Public Personnel Management

Calo, Thomas J.

doi: 10.1177/009102600703600401pmid: N/A

Walker, David M.

doi: 10.1177/009102600703600402pmid: N/A

To stay aligned with current and future needs of Americans, government agencies need to rethink what they do, how they do business and who should do that business—federal workers, contractors or some combination of the two. Human capital reform will be central to these transformation efforts. This article examines how the U.S. Government Accountability Office has undertaken a range of initiatives designed to strengthen its workforce and better position the agency for the future. These include basic changes in such areas as recruiting, training and development, job classification, pay and benefits and employee empowerment.

Dychtwald, Ken; Baxter, David

doi: 10.1177/009102600703600403pmid: N/A

We are heading toward a talent crisis of unparalleled proportions. In the latter decades of the 20th century, organizations enjoyed an abundance of young workers, fueled by the unprecedented baby boom that stretched from 1946 until 1964. In this century, the baby bust that followed the baby boom is creating a critical shortage of younger workers. At the same time, due to rising longevity and the aging of the baby boom generation, we are now experiencing an unprecedented growth in the numbers of mature workers. And yet, the vast majority of organizations persist in recruiting, training, engagement, and retention strategies that were created and designed for a youthful workforce. New demographic realities require a radical rethinking of our workforce strategies. In this century, the most successful organizations will be the ones that reorient their organizations and workforce strategies to fully capitalize on the powerful growth of the new mature workforce.

Helton, Kimberly A.; Jackson, Robert D.

doi: 10.1177/009102600703600404pmid: N/A

Through its workforce and succession planning efforts, Pennsylvania is committed to proactively identifying, preparing for and maintaining pools of well-trained and motivated state government employees to assume critical positions of leadership. But the concept of leadership extends beyond senior-level positions within agencies. The goal in Pennsylvania is to improve leadership capabilities in every work unit and to encourage all employees to use their skills to build stronger teams. Leadership at all levels means equipping employees with the tools, skills and expectations to communicate effectively and foster leadership at every organizational level. Leadership at all levels ensures that no lack of business continuity results from staff departures such as retirements, resignations, promotions or reassignments or other situations in which an individual is unable to or unwilling to continue his or her role within an organization.As a follow-up to the case study “Pennsylvania's Changing Workforce: Planning Today With Tomorrow's Vision” (Public Personnel Management, Vol. 33, No. 4, Winter 2004), this article advances workforce planning and details the manner in which the commonwealth actualizes sound succession planning principles and practices.

Crumpacker, Martha; Crumpacker, Jill M.

doi: 10.1177/009102600703600405pmid: N/A

Today's workforce includes at least four generations that span more than 60 years. HR's ability to work with management to cultivate a preferred organizational culture through succession planning initiatives, including recruitment, training and development, and retention programs is increasingly important to organizational success. This article explores issues relating to a generational perspective of age-based values, attitudes and norms within a multigenerational workforce and potential implications for HR in shaping organizational culture through the succession planning process.

Lavelle, John

doi: 10.1177/009102600703600406pmid: N/A

Workforce planning remains an underutilized and appreciated process in the HR armamentarium, and yet the need for strategic workforce planning and execution of workforce plans has never been greater as organizations, be they public or private, operate in more turbulent environments and confront the twin challenges of competing for key skills and talents and of containing payroll costs. Here, the causes of workforce planning inertia are examined, as are examples of promising, if not yet widely adopted, best practices. Finally, the author introduces an integrated model he has been developing that forges stronger links between workforce planning and management of the employment framework itself. The model, which is still a work in progress, is applied to the particular challenge of managing the aging workforce.

Calo, Thomas J.

doi: 10.1177/009102600703600407pmid: N/A

That the world's population is aging rapidly is indisputable. There is considerable debate, however, on the impact that this shift will have on individuals, on organizations and on societies, both locally and globally. There is even greater debate over what the most appropriate response should be when confronting this growing challenge. Given the many potential risk factors for organizations as a result of this aging population and workforce, organizations must be proactive and creative in adopting organizational responses to effectively manage, utilize and inspire a growing older workforce.