Selection

There is an important connection between selection and strategic planning. Unfortunately, most organizations fail to see the interaction.

Typically, organizations begin at the point of hiring to try and fit a warm body into a vacant position without knowing if that fit is a good one or not. Many times the fit is not a good one; this comes at the expense of lost productivity, money, time, and other resources. Further, many organizations will write job descriptions not knowing the purpose of the job, why it’s needed, or what skills and attributes that job needs for optimal execution and performance again, leading to wasted resources.

In order to ensure that an organization meets its strategic planning needs, here’s the process that should take place in order to make the selection process successful.

Before a company begins the selection process, it must perform strategic planning. Before strategic planning takes place, one must ask if the organization is ready for strategic planning. Strategic planning involves change. Rarely does Corporate America like change. Several good instruments are available in to make this determination. However, here are some sample questions to help uncover vital information:

1. What is the culture of the organization?

2. What is the leadership mindset in terms of planning?

3. What are the skills and knowledge of the leadership?

4. Do vendors and customers play key roles in strategic initiatives?

5. Do new ideas receive quick decisions?

6. Is the organization flexible or rigid?

7. Is there internal frustration?

Question number seven leads to determining if the organization is ready for change. Achieving change does not become business as usual in a vacuum.

Once the strategic plan is in place, then the organization can determine what jobs are required to reach the goals of the strategic plan. Job analysis is the next step. The job analysis tells us what knowledge, skills, and attributes (KSAs) the job requires for optimal performance. Writing the job description is the next task. Now the selection process can begin. Selection will bring a better match for the job. The job and the person performing its KSAs will help fulfill organizational goals.