Solving the Workforce Puzzle: Introduction

Any leader must deal with change head-on. Ideally, an enterprise expects oncoming changes—whether to regulations, markets, technology, or elsewhere—so it can take steps now to be well-positioned when they occur.

The nature of the workforce is a major factor in an organization’s ability to meet future conditions successfully. Having the right people with the right skills in the right roles is important, but there can be barriers to achieving this, such as:

• Given the rapid (and possibly increasing) pace of change in today’s environment, traditional reskilling approaches can end up taking too long to work.
• Roles can be highly dynamic, so the people occupying them may not have the skills needed as the roles evolve.
• Workers can also be highly dynamic, looking for new opportunities or career directions.
• Focusing only on full-time employees to fill key roles can result in overstaffing and excessive payroll expenses.
• Workforce management is often not included when business strategies are defined, leading to serious skill gaps, talent mismatches, and a lot of downtime.

To compete successfully in the future, enterprises must break through barriers like these and build the right workforce.

Building a Workforce for the Future Workplace

Depending on your enterprise’s current state, building a workforce that moves quickly in response to changing conditions and business goals can seem like a steep climb. You may understand the need for agility and fast response to talent needs, but the roadmap to get there may be elusive.

This is the introduction to a series of articles that discuss four key puzzle pieces needed to build a successful future workforce:

Contingent Labor

While contingent labor is not an unusual part of an enterprise workforce, the idea of including independent professionals in a strategic and value-added manner is only slowly taking hold. Shifting perspectives about contingent labor can bring significant business benefits to the organization.

Optimized Workforce

The shift in perspectives on contingent labor should lead to consideration of the mix of independent contractors and full-time employees in the workforce. Enterprises can design a mix of these workers that ensures that the most strategically important skills are readily available.

Temporary Teams

Shifting organizational structure from static, longstanding teams to temporary, fluid teams can enhance agility and the ability to respond quickly to changes. This can be a momentous change for the enterprise, but the rewards can far outweigh the “pain” of making the adjustment.

Skill-based Talent Acquisition

Emphasis on skills rather than roles is the way to future success. Talent acquisition must work with business lines to make the shift.

Each of these puzzle pieces needs careful planning and implementation to ensure the right results. The final article in the series will consider ways to put the pieces together and achieve a workforce that is ready to take on whatever changes come its way.