Research Report: Strategic Workforce Planning – Unlocking Future Capabilities

Strategic Workforce Planning (SWP) is a critical discipline that can help companies evaluate the feasibility of different strategic options, forming a bridge between business and people strategy.

For years, organisations have been grappling with an accelerating pace of change and the Covid-19 pandemic increased the pressure to reconfigure workforces and often business models in short order. As we look ahead, being able to develop, implement and adapt new business strategies in a fast-paced, agile way will continue to be essential to business survival.

We find that organisations are increasingly recognising the value of SWP and are looking to improve their practice. However, many organisations have struggled with implementing it effectively.

This report investigates what SWP is and isn’t, explores how to develop a practical and effective approach to SWP, and how to overcome the typical barriers faced by HR functions. It’s essential to take a ‘future-back’ approach to avoid the common trap of simply extrapolating forward from today, which can lead to being unprepared for major strategic shifts.

Access the full report, with partner contributions from Mercer, Oracle and orgvue, to find out how Strategic Workforce Planning can unlock the future capabilities to drive business success.