Local government HR service review (Maturity Matrix)

Talent management is about using data from workforce, succession and contingency planning tools to understand what talent exists within the organisation, what talent populations are needed, and the identification of individuals who are particularly valuable to an organisation.  The ability to identify and select the most effective methods by which to develop and retain talent is important. It may require specific organisational interventions, such as development programmes, but it’s also about being able to shape bespoke programmes to meet individual needs.  Sophisticated talent approaches will look outside organisational boundaries and will work with diverse talent pools and partner organisations.

Resourcing involves the attraction and recruitment of individuals into the right role at the right time and cost. It's about using relevant workforce planning data and knowing the right sourcing approaches and digital tools to tap into diverse candidate pools. Those involved in resourcing activities should be focused on understanding the candidate experience, designing effective assessment and selection approaches and, overall, how to make effective recruitment decisions. Understanding the labour market, your market position, your unique people proposition and job analysis will ensure roles are engaging to a wide range of people.

Organisation development and design (OD&D) is about taking a systems and behavioural science-based approach to improving an organisation's performance. OD&D considers both the ‘hard’ elements of an organisation – structures, frameworks, systems, policies and metrics (‘organisation design’) – and the 'soft' elements of an organisation – its culture, capability, values, behaviours, and relationships ('organisation development'). It requires a deep understanding of all these elements as part of a wider integrated ecosystem. OD&D helps organisations to understand its current state and work towards an imagined or desired future state, identifying issues and opportunities, and effectively supporting and facilitating people, teams and organisations through change.

Learning and development is about creating the right culture and environment for individuals and organisations to learn and grow. It’s knowing the current and future capability needs of the organisation, as well as how to create a learning culture that drives engagement in ongoing professional development. Learning design and delivery requires a blend of learning approaches, including face-to-face, digital, social collaborative and coaching, as well as the application of motivational and behavioural science. How effectively learning is transferred to the learner is key to understanding its impact at an individual and organisation level. 

Ensuring employees experience good mental and physical health at work so they are able to develop their potential, be productive and creative, build positive relationships with colleagues and customers, cope better with stressful situations and make more meaningful contributions. 

It’s about understanding the role that line management and trust plays in the employment relationship, and how to design and develop approaches to employee engagement that enable people to have a voice. It also looks at other factors which impact the worker experience, employer brand, and the way communications channels are used.

Being an I&D specialist requires an understanding of the communities your organisation operates in: who they are, how to respond to changes in that community through people practices, and how to create sustainable change in the workforce so that it represents those communities demographically. It also requires a deep understanding of I&D issues in the organisation, gained by reviewing and identifying systemic bias and inequality, and using both data and qualitative information to create plans for actionable change. Educating, supporting and building the capability of leaders and line managers is critical in ensuring I&D is part of the organisation’s way of working, and I&D specialists have an important role to play in enabling the business to build a culture of trust which enables people to speak up, feel safe, and advocate for others.  Knowing what reporting requirements are required by the organisation is also an important element of I&D, as is using that data to identify changes that will help to create more inclusive environments.

Employee relations is about creating and maintaining a positive working relationship between an organisation and its people. an important part of that relationship is the culture, and the extent to which the organisation seeks to be resolution-focused. People professionals have an important role in setting that culture through the development of policies and processes which apply the law in a practical, fair and transparent way. So specialists in this area need a deep understanding of employment / labour law, keeping up-to-date with legislative developments in order to advise the business and line managers to create the best outcome for individuals and the organisation. When relationships break down, it’s also important for ER specialists to know how to deal with those disputes internally as well as through the legal system when needed, and the different ways in which you can resolve conflict through consultation and negotiation with individuals and representative bodies. And, increasingly, ER specialists are using employee voice insights from working groups and staff forums to change the way things work, and create a more positive working culture in organisations.

Reward is about designing and implementing strategies that ensure workers are rewarded in line with the organisational context and culture, relative to the external market environment and in line with the sector as a whole. It requires specific knowledge in a range of specialist areas such as job evaluation, job design and total reward approaches. Reward specialists will need a deep understanding of different approaches to reward and benefits, and how to ensure that approaches are in line with relevant legislation and local and national collective bargaining. You’ll also need to know practical elements such as how to benchmark salaries and determine pay based on external market factors such as scarce skills.

This area is about gathering and using data and information to provide insights into people issues and guide decision-making.  It involves understanding research design, framing of questions, and the quantitative and qualitative techniques which help to address organisational issues or challenges. Analytical consulting enables the exploration of issues and problems in a methodical way, in order to shape solutions. Approaches will involve knowledge of statistical analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data in a meaningful way. This combination of people intelligence, combined with improved decision-making, should maximise our ability as people professionals to make informed and actionable recommendations.

• Human resources / organisational development peer review
• Workforce and HR support

To find out more about the Human Resources Maturity Matrix, please contact: [email protected]