Human Capital Management (HCM) Certificate

Over and over again, leading management experts continue to make the case that the hallmark of great leadership is having both a “vision” for the enterprise, coupled with a “plan” for realizing that vision. Yet, research shows that few business organizations have a strategic plan, and of those that do, few fully execute those plans. Yet, according to the US Small Business Administration, any business operating without a well formulated strategic business plan is at a significantly higher risk of failure.

The purpose of this course is to provide a simple framework, appropriate for businesses of any size and complexity, which supports the visioning and strategic planning process so that it is dynamic, manageable, executable, measurable, refreshable, leads to achievement of strategic goals and objectives and realization of a strategic vision for the enterprise. This course covers the visioning and strategic planning process, making appropriate organizational changes to support achieving the vision, communicating the plan to employees and stakeholders, aligning processes and rewards to ensure execution, and developing formal business plan documents.

Major Topics to be Covered Include:

• The seven critical steps to strategic and organizational planning
• The four critical questions about mission and business purpose
• The three critical questions for formulating a “vision” for the enterprise
• Using the strategic planning process to establish a pathway and approach for realizing your “vision”
• Using SWOT analyses to conduct valuable assessments of both the external landscape and internal operating environment
• Assessing your organization’s current wherewithal and limitations for visionary achievement
• Establishing and prioritizing executable SMART goals, objectives and change initiatives
• Managing the planning process to ensure ownership, accountability and performance
• Formulating a written plan using the widely accepted SBA business planning template
• Communicating the plan to employees and stakeholders
• Shoring up the plan with aligned performance management and reward systems, and
• Refreshing the strategic business plan for ongoing relevance

Key Learning Objectives:

Participants will leave this program able to:

• Establish and articulate a vision, mission and purpose for their business
• Establish descriptive measures and metrics for visionary achievement
• Conduct SWOT assessments of both the external environment and internal operating environment of the organization
• Establish meaningful SMART goals and objectives that will lead to achieving the organization’s vision
• Align performance goals and rewards to support the strategic plan and vision
• Use available resources to develop a formal business plan
• Communicate critical components of the plan to employees and other stakeholders, and
• Ensure ongoing execution and timely refreshment of the plan

In today’s business world, the ability to plan and lead change is a prerequisite for success in most management and leadership roles. Effective change management is a dynamic process that maximizes the alignment between an organization’s strategies, structure, people, processes, technologies and culture. It requires thorough planning, an understanding of the systemic inter-relationships among these factors, and how changes in one can affect another.

This course focuses on planning, implementing and successfully leading change in organizations, with an emphasis on both methodology and the role of leadership. Participants will be exposed to the best thinking of leading change management experts such as Kotter, Lewin, Blanchard, Beitler, Lawler and Bridges. Participants will also become familiar with several well tested change models that they can then apply to the planning and execution of change initiatives, as well as the personal, professional and leadership competencies required of individuals who effectively initiate, facilitate and manage the change process.

Major Topics to be Covered Include:

• Internal & external drivers of organizational change
• Various stages within the “corporate lifecycles” model, and the change implications associated with each stage
• Presentation and discussion of several leading “multi-step” process models for planning and managing organizational change initiatives
• Common reactions to organizational change, including sources of change resistance
• The three stages of psychological transition normally associated with change, as well as the characteristics of change resistance common to each stage
• Assessing “change readiness”, identifying points of resistance, and adopting pro-active strategies to increase “change readiness”
• The competencies/behaviors of effective change leaders during various stages of the change process
• The 10 principles of effective communication critical to managing the change process
• Creating a business case and communication plan for real-life change initiatives, and
• Driving execution and successful completion of change initiatives.

Key Learning Objectives:

Participants will leave this program able to:

• Identify and understand the internal & external change drivers affecting their organization
• Describe the various stages of the “corporate lifecycles” model, and understand the change management implications for their organization
• Evaluate alternative “multi-step” process models for managing organizational change, and select the model (or models) most applicable to their situation
• Describe the various reactions to proposed change, including sources of resistance
• Identify and exercise the leadership behaviors necessary to minimize sources of change resistance during each of the three stages of transition
• Articulate the 10 principles of effective communication to be employed during the management of change initiatives
• Create a business case and communication plan to support the planned change, and
• Develop a complete plan for effectively managing a change initiative using a multi-step change process model.

Total Rewards Management is an advanced “how to” course designed to equip participants with the knowledge, skills and tools necessary to effectively meet the strategic and compensation compliance requirements of businesses operating within a competitive and compliance-sensitive environment. During this program you will learn to design and manage base salary structures, pay-for-performance programs, incentive and other variable pay programs, and to effectively shape a “total rewards” strategy for your organization. The topics, principles and techniques covered in this program are applicable to almost any size or type of business, and also address important compensation issues and strategies appropriate to nonprofits.

Major Topics to be Covered Include:

• Benchmarking Pay Practices
  Learn how to use modern salary surveys, and other sources of pay information, for “benchmarking” base pay and total cash compensation in order to ensure market competitiveness, and strategically position your organization for success in the competitive arena.
• Salary Structure Development & Maintenance
  Review alternative methods job evaluation and for developing competitive and equitable base salary structures, determining the approach that would work best for your organization, and how to refresh and update that salary structure for wage/salary inflation and changes in the market.
• Alternative Pay-for-Performance & Variable Pay Strategies
  A common mistake made by many employers is to expect too much from their base pay and salary programs. In this module you will learn what “pay-for-performance” is about, the problems and pitfalls with most pay-for-performance programs, how to make merit-based pay really work for your organization, the basics for constructing alternative pay-for-performance strategies (including spot-bonus, incentive and gainsharing programs), and which pay-for-performance strategies work best for nonprofit organizations.

Key Learning Objectives:

Participants will learn to:

• Use available benchmarking resources to establish competitive pay practices and to ensure the ongoing competitiveness of salary structures and pay ranges.
• Maximize employee engagement and morale through effective pay strategies.
• Link reward programs to the strategic objectives of the enterprise, and
• Establish a total rewards strategy that best supports the organization’s mission, vision and strategic objectives.

The demands on business and organizational leaders are being increased and significantly redefined by the accelerating rate of change impacting most organizations. The days of “loyalty” are being replaced by increasing demands for rapid innovation in all areas, the need to continuously “differentiate” ourselves in the competitive arena in order to successfully vie for the loyalty of customers, greater complexity in securing the necessary capital to support business growth, and the decreasing levels of loyalty, engagement and commitment commonly found in today’s workforce. All of these factors present major challenges when it comes to ensuring the financial performance, growth, and the sustainability of the enterprise. Yet, some “high performing” organizations seem to meet these challenges with grace and relative ease, successfully sustain themselves, and even prosper amidst the turbulence. Why? This course will focus on the traits and characteristics typical of those “high performing” organizations as well as the principles they use to endure, create loyalty amongst customers, investors and employees, and to achieve sustainable growth and prosperity.

Major Topics to be Covered Include:

• Identifying the major properties and characteristics of high performance organizations (HPO’s)
• Apply a model and process for building organizations that embody HPO concepts, characteristics and cultures
• Establish effective “value propositions” that speak to the needs and preferences of customers, investors and employees
• Strategies and processes for distinguishing your organization as an elite “provider of choice”, “employer of choice” and “investment of choice”
• Creating a culture and work environment that nurtures trust, openness, empowerment and camaraderie amongst capable, energized and committed employees,
• Building high performing teams and work groups, and
• Using planning and communication tools to drive commitment to goals, accountability and responsibility throughout the organization

Key Learning Objectives:

Participants will leave this program able to:

• Cite the characteristics and attributes of sustainable high performance organizations (HPO’s),
• Apply a model and process for building organizations that fully embody HPO concepts, characteristics and cultures
• Take actionable steps toward distinguishing their organization as a provider, employer and investment of choice
• Form and lead high performing teams and work groups
• Provide leadership that supports ongoing success by creating “win/win/win” scenarios for customers, investors, management, and employees.

Major Topics to be Covered Include:

• Benchmarking Pay Practices
  Learn how to use modern salary surveys, and other sources of pay information, for “benchmarking” base pay and total cash compensation in order to ensure market competitiveness, and strategically position your organization for success in the competitive arena.
• Salary Structure Development & Maintenance
  Review alternative methods job evaluation and for developing competitive and equitable base salary structures, determining the approach that would work best for your organization, and how to refresh and update that salary structure for wage/salary inflation and changes in the market.
• Alternative Pay-for-Performance & Variable Pay Strategies
  A common mistake made by many employers is to expect too much from their base pay and salary programs. In this module you will learn what “pay-for-performance” is about, the problems and pitfalls with most pay-for-performance programs, how to make merit-based pay really work for your organization, the basics for constructing alternative pay-for-performance strategies (including spot-bonus, incentive and gainsharing programs), and which pay-for-performance strategies work best for nonprofit organizations.

Key Learning Objectives:

Participants will learn to:

• Use available benchmarking resources to establish competitive pay practices and to ensure the ongoing competitiveness of salary structures and pay ranges.
• Maximize employee engagement and morale through effective pay strategies.
• Link reward programs to the strategic objectives of the enterprise, and
• Establish a total rewards strategy that best supports the organization’s mission, vision and strategic objectives.