Should Strategic Staffing/Workforce Planning Stand Alone?

In my work with companies, I have seen no one consistent “home” for strategic staffing/workforce planning within the HR function. In some cases, it is its own unit (even if it is a “unit” of one person!). In other cases, workforce planning is located within another, more traditional HR function (such as recruiting or staffing). I have also seen workforce planning included within Talent Management, Succession and Development, and even Diversity Planning.

From my perspective, strategic staffing/workforce planning is a discipline in and of itself. It has its own roles, accountabilities, and expectations, and it feeds nearly every other HR function (e.g., staffing, recruiting, training, development, and succession). As a result, it simply cannot be linked to just one of those functions. When strategic staffing/workforce planning is first implemented, it is possible that the workload it generates can be handled along with that of another function. However, as soon as the value of workforce planning is recognized, demand for the process will generate much work and require significant resources. At that point, it is unlikely that the staff of any unit that combines workforce planning and another function will be able to do a good job of either one. Further, strategic staffing/workforce planning requires a set of skills and capabilities that other HR functions don’t. Consequently, strategic staffing/workforce planning warrants its own unit within the HR function. In the recommendations that follow, I have assumed that there will be a unit of some kind that is dedicated to workforce planning—but don’t jump to any conclusions regarding what the role of that function will be!