Discussion Post
Aligning Talent Development with Business Operations
A core theme in our readings this week is the importance of a close relationship between HR and the operation of the business. In Powerful, McCord emphasizes that every single employee has to understand the business.
a) What processes does your organization have in place to support communication between HR and business-unit leadership in the areas of succession planning and strategy? Explain how these are implemented and what is and is not working well.
b) What steps can companies that do not have such processes in place take to ensure strong alignment between the HR function and the Mission, Values, and Strategy of the business? Include specific references to this week's materials and/or additional sources to support your response.
Strategy is an often discussed but often misunderstood aspect of business operations. That may be one reason we require a strategy course here in the curriculum. We ask you to think about the correlation of the workforce strategy and the assessment of the talent you have in the context of the business strategy. That is a bit difficult if you do not understand how strategy is formulated or worse what the organization's business strategy is. You would be surprised how many organizations put in the time and effort to establish a strategy and then never communicate it to the people that have to make it happen. I have posted a video this week by Michael Porter - one of the best-known strategy experts in the world - discussing the forces that affect the business strategy. Take it on board and you will have knowledge many others in your organization will lack and it will enhance your credibility.
The response should include a reference list. Using double-space, Times New Roman 12 pnt font, one-inch margins, and APA style of writing and citations.