The purpose of this APQC (American Productivity and Quality Center) research study is to understand which strategic workforce planning approaches are currently in use; whether…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this APQC (American Productivity and Quality Center) research study is to understand which strategic workforce planning approaches are currently in use; whether these approaches are meeting business needs; and what workforce planning challenges organizations are facing today.
Design/methodology/approach
This study involved survey research with 236 valid respondents representing organizations from a wide range of industries, regions, workforce sizes and revenues. American productivity and quality center (APQC) identified 46 “best-in-class” workforce planners from among these organizations based on their consistent achievement of superior results from workforce planning.
Findings
Best-in-class workforce planners are doing more than closing skills gaps and reducing skills surpluses. They are optimizing talent. Leveraging technology, varied work arrangements and employee development, they assemble the optimal mix of talent to achieve business goals.
Originality/value
The findings provide insight into how best-in-class workforce planners build a strong foundation for effective workforce planning through the distinctive ways they use process, people, technology and time. Organizations that adopt the practices and approaches of best-in-class workforce planners can drive improvements in their own workforce planning process.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of APQC's Current State of Learning and Development survey was to understand how organizations are approaching learning and development (L&D) today.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of APQC's Current State of Learning and Development survey was to understand how organizations are approaching learning and development (L&D) today.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 300 L&D function leaders responded to the survey. Respondents represent organizations from across the globe and across industries, and of varied sizes in terms of revenue and headcount. The survey asked about attributes that APQC hypothesized would be associated with L&D function effectiveness given current business challenges.
Findings
Analysis of the survey results revealed that the most effective L&D functions, based on these attributes, set themselves apart with their learning cultures, knowledge management practices, use of learning technology and measurement of learning. Further analysis confirmed the hypothesis, showing these approaches are associated with positive learning outcomes such as shorter time to productivity for new hires, improvements in employee performance ratings and more internal transfers/hires.
Originality/value
The survey findings provide insight into four enablers of L&D function effectiveness today. L&D professionals can use these approaches to more effectively meet the latest learning needs within their organizations.
Details
Keywords
This study aims to understand how organizations are approaching workforce diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) as well as the challenges and opportunities they encounter as they…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to understand how organizations are approaching workforce diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) as well as the challenges and opportunities they encounter as they carry out DEI work.
Design/methodology/approach
The study involved survey research with 312 valid respondents representing organizations from a wide range of industries, regions, workforce sizes and revenues. APQC identified 56 “best-in-class” DEI performers from among these organizations based on their responses to questions about the effectiveness of their DEI programs. In addition to survey research, APQC carried out case study research on organizations that are leading the way when it comes to DEI.
Findings
Best-in-class organizations provide more resources and leadership support for their DEI programs, do more to drive awareness about DEI, shape policies that are consistent with a commitment to DEI and use measures to hold leadership accountable to stated DEI commitments.
Originality/value
The survey findings and case study examples provide insight into how best-in-class organizations build a strong foundation for DEI through distinctive structures, training, policies and measures that drive accountability. Organizations that adopt the practices and approaches of best-in-class organizations can drive improvements that create more impactful approaches to DEI.
Details
Keywords
This paper aims to define the employee experience as a concept, give an overview of how employers are using it as an engagement approach and discuss two examples of how leading…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to define the employee experience as a concept, give an overview of how employers are using it as an engagement approach and discuss two examples of how leading organizations are leveraging more advanced applications of the employee experience to drive better engagement outcomes.
Design/methodology/approach
In 2019, APQC surveyed 231 HR professionals responsible for the engagement strategy at organizations with more than 1,000 employees and greater than US$500m in revenue. The survey results represent employers from 30 industries and 34 headquarters countries.
Findings
Most employers have made the employee experience part of their employee engagement strategy. Employers reporting the best outcomes from their engagement strategy are significantly more likely to train leaders, managers and HR on the employee experience concept and leverage critical elements from the employee experience design methodology.
Originality/value
This paper explains the reasons for the growing popularity of the employee experience, discusses its potential as a method for employee engagement and concludes with an overview and examples of the steps involved in employee experience design.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to detail four elements that drive human capital management (HCM) strategies that get business results.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to detail four elements that drive human capital management (HCM) strategies that get business results.
Design/methodology/approach
Analysis of APQC’s Open Standards Benchmarking® data and human capital management best practices case studies reveals how to establish the groundwork and successfully execute an HCM strategy.
Findings
A successful HCM strategy requires specific groundwork and execution to support workforce performance. In terms of groundwork, HR must display strategic competence and business insight. Then, HR must establish a solid implementation infrastructure and follow-up with a comprehensive results assessment.
Originality/value
Many HR professionals understand what needs to go into an HCM plan for compensation and benefits, long-term workforce strategy, succession, diversity, learning, retention and HR technology updates and upgrades. This paper details how best-practice organizations successfully build and implement such plans and what tangible results an HR function can expect from adopting the four detailed best practices.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this research paper is to detail the roles that managers can play in engaging their direct reports.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research paper is to detail the roles that managers can play in engaging their direct reports.
Design/methodology/approach
APQC conducted an online survey of 252 participants – representing different generations, job levels and organizations of varying sizes and industries – about people challenges at work (i.e. instances where the action or inaction of other employees makes it more challenging for an individual to achieve his/her work goals).
Findings
Nearly all workers experience people challenges, which increase stress, reduce productivity and diminish job satisfaction. The top people challenges at work are change resistance, skills gaps and inadequate direction and information. People managers are best positioned to alleviate these challenges so that workers may have a more engaging and productive experience.
Originality/value
Employee engagement is a multiple-stakeholder process involving HR, leaders, managers and employees. This paper sheds light on the role of the manager in engaging employees. Whereas it is commonplace to acknowledge that managers are important to employee engagement, this paper actually spells out the specific actions managers can take to remove barriers to employee engagement.
Details
Keywords
Elissa Tucker and Sue Lam
The purpose of this research paper is to explore how organizational leadership style is related to employee leadership skills, leadership and business trends, as well as…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research paper is to explore how organizational leadership style is related to employee leadership skills, leadership and business trends, as well as leadership practices.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 547 participants representing a variety of industries and organization sizes completed an online survey on the current state of leadership at their organizations. We compared the responses of participants working in organizations using a traditional leadership style (n = 121) with those in organizations with a dynamic leadership style (n = 105).
Findings
Consistent with hypotheses, the results show that the traditional, hierarchical and command-and-control style of organizational leadership is associated with larger leadership skills gaps, while a more dynamic, all-inclusive and collaborative leadership style is associated with smaller leadership skills gaps. Specific business trends and leadership practices partially explain the association between organizational leadership style and organizational leadership shortages. These factors provide guidance for human resources practitioners looking to set priorities and plans for fostering dynamic leadership within their organizations.
Originality/value
This study provides insights into why the leadership deficit endures and what organizations can do to put the issue to rest. This research is unique in that it goes beyond identifying and quantifying specific leadership skills gaps to also reveal which factors may be driving these leadership deficits. This research also isolates which organizational practices and leadership approaches are associated with smaller leadership skills gaps.
Details
Keywords
Michelle Catanzaro and Elissa James
This paper aims to explore how the entertainment economy excludes individuals and facilitates private investment, the problematic shift towards a “creative economy” and increased…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore how the entertainment economy excludes individuals and facilitates private investment, the problematic shift towards a “creative economy” and increased regulations within Sydney’s entertainment sector. It also examines how a grass-roots, rural festival can be regarded as an extension of the urban context. It discusses the alternative counterculture(s) that exist despite (or perhaps because of) increasing inaccessibility and regulation, using as a case study an activist collective created in this climate, the Marrickville Warehouse Alliance, focusing specifically on its Star Shitty River Retreat festival.
Design/methodology/approach
A phenomenological, mixed-method approach is used with a focus on qualitative in-depth interviews with festival organisers.
Findings
This paper demonstrates how politics, embedded within urban place, can be transported to a rural festival site. The phenomenological accounts recorded with the festival organisers, paired with key theories within the literature, demonstrate how organising committees can shape the understanding of place and politics in grass-roots festival environments.
Social implications
By leaving “no trace” on the site and engaging with and contributing to the indigenous community, the Star Shitty River Retreat festival can be categorised as a type of “creative enhancement”, in which a shared environment of political and communal understanding creates a unique, yet temporary, sense of place within a rural setting.
Originality/value
There is limited literature on the Australian festival context. The finding that rural festival sites can be regarded as an extension of the urban context lends itself to the concept of de-territorialisation or blurring of city boundaries, reinforcing how a festival’s geographical location is of little significance when supported by “portable communities”.
Details
Keywords
Kristen Bell De Tienne and G. Stoney Alder
Employee evaluation and monitoring have been common in America since colonial times. With industrialization, employers have implemented increasingly creative ways to monitor…
Abstract
Employee evaluation and monitoring have been common in America since colonial times. With industrialization, employers have implemented increasingly creative ways to monitor employees. For example, in the early part of this century, Ford Motor Company employed investigators to enter employees' homes to verify that employees were not overly drinking and that their homes were clean