Aligning equally

The organizational alignment process takes into account staffing, and people rewards and recognition, which are two key elements of any people strategy. This process, therefore, makes it clear why it is required to establish a people strategy that is always aligned with the purpose and strategy of the organization.

Staffing is about defining the skills that people need to have in the future state of the organization and how to acquire them, as well as understanding how well the skills will align with the processes defined in the organizational alignment process. In this case, most organizations address the skills gap by combining two techniques: training their staff and hiring people to fill the skills gap. Rewards and recognition, on the other hand, is about developing a process that reinforces behaviors that support the organization’s mission, vision, and strategic plan.

While I believe that defining skills and responsibilities is essential in any organizational design and development process, I am quite cautious about how to implement a financial compensation program that really works for everyone. We know that the paradigm of human beings today is one of constant competition and comparison with their peers, something that almost always results in undesirable qualities in an organization that intends to bet on equity in every way.

Because my job is about helping organizations co-create a new way of working and leading, I think it’s worth applying financial rewards as part of cooperative team work. That is, we win together or lose together. This way not only leads to creating a more collaborative way of working and increasing collective productivity, but also creates a system in which social pressure assumes a healthier and more responsible role.