Creating a Comprehensive People Strategy to Support the Organization’s Mission
ScottMadden supports a large higher education and healthcare system in creating a comprehensive people strategy to align and unify with organizational goals
Strategic Alignment
Focused on aligning the people strategy with organizational goals, mission, and the future of work, ensuring it would drive value and progress
Change Management
Educated key stakeholders across the organization to gain support and alignment for the holistic people strategy and overcome siloes
Roadmap Development
Created a structured, phased roadmap outlining key initiatives and milestones, ensuring a strategic, manageable progression to implement the holistic people strategy over time
Challenge
A large, higher education and healthcare institution with close to 30,000 employees and faculty was looking to develop a unified and comprehensive people strategy. The organization was being impacted by competition for talent, a complex operating structure that was challenging for career navigation, and pressures related to the future of work, including workplace culture, engagement, and people management. Linking a people-centric perspective to organizational strategy and mission as well as to inform going-forward solutions to talent challenges was key to attracting, developing, and retaining the highly skilled and capable resources that had driven the organization’s stature in the marketplace. A people strategy was essential but also controversial as colleges and operational units had historically blossomed on unique paths to solving human resources needs. The goals of the initiative included articulating the strategy and its component parts, a multi-year roadmap of supporting initiatives, key performance goals to align on and manage progress, and change management considerations.
Process
- Gathered and analyzed various strategy, mission, and plan information from across the organization to inform objectives
- Identified contributing stakeholders and educated them on the purpose and value of a people strategy and their role
- Developed and executed an interactive input gathering approach, including interviews, focus groups, and real-time surveys
- Formed strategic themes, completed analysis, and prioritized based on current performance and future impact
- Defined people strategy focus areas, including supporting initiatives, link to organization value, goals, and measures
Result
- Initiated a change management effort around the importance of a holistic people strategy that cuts across the organization
- Established the core focus areas, their value, and key messaging to resonate and galvanize efforts across siloed operations
- Achieved agreement on the articulation and initial branding of a people strategy to vet within the organization
- Defined a roadmap that included near-, mid-, and long-term phases, including a description of key initiatives and planned achievements for each phase, ensuring an appropriate pace and suitable order for initiatives to build on one another
- Identified key considerations, risks to achievement, and links to organization value for each strategic focus area
- Created a going-forward approach for accountability and governance to situate people strategy for going-forward success
Related Insights
Catalyzing Change Within a Large Private University
Case Study
A leading private research university was navigating its journey to futurize its HR function, which consisted of more than 120 employees, streamline work, ensure compliance, and better…
Preparing Enterprise Finance to Support Strategic Plans in Higher Education
Case Study
With the changing environment in higher education and healthcare, this top-20 private research university was facing a situation common to many higher education institutions—ensuring operations are optimized…
HR Business Partner Development for a National Laboratory
Case Study
A national laboratory was experiencing significant and sustained growth, and the human resources function was challenged to adjust the organizational and systematic infrastructure to support the volume…
Let’s Work Together
We don’t solve problems with canned methodologies. We help you solve the right problem in the right way. Our experience ensures that the solution works for you.