By Cathy Missildine-Martin, SPHR, Intellectual Captial ConsultingI had the pleasure of facilitating a HR Strategy and Metrics workshop for the Performance Institute in Washington D.C. I had just over 30 attendees that were eager to learn more about linking HR strategy to organizational strategy and how to measure the execution.
The majority of the day was spent on a tool we use, called the Business Strategy Map. I have written on this topic here.
The participants were engaged as they brought their own strategic outcomes from their companies to gain hands on real time experience with this process.
After we spend the majority of the day on this process I asked the participants what the good, the bad and the ugly was...here is what they said:
- It's hard, really hard but worth it
- I can see how this could be a communication tool in the area of strategic execution
- It can be a collaboration tool between functions as most organizational strategies require interdependency between functions
- HR coud be instrumental in leading this process (YES!)
- It identifies gaps in the understanding and interpretation of strategy by different functions and leaders
- It serves as a visual clear line of sight that can be shared with all employees
So tomorrow, we will use the maps and determine the necessary metrics that need to be tracked and analyzed from an HR perspective...I can't wait!!
It was more than evident in the room that no matter if you are a large corporation, a non-profit, a government agency or an educational institution this process is needed because strategy if not executed is useless.
Drilling down and mapping the strategic details is where the rubber meets the road and where your front line employees begin to behave with purpose.
I believe that spending a few days on mapping strategy is well worth it...
Information on our next HR Strategy and Metrics bootcamp can be found here.
