Introducing

Lime Human Capital (Pty) Ltd

Workforce Architecture

www.limesolutions.co.za
(011) 021 2636

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 Introduction to workforce architecture

What is workforce architecture and why is it relevant to the modern businesses?

How can properly defined and detailed blueprints enable organizations to mobilize
their human capital investments?

Can workforce architecture effectively link to business and functional strategies?

These are just a few of the many important questions that you should be asking if you
are considering investing time; money and energy in developing a comprehensive
blueprint for your organizations workforce architecture.

But what is WORKFORCE ARCHITECTURE?

We like to describe it as being a blueprint of how you intend to invest in and support
your human capital assets.

These speak to the key frameworks / blueprints you intend to put in place as your
core workforce architectural database - which will ensure that you enable your
human capital workforce with the relevant direction and support to realize their full
potential and to meet the objectives of the business strategy.

Can workforce architecture enable organizations; business leaders; managers and

employees?

The concept of building architectural designs such as building plans; systems

architectural plans; process architectural plans etc. is not a new one.

Business leaders are well aware that without a strategy and a plan to realize that
strategy, the likelihood of success is substantially reduced.

The same applies to un-tapping the potential of your workforce. We need to set the
course for our resources by providing our human capital with the direction they
deserve and the map of how to get there.

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 Leadership defines the
strategy

Execution of this strategy

requires the explicit
translation of the strategy
to a tangible output that
the employees have to
deliver upon

Workforce architecure
provides the mechanism to
accelerate this translation
across the organization

But what do these mechanisms include?

There are many various opinions on what workforce architecture is and what it is not.

The Lime Human Capital view (as defined in illustration 1- back of booklet) is a layered
view where all HR related activities rely heavily on the four pillars of the workforce
architecture database.

These pillars are made up of the following:

Organizational structure

The BNET business dictionary definition of organizational structure is as follows:

Business Definition for: Organization Structure

“The form of an organization that is evident in the way divisions, departments,

functions, and people link together and interact. Organization structure reveals
vertical operational responsibilities, and horizontal linkages, and may be represented
by an organization chart. The complexity of an organization's structure is often
proportional to its size and its geographic dispersal. The traditional organization

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structure for many businesses in the 20th century was the bureaucracy, originally
defined by Max Weber. More recent forms include the flat, network, matrix, and
virtual organizations. These forms became more prevalent during the last decades of
the 20th century as a result of the trend toward restructuring and downsizing and
developments in telecommunications technology“.

In other words it is critical that the design of your organizational structure meets the
requirements of your business objectives and strategies. This sets the platform for
other design factors. By getting this component right you are more likely to ensure
that the downwards cascading of your strategy will be more effective.

The organizational structure is the key foundation to your workforce architecture.

Competency Frameworks and Performance Standards

Creating competency frameworks is the process of identifying the knowledge,

experience, attitudes and level of work required for the effective performance of a
particular role function. It is essential that when building the framework the role is
levelled accurately and that it is a fair reflection of the position and the outputs
required in order to achieve the objectives of the specific role.

The job profile provides a high level overview of the expected capabilities of the
individual and sets the high level standards. The competency framework that
underpins the job profile provides insights to the actual competencies that will drive
the expected capabilities and outputs.

The competency definitions (assessment criteria) themselves articulate the expected

outcomes and the individual effort required to perform the competency, in addition
they articulate the manner in which the competency must be carried out (performance
standards).

The Lime frameworks cover a broader aspect of competency frameworks and have
included the following categories:

 Core (level of work).

 Functional (knowledge; skills; methodologies and tools).
 Behaviour (functional behaviour and personal attributes).

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Competency frameworks and performance standards are the roadmaps to success.
Void of this direction setting tool your teams of resources may not have the required
alignment to the organizations expectations.

HR Policies and Processes

In order to drive consistency across the organization it is essential that proper HR

policies and processes are well defined and well communicated.

These tools maximize the effectiveness of the HR and Line management functions and
need to be straight forward; clear and concise.

They enable a fair treatment of staff across a diverse group of individuals and guide
and monitor the business within a set of parameters that are designed in line with
legal requirements.

Failing to implement policies and procedures can result in legal challenges; grievances
and law suits.

Remuneration strategies

The remuneration policy / strategy ensure that the organization is able to attract and
retain the staff that will drive delivery of the business strategies.

Remuneration strategies need to ensure a fair and consistent rate of pay across all
jobs and ensure that staff remuneration is competitive with market trends.

Effective workforce architecture ensures that remuneration is integrated with all the
other aspects of the workforce architecture database.

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 Introduction to the Lime Human Capital Offerings

In the illustration 1 we have clearly highlighted all the Lime Human Capital areas of
expertise.

Our primary focus is the design of the Competency Framework and Performance
Standards component of the architectural database.

Once this is well documented and agreed upon, we are well positioned to provide
consulting services to other areas such as:

 Staff planning.
 Talent planning.
 Assessments (design and deployment of assessment processes).
 Recruitment and selection (process and short listing facilitation as well as
candidate sourcing).
 Skills audit.
 Coaching and Mentoring.
 Career and succession plan / road mapping.

As we are not sales people and lack in the fine art of articulating what we can do for
your organization we have decided to provide you with a practical example of our LIME
HR Senior Manager Competency Framework.

Please note that this is an incomplete view and for a detailed framework you are
welcome to contact Mari on mari@limehc.co.za for your complementary HR Senior
Manager Competency Framework and interview questions.

This is to give you a hands on view of the information provided in our frameworks and
possible insights to the value created through our frameworks.

However this view is at a high level and much has yet to be explained!

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 Want more information?

If you are interested in a more detailed explanation of how our framework

methodology works and how it integrates with the various other disciplines within
the HR architectural framework, please contact Mari on (011) 021 2636 or
082 926 7729 to set up an appointment.

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 Workforce Architecture
Career Management Incentive and reward
management
 Career roadmaps
 Succession planning  Incentives
Organization
roadmaps Structure  Benefits
 Bonuses

Career planning Workforce management

 Skills audits  Staff planning

Competency
 Coaching Remuneration frameworks and  Talent planning

 Mentoring strategy performance  Assessments

standards  Recruitment and selection

Performance Management Training and development

 Performance appraisals HR Policies and  Induction

 Performance Processes, Legal  Training
measurement and Regulatory
 IR

Lime Human Capital specializes in all darker shaded areas of the workforce architecture framework

Lime human capital – a fresh approach

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