This afternoon at the Legislative Reference Librarians conference we heard from Donna Scheeder, Director Law Library Services Library of Congress on Succession Planning and Workforce Transformation Foundation for the Future.
She gave some excellent tips on planning for the intellectual capital needs of the organization over time. Five steps were identified:
1. Identify critical positions and functions within the organization
– how is your customer base changing the way it does business?
-what are their changing expectations?
-what other trends will affect the organization?
-is organizational culture changing?
-what functions will be affected?
-what functions might you no longer need?
-what positions perform those functions?
2. Identify competencies required by staff
-what knowledge skills and abilities will be need to perform each function?
-are there position titles and series for all functions and competencies that will be required?
-project the volume of work needed in the future
3. Identify gaps – compare future needs with projected supply
-are there excess staff performing obsolete or declining functions?
-are there an inadequate supply of qualified people in positions likely to remain the same?
-are there an inadequate supply of people with needed skill sets for new projects?
4. Prioritize and develop a staffing plan
-what gaps can be handled with a minimum of resources?
-analyze costs before for addressing and not addressing each
-are your priorities aligned with the goals of the organization?
5. Know your solution toolbox
-position classifications – rewriting position descriptions one vacancy at a time or a taking wholesale approach
-staff development strategies for those not leaving to help them prepare for the future
-supervisory coaching and mentoring – show staff how to mentor