Having managed HR departments for over 110 companies in last 5 years, I am amazed to see the consistent absence of comprehensive HR plan inside or even alongside the annual business plan. And this remains the top reason why goal alignments, reviews and resource agility remains perpetual challenge. Most managers end up reacting to situations rather than anticipating and large part of workforce has no idea whats happening around. How difficult is it to give one week of think time to top management and put together clearly aligned operating plans that include people plan (numbers, roles, goals, metrics, reports, rythms, huddles, key programs, training runs, content and cheer)?
Problem with not thinking through enough, is that then, doing and thinking goes on together, forcing execution teams to either take random shots or keep running back to top for decisions, both create huge risk to plan achievement.
Incidentally, its been easier to put this together for privately funded companies as the basic discipline of planning and review exists quite rigidly, though ensuring that HR plan isn’t given a miss is still a task. Companies run by professional CEOs come next and family businesses remain a tough one to crack inspite of their sincere intention.
Planning discipline impacts ability to retain talent to a great extent as it simplifies everyone’s job, if HR teams are fully engaged to operating plan and there is clarity on annual HR plan, whole organization achieves amazing operational seamlessness. You still have two weeks to go for another execution run to begin, it might be a bit last minute but you can save the year.
Cheers
Feel free to comment here or write to me at prashant@plugHR.com
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Good inputs prashanth… The ability to plan and communicate even organisational goals are missing in many small and medium organisation (doesn’t mean that all large organisations do it…). My experience of this phenomenon is due to the extensive focus and effort required by the CEO and communicate in simple language when it reaches the teams.. Which is a tough time taking activity by the CEO’s…
Having said that, we found in our experience of managing more than 300 organisation’s HR in last 10 years… its take the 2nd or 3rd year to really reach that stage… that means a lot of patience required for the HR Manager or service provider.