Challenge

With more than 800 employees worldwide, the Information Systems (IS) department of a major food product manufacturer is integral to the company’s growth. However, the company’s IS human resources leaders lacked a formal process for fully evaluating workforce planning in a way that would help them accurately determine future staffing requirements and assess technical and managerial capabilities. The leaders sought to go beyond a typical one-and-done, headcount-based workforce plan. They instead sought to create a comprehensive, three-year strategic plan to ensure they would have the right people in the right places at the right time and at the right price to execute the company’s business strategy.

Solution

MDA Leadership Consulting delivered a practical, strategic workforce planning process and action plan, which included project facilitation, planning tools and a flexible, six-step process template that IS HR leaders customized to meet their planning needs. MDA facilitated all IS intradepartmental information-sharing, which proved the most vital part of the planning process, by encouraging candid, high-level input on staffing capabilities and needs from key IS leaders worldwide. HR leaders then analyzed this information to identify the staffing resources and competencies they required and created a plan to attract and retain the employees needed. Ultimately, the process enabled IS HR leaders to more confidently assess the department’s preparedness for business growth and proactively take steps to close any potential talent gaps over the next three years. MDA transferred its workforce planning knowledge to IS HR leaders, empowering them to conduct the planning process themselves going forward.

Results

As a result of its MDA-led planning process, the company’s IS HR department can now make more effective human resources decisions and better prepare its leaders for anticipated staffing changes (due to expansion, retirements, globalization effects, etc.), rather than being surprised by business events. The process also jump-started several HR enhancements.

For example, IS now has a long-term staffing strategy to meet anticipated growth in consumer Internet needs, a new “generational differences” training program to manage Gen Y employees, and plans for a training program to enhance staff proficiency in working internationally. Within a year, a major trade journal named the IS department the nation’s best place to work in information technology. Based on the success of the IS department program, other departments at the company are now considering using MDA to lead strategic workforce planning in their areas.