, start identifying workforce development resources and delivery methods to fill the gaps. Consider priorities, project timelines, and budget. Document your findings. This is the genesis of an actionable workforce development plan. Ask:
- What knowledge and skills are required for each role?
- Based on current and future plans, what are our workforce development priorities?
- What resources are available to develop the required knowledge and skills?
- What's our budget?
Once the plan is documented, take action and execute. It's important to periodically review progress and the plan itself. Be prepared to modify the plan if a key staff member retires or changes roles, a new role is created, or a new technology component is introduced. It's critical that a workforce development plan maintains its strategic alignment over time. If it doesn't, the plan becomes irrelevant. Ask:
- Is the plan being executed as intended?
- Does the plan need to be modified?
- Is the plan still relevant?
Workforce Development Outcomes
Explicit outcomes are people developing the right skills at the right time, with an approved budget in place. With the right knowledge and skills in place, day-to-day operations are more efficient and planned projects launch on time and deliver value to the organization.
Just as important, managers are able to demonstrate how their team functions as a strategic asset and employees feel valued and excited about their contributions, which leads to higher productivity and retention.
From a leadership point of view, the key outcome is a skilled workforce able to navigate the disruptions that technology and other changes may bring—and, more importantly, take advantage of the new opportunities that follow.
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If you'd like to talk with someone about developing your workforce, Esri training consultants offer complimentary planning services to help individuals, teams, and entire organizations get the most value from GIS.