Workforce Development Challenges in Large Organizations

1. Workforce Development Challenges in Large Organizations Angela C. Guinn Department of Veterans Affairs IT Workforce Development September 22, 2011

2. Discussion Overview • Laying a Proper Workforce Development Foundation is the Key to your Program Success • The Reality: Real World Workforce Development Program Challenges • Taking a Pro-Active Approach to Address Challenges and Mitigate Program Risks • Q&A /Discussion

3. Laying a Proper Workforce Development Foundation • Identify the goals and objectives of your workforce development program and consider: • Key initiatives • Ongoing identified problems or areas of concern • Known skills gaps or training deficiencies • Future needs of the organization • Identify and collaborate with key stakeholders • Keep key stakeholders involved throughout the development, implementation and compliance process • Reach out to both internal and external stakeholders • Quickly determine those who may impede your progress and if possible work to turn them around

4. Laying a Proper Workforce Development Foundation (Cont.) • Work with Senior/Executive Leadership to appoint a governance board and: • Draft a Charter • Identify key Workforce Development objectives and goals • Identify who will be appointed to Advisory Board • Establish an advisory committee staffed with leadership and subject matter experts • Develop a workforce development conceptual design • Develop an Implementation Plan • Identify and assess any duplicative internal efforts

5. Laying a Proper Workforce Development Foundation (Cont.) • Facilitate and communicate executive buy-in • Work with Governance Board Members and Advisory Committee Members to develop and gain leadership approval across your organization • Ensure continuous top-down communication • Identify and assess internal resources and existing tools that can be leveraged • Continuously engage working groups consisting of Subject Matter Experts

6. The Reality: Real World Workforce Development Program Challenges (Cont.) • Challenges related to Organizational Politics and People • Implementation activities don’t always happen as planned • Lack of executive buy-in • Organizational workplace culture pushback • Lack of support from the top • Apathetic stakeholder engagement • Defensive stakeholder reaction • Withholding of Information due to lack of support

7. The Reality: Real World Workforce Development Program Challenges (Cont.) • Challenges related to Unavoidable Program Changes • Things don’t always go as planned • Operational demands vs. employment development • Funding and budgetary constraints • Issues of long term vs. short term payoffs • Internal duplication of efforts or conflicting efforts • Lack of Consistency • Communications issues and delays

8. Take a Pro-Active Approach to Address Challenges and Mitigate Program Risks • Ensure continuous executive leadership buy-in and support • Preemptive identification of challenges and development of a plan of action to overcome obstacles • Promote the development of a culture of continuous learning and support of training

9. Take a Pro-Active Approach to Address Challenges and Mitigate Program Risks (Cont.) • Encourage and support alternative training methods and work to achieve training outcomes based upon the constraints present in your environment/organization • Flexible and adaptable based upon leadership changes or changes in the political/technical environment

10. 4 Keys to Program Success… • Think outside the box when strategizing around challenges. Throw the box away – the box is no longer your reality!-- Angela Guinn • The stakeholders who are the most resistant can be the most helpful in establishing a solid program. "Change can either challenge or threaten us...Your beliefs pave your way to success or block you." --Marsha Sinetar • Be flexible and adaptable as your program evolves. “Knowledge work is not defined by quantity. Neither is knowledge work defined by its costs. Knowledge work is defined by its results.” –Peter F. Drucker • Obtain Executive Leadership buy-in from the get go! “Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves.” --Dale Carnegie

11. Q&A