Orchestrating workforce ecosystems involves identifying the right set of stakeholders and aligning the business strategy with their needs. These steps include creating a central orchestration team, aligning workforce needs with the business strategy, and managing external contributors. In this article, we’ll explore how to organize your orchestration process and get your local champions up and running.
Identifying the right set of stakeholders
Orchestrating workforce ecosystems means engaging with the right mix of external and internal stakeholders. Ideally, these stakeholders are leaders who possess the resources, status, and agency to make the ecosystem successful. Typically, these champions are general managers and line managers responsible for an offering or service. They can also serve on a central orchestration team. Good champions understand the importance of orchestrating workforce ecosystems and are eager to participate in the process. They may also include employees from pilot departments or external workers.
Once the central orchestration team is assembled, they develop a working plan, goals, and metrics. They then consult with stakeholders and consider all the relevant factors, such as incentives, structural design, and political and cultural issues. To ensure the success of their work, they also consider the skills gap in their organizations. This is important because the right workforce ecosystem can benefit the business and its clients.
Stakeholders should be identified based on their role within the ecosystem. Stakeholders should also be identified according to their aspirations and capabilities. Moreover, stakeholders should be identified based on the pain points they face. What are their biggest fears, challenges, and frustrations?
Creating a central orchestration team
Creating a central orchestration team to coordinate workforce ecosystems requires bringing together the right stakeholders at all levels of an organization. This team should include representatives from local teams, who should report on their progress, challenges, and lessons learned. In addition, the central team should offer guidance and support to local teams, as needed.
To start, the central orchestration team needs to develop a working plan, goals, and metrics. Once the working plan is established, the team should consult with all stakeholders to ensure that the plan is achievable. They should also consider cultural and political issues and identify skills gaps.
Workforce ecosystems are becoming increasingly complex, presenting a strategic and operational challenge for organizations. Typically, these ecosystems consist of an array of internal and external contributors, including contractors, gig workers, marketplace sellers, bots, and more. The challenge lies in the need to manage the complex relationships and complementarities among these diverse groups of employees and contributors.
Leaders who view their workforce as an ecosystem approach think and act differently. While they may still think of their employees as full-time employees, they are looking at them as an ecosystem rather than as an individual. This shift in perspective and approach requires fundamental changes in how organizations manage their workforce. For example, many management practices have been tied to an employee lifecycle model.
Organizations increasingly depend on external contributors to perform mission-critical work or accomplish strategic objectives. According to a recent global management study, 87 percent of organizations consider some of these people to be part of their workforce. This new approach requires organizations to take a new approach to performance management. In addition to adjusting existing processes, managers should hire freelancers with teamwork skills.
Managing external contributors
The concept of orchestrating a workforce ecosystem is an emerging concept that provides companies with a more dynamic approach to managing the workforce. This new concept encompasses external contributors, such as freelancers, long-term contractors, and professional services organizations. It presents several advantages to organizations.
Many businesses are beginning to rely on external contributors to perform mission-critical work and achieve strategic goals. In fact, a recent survey found that over 87 percent of respondents consider some external workers to be part of their workforce. The issue is how to effectively manage these contributors.
Many companies are increasingly turning to higher-skilled external contributors to fill gaps and enhance their talent pools. They also recognize the importance of diversity initiatives and a diverse workforce. As such, they are leveraging open ecosystem structures to support diversity initiatives and promote inclusion and diversity within their company.
When orchestrating a workforce ecosystem, it is essential to ensure that the goals and behaviours of the different actors are aligned. Those who do so report greater alignment with the organization’s strategic goals. This means that they are better equipped to hire external contributors and recruit new employees.
As firms increasingly rely on external contributors, they must consider how to manage the differences in their culture and working style. This means combining internal and external contributors, and understanding their complementarities and interdependencies. In addition, it is critical to align a firm’s workforce strategy with its business strategy and objectives.
Orchestrating a workforce ecosystem requires new management practices, new technologies, and leadership approaches. Companies should seek input from all central functions, including HR and IT leaders. External workers may need access to sensitive data, and may need to interact with internal systems. They should also develop cross-functional teams to implement a workforce ecosystem.
Aligning workforce needs with business strategy
The business environment today has made it more important than ever to align your workforce needs with your business strategy. This means identifying and developing key talent that will drive your organization forward. Today, more than ever, businesses need people with competencies like “resiliency” and “learning agility.” But how can you make sure you’re bringing these skills to your workforce?
Aligning your workforce needs with your business strategy will involve a number of steps that start at the top. You’ll need to develop a workforce plan for your organization and each of your business units (BUs). The plan should outline common and BU-specific workforce needs. It should include clear action steps that are prioritized by priority and criticality. Moreover, it should be reviewed at least quarterly and annually. You’ll also need to set up triggers to ensure the implementation process is moving forward. These triggers should be clearly defined and communicated to your organization’s stakeholders.
Aligning workforce needs with business strategy requires close collaboration between HR and business leaders. The HR department is responsible for managing a company’s workforce, and the goals and strategies of the business are heavily impacted by the goals and strategies of the HR department. Aligning your workforce strategy with the strategic direction of your business is therefore critical to the success of your business.
A good alignment process should include ongoing analysis of your current workforce and the needs of your business. Without the right talent in place, your goals will remain unattainable. This requires careful analysis of your workforce’s current requirements and a strategic plan that incorporates an inclusive culture and a positive attitude toward change.
Aligning your workforce with your business strategy should be a strategic focus for your HR team. A strategic plan includes talent acquisition and learning and development programs. The HR team can help you navigate the transition from one workplace structure to another, and they can provide insights about processes and technologies that will ensure your employees are as productive as possible.
A comprehensive workforce assessment can be a daunting task. However, empowering your HR team with solutions will help relieve their stress. This process will also enable you to identify trends in your workforce that you may not be aware of.
