t strategic plans were thought only for CEO’s and top level management. But now could be a good time to change that thinking. A HR plan can help you come up with goals and strategies for achieving them. It enables you to go beyond day to day tasks and see the larger purpose of your department and how it functions within the company. In its simplest form, the plan is a goal statement. But the plan also includes information on the issues facing the company-competition, opportunities, market conditions, industry changes and the company’s strengths and weaknesses. Once you have you have a clear understanding of your companies goals, you should establish your own HR department goals. These five questions are a good place to start:1. Where am I now?2. Where do I want to go?3. What’s the difference between where I am and where I want to go?4. How will I get there?5. How will I know if I’m succeeding?When you have answered these questions you will be more prepared to effectively lead the organization through future changes. A business plan is good practice anyway because it keeps everyone on the same page. A strategic plan helps employees understand their purpose. It can energize people. They aren’t just doing day to day work, they are progressing toward goals. Then HR isn’t just a firefighter at a tactical level but will earn a seat at the companies top level of management. Let’s take the concept of strategizing and use it toward key aspects of our future. Now lets turn our attention to an issue that is the driving force behind change. This driving force is that of technology, and it has very wide and deep implications for human resources now and in the future. Technology’s impact on HR, the virtual environments impact on human interaction, and telecommuting issues. Such issues will now be explored in greater depth to help focus our thinking around strategic approaches to take in...
