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ATD Blog

The Perfect Storm By Edwin Mouriño-Ruiz

Friday, May 22, 2015
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“The significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them.”
—Albert Einstein

Over the course of this blog series, we’ve examined several trends, such as evolving technology, demographic changes, and globalization, that are rapidly forcing organizations to rethink how they will move their businesses forward. Each of these trends on their own would be difficult for organizations to address, but unfortunately, they are occurring simultaneously.

More importantly, because of the complexity, breadth, and depth of these trends, organizations will need to develop a long-term effective human capital strategy that supports the organizational strategy. In addition, organizations will need strong leaders who champion human capital issues.

The LEADER Factor

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Indeed, strong leaders throughout the organization are necessary to successfully address these challenging trends. By leader, I mean the following:  

  • Learning—from a macro-organizational perspective
  • Engagement—for the entire workforce, not just the top and bottom 20 percent
  • Adapting—a systemic and comprehensive approach to agility and flexibility
  • Development—from a micro or individual perspective
  • Environmentalist—macro perspective looks at incoming workforce (corporate , educational, and government roles); micro perspective looks at the internal culture
  • Relationships—leader-employee exchanges that foster trust and loyalty and increase retention, job satisfaction, and productivity.

An Organizational Plan 

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In particular, one leader—be It the Chief Talent Development Officer or the Chief Human Resources Officer—will work in partnership with functional executive co-sponsors to move human capital efforts forward. This leader, or human capital champion, will present to an executive team comprised of the CEO and executive staff a “State of the Organization.” 

Next, the leader will need to charter teams of high-potential staff from all levels within the organization who commit to a one-year rotation. These teams develop recommendations and plans that address each of these trends from an organizational perspective. There will be individual teams to address: technology changes, four generations in the workplace, aging workforce, changing demographics, employee engagement, leadership development, and organizational change. Of course, plans will need to have metrics and milestones so the organization can track whether the effort is gaining traction. 

Bottom line: The global workplace as we know it is changing. These changes have major implications for organizational leaders and their workforce. How they adapt and proactively engage in these changes will position them for success—or failure.

 

About the Author

Edward Mouriño-Ruiz, PhD,  is a U.S. Air Force veteran and a seasoned multi-industry human resources development (HRD) professional. He has more than 30 years of experience in a variety of organizations and industries, including the U.S. Air Force, utilities, aerospace and defense, and medical. He has served as an Association of Talent Development (ATD) chapter president as well as a member of the National Advisor to Chapters. He has been a guest speaker at numerous conferences and events, including the Futurist Conference, IT Symposium, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), the Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Corporation (HENAAC), and the Corporate University Exchange (CUX) among others. He also serves in the capacity of adjunct faculty at the graduate level at institutions, such as Rollins College and Webster University. He has written numerous articles on a variety of subjects in a variety of publications and recently published The Perfect Human Capital Storm: Challenges and Opportunities in the 21 st Century .  

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