If you find value in content like this, sign up for my Talent Edge Weekly newsletter.
Over the years, I’ve written about how one of the challenges in implementing strategic workforce planning (SWP) is that it is often done in silos, without meaningful integration across areas such as business strategy, finance, operations, technology, and HR. I’ve shared this perspective in 1) book chapters, 2) articles, and 3) one-page cheat sheets. And while there are many barriers to SWP, addressing the foundational one of moving the work out of silos is one of the most impactful steps organizations can take to build momentum and improve effectiveness. A new Deloitte article highlights this point by demonstrating how leading companies are transitioning SWP from a static, siloed exercise to a dynamic, cross-functional capability that integrates strategy, operations, HR, finance, technology, and AI transformation. Deloitte notes that this requires both horizontal and vertical expansion. Horizontal expansion brings more functions into the process, as shown by Network Rail, Britain’s rail infrastructure owner and operator, which cut hiring and training time for key signaler roles by 50 percent through a cross-disciplinary team, and by a global biotech firm that saved $94M (USD) by integrating insights across stakeholder groups. Vertical expansion democratizes planning by giving managers and employees access to data, with organizations like Roche (open analytics access), IBM (visibility into in-demand roles and skills), and Google (dashboards and “what if” scenarios), enabling real-time decisions. Other ideas are discussed for how organizations can create SWP synergies across teams to make the practice more impactful.
