Into 2009: The importance of critical roles
It seems that everyone doing business in or around learning and talent management is busy in these first few weeks of 2009 trying to figure out what the year will bring. Given gloomy economic forecasts and the cold reality of pinched HR budgets, it’s natural to see organizations retrenching, rethinking, and recasting their strategies for the near and long-term.
Although it may be rightfully front and center, it’s not only the economy that drives our thinking. HR practitioners have a full plate of challenges as 2009 moves along, including how to:
- Retain top performers;
- Account for the arrival of Millenials at one end of the workforce and the departure of Baby Boomers at the other;
- Cope with qualified labor shortages across the workforce; and
- Build in new process and technology to account for changing collaboration dynamics and learning preferences.
With all of these challenges as context, it makes sense to think about where organizations should focus their efforts in 2009. One vital area is critical roles.
Critical roles, of course, are those roles that bring the most value to an organization. For certain retail organizations that might mean call center representatives whose high touch with the customer is crucial. For rapid growth technology organizations the critical roles might include sales and marketing.
No matter size or industry, all organizations can identify critical roles that drive bottom-line success. These roles, always central, become imperative in times like these.
For organizations thinking about using critical roles to drive the business forward, here are a few guidelines to getting started:
- Start with the Business Drivers -– Critical roles do not exist in a vacuum but instead must be aligned directly with top-line business goals. Start with a clear understanding of what the organizations’ business objectives are.
- Identify Key Roles -– What are the functions or roles needed to successfully execute on the business plan? In other words, what skills and competencies are required?
- Identify High Performers -- Now that you know which roles and competencies are required, you need to identify who in the organization has the profile to effectively fulfill those roles.
- Drive Talent Readiness -- There will be gaps between your desired state and the readiness of employees in critical roles. How quickly will these individuals be ready to fulfill their roles and what development is needed to close identified gaps?
How do you do all these things? The integrated talent management systems of today are poised to meet this challenge head first. And the time is right.
Charles Coy is the Director of Product Marketing for Cornerstone OnDemand
