
The Future of People Management Priorities
A joint study by BCG and the World Federation of People Management Associations, based on a global survey, focuses on three priority areas for HR action.
Related Expertise: People Strategy, Digital HR, Digital Transformation
By Jens Baier, Vinciane Beauchene, Julie Bedard, Jean-Michel Caye, Philipp Kolo, Fang Ruan, Alexander Alonso, Anthony Ariganello, Kai Helfritz, Bob Morton, Lucas van Wees, and Wilson Wong
The goal is to help people management leaders identify the most urgent priorities in order to improve not only their own function’s performance but also the performance of the entire company. That kind of prioritization is always important, but in the current poly-crisis environment, it has become an imperative.
This year’s analysis includes the following key highlights:
Our findings point to five recommendations for people management leaders to adopt in dealing with challenging times in 2023 and beyond.
Leverage data to accurately plan for talent supply and demand. Strategic workforce planning is a perennial challenge for most organizations. Although the core principles are not new, the urgency to act has increased, and the availability of data-driven insights has changed the competitive landscape.
Get better at talent acquisition. In a market where specialized talent is in short supply, digital technology can help companies differentiate themselves on the basis of the experience they offer applicants, leading to better success rates in recruiting and hiring new employees.
Invest in upskilling and reskilling the current workforce. Developing new skills in your existing workforce is far more cost-effective than hiring new people. Moreover, ever-changing technology confront companies with the need to continually refresh their workforce’s skills and capabilities.
Unlock value through AI. Generative AI has the potential to revolutionize self-service processes, boost productivity, personalize customer experiences, and build data-driven talent ecosystems. First movers are already capturing value with use cases along the entire HR value chain.
Focus on change management and organizational development. In the realm of leadership behaviors, change management, and organizational development, it is imperative not to underestimate the transformative potential—and pitfalls—of change. With this in mind, organizations are focusing more on the behaviors of entire leadership teams than of individuals.
Download the full report for a more detailed discussion of this year’s findings and recommendations.
A joint study by BCG and the World Federation of People Management Associations, based on a global survey, focuses on three priority areas for HR action.
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Jens Baier leads Boston Consulting Group’s work in human resources (HR) in Central and South America, Europe, and the Middle East (CEMA). Since joining the firm in 2000, he has managed a wide range of projects, including HR excellence programs, migration of HR IT to cloud solutions, strategy development, large scale transformation, organizational redesign, role of the center definition, set up and optimization of shared services, and cost efficiency programs. He has worked with clients in a wide range of industries in Germany, Europe, the Middle East, and South Africa.
Vinciane Beauchene is a core member of The Boston Consulting Group’s Health Care, Industrial Goods, and People & Organization practices.
Jean-Michel Caye is the global head of Boston Consulting Group’s human resources and talent and leadership topics worldwide. He is also a core member of the pharmaceutical and banking topics, various industry practices, and the Corporate Development practice.
Philipp Kolo is a core member of the People & Organization practice at Boston Consulting Group, and a leading expert in the fields of people strategy and human resources. He helps his clients better understand their strategic people needs and the resulting upskilling and reskilling requirements and is responsible for BCG’s own strategic workforce planning tool. He works with companies as they transform their HR department in order to boost their people agenda. He was formerly Recruiting Director for the firm, responsible for BCG's own talent acquisition. During his time in that role, he gained hands-on experience in managing talent markets and adapting to their shifting expectations.
Fang Ruan leads Boston Consulting Group’s China Academy and she is the leader of People & Organization practice in Greater China and Asia-Pacific. She is also a core member of BCG’s Technology, Media, & Telecom (TMT) practice.
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