Serving Technical Organizations: IT, Research, and Scientific
While well-versed in delivering HR leadership and service to multiple functions, our particular interest and depth is in serving Technical Organizations (HR Leadership for McCormick Research and Development, HR Leadership for McCormick Global Business Solutions (IT), and IT Vice President and external consultant with over 20 years of experience in global business and IT strategic planning, IT management and operations).
Recent conversations with R&D and Information Systems executives brought to light several common interests and challenges:
Q. What are the biggest opportunities facing your technical organization today?
R. Work-life balance; flexible work schedules; the "myspace" generation (how millenials communicate - receive, process, transmit information, communicate); 20 somethings and 50 somethings working together.
Q. What are the greatest challenges facing technical organizations today?
R. Cultural diversity, talent scarcity, and "how to do 20% more with 20% less."
Q. What's changing the most, and what will things look like in five years?
R. A "matrix environment" - team mates are the critical element/relationship (will we need "bosses" any more?), project teams proliferate, so there will be a premium on everyone fully-understanding the organization's goals and
strategies; twenty-somethings will expect to know where they'll be five years out.
Where do you see you and your organization today?
- Based upon your strategic goals, what is the ideal organization design?
- What are the skills needed to support this structure and strategy?
- What's the optimal career path design ("technical ladder")?
- For Succession Planning, who's in the pipeline (inside or outside)? When will they be ready? How do you build a pipeline (internships, college relations, job rotations...)?
- Once you identify internal talent, how do you get them ready for the next step?
- How do you assure that new leaders are effectively integrated?
- How do you help leaders continue on the road to success?
Give us a call at (443) 869-0006 or email Fred today. We can help with these questions.
