Strategic Planning For Human Resources

by Roger Campbell
Director of Human Capital Strategy for Monster Government Solutions

When you mention strategic planning to the overworked and under-appreciated inhabitants of the human resource office, you usually get “the look” – the look that says, “I’ll add that to the hundred other things I need to get accomplished today” or “you have got to be kidding me, I don’t have time to think strategically and I know I don’t have time to plan.” But in actuality, if the human resource staff took the time to plan and to align their work with that of the organization they support, the result would be a daily schedule of activities that would be more meaningful and productive and aligned with the mission of the organization it supports.

Human resource strategic planning is not limited to the private sector. There are many examples of public sector organizations at the local, state, and federal level that have forward-thinking human resource leaders who made the effort to develop a strategic plan that is tied to their organization’s strategic plan. What is different about the organizations that have developed HR strategic plans, be they public or private sector, is that they have developed a strategic partnership with senior management as well as the employees of the organization.

That strategic partnership translates into how human resources have gotten involved in the business of the organization or agency. By involvement, it means that the HR department has talked with employees and management and has a clear understanding of the mission and vision of the organization and understands what actions/programs/initiatives they need to put in place in order to help the organization meet its goals.

What are the benefits of human resource strategic planning? The first is that the HR strategic plan can establish goals, initiatives, plans and metrics that tie the strategic mission and goals of the organization. This allows HR to put its energy into only those programs that have been identified as important to the organization and prioritize what to do first. For example, if the strategic plan of the organization calls for a more diverse workforce, HR can make changes to its recruitment plan to target sources that may provide more diversity candidates. HR’s goal might be to increase the number of diversity candidates by 50%. The initiative tied to the goal might be to expand the number of colleges visited by the recruitment staff that graduate minorities in degree programs of interest to the organization. The actual plan would be just that, a comprehensive plan of what schools to visit. The metrics would be the results of the effort as compared to previous years and possibly other organizations of comparable size and mission.

The second benefit is that the individuals doing the recruiting can now see a direct link between what they are doing and the strategic plan of the organization.

A third benefit is the ability of HR to prioritize its activities and resources to meet organizational priorities. Instead of being reactive to the needs of the organization, HR can be proactive in aligning its personnel and resources.

HR strategic planning does not have to be difficult or complex. It does not have to be perfect the first time. It will require some up front work and it will require full participation of the HR staff. If done right, it can be what takes your HR program from average to great in a few short months.

Roger Campbell is the Director of Human Capital Strategy for Monster Government Solutions. He is a former Federal HR manager and from 1996 until 2001 he was the Director of Human Resources for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). He developed the first ever HR strategic plan while at the NRO. He is available for consultation to any HR director considering the strategic planning process.