Coming soon · Step-by-step Guide
Agile Workforce Planning
An agile, six-stage framework for aligning an organization's workforce with its evolving business strategy to improve performance and build resilience in a volatile world.
This is a step-by-step procedural book — we're building it into Stepcode, with a profile to follow.
What it’s about
In today's fast-paced and unpredictable business environment, traditional, static workforce planning is a recipe for failure. This book provides a practical and definitive guide to Agile Workforce Planning, a dynamic and iterative methodology designed to continuously align your people with your organizational strategy. Author Adam Gibson lays out a clear six-stage framework—Baseline, Supply, Demand, Gap Analysis, Action Plan, and Deliver—that moves beyond outdated headcount budgeting. You will learn to achieve the 'Seven Rights' of workforce planning (right capability, size, shape, location, time, cost, and risk) and master the 'Seven Bs' of action planning, powerful levers that include often-overlooked demand optimization strategies ('Balance' and 'Bot') alongside comprehensive talent management tactics ('Buy', 'Build', 'Borrow', 'Bind', and 'Bounce'). Packed with real-world case studies and actionable insights, this is the essential handbook for any HR professional or business leader aiming to build a future-proof, productive, and strategically aligned workforce.
The through-line
- Who it’s for
- A Human Resources professional, business leader, or workforce planning practitioner struggling to make their organization's talent strategy responsive and aligned with its strategic goals.
- The problem
- Traditional workforce planning methods are too slow, static, and disconnected from the fast-paced, uncertain (VUCA) reality of the business, resulting in persistent skill gaps, reactive hiring, and an inability to execute strategy effectively. They feel frustrated, overwhelmed, and undervalued, constantly firefighting talent issues or creating elaborate plans that quickly become obsolete, making them feel like a reactive administrator rather than a strategic partner.
- The plan
- Baseline: Analyze the strategic context and your current workforce to establish a clear starting point and gain stakeholder buy-in.
- Supply & Demand: Forecast the evolution of your existing workforce (supply) and the future needs of the business (demand).
- Gap Analysis & Action Plan: Identify the gap between supply and demand, then create a plan using the 'Seven B' levers to close it.
- Deliver: Implement the plan as a living, iterative process, continuously monitoring, adapting, and embedding it into the business rhythm.
- The payoff
- Becoming a respected strategic partner who proactively shapes the workforce to drive business success. · Leading an organization that is resilient, adaptable, and consistently has the right capabilities to meet its goals. · Making data-driven decisions that optimize talent investments, reduce costs, and mitigate workforce risks.
See our guide
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Additional reading
- The Organism · Kurt Goldstein
Maslow sources the term 'self-actualization' from Goldstein and builds upon his holistic view of the organism.
- Explorations in Personality · H. A. Murray, et al.
Cited as providing an 'excellent discussion' on the basic principle of centering motivation theory on goals rather than instigation or behavior.
- Social Interest · Alfred Adler
Maslow credits Adler and his followers for stressing the importance of the 'esteem needs,' which he felt were neglected by Freudian psychoanalysts.
- Wisdom of the Body · W. B. Cannon
Provides the foundational concept of 'homeostasis,' which Maslow uses as the starting point for his discussion of physiological needs.
- Multipliers · Liz Wiseman
Explores how leaders can either amplify ('multiply') or diminish ('diminish') the intelligence and capabilities of their teams, a key concept for creating a positive, low-anxiety environment.
- The Fearless Organization · Amy Edmondson
Provides the foundational research and practical steps for creating psychological safety, which the book identifies as crucial for reducing interpersonal anxiety and encouraging people to speak up.
- Mindset · Carol Dweck
Explains the difference between a 'growth mindset' and a 'fixed mindset,' which is presented as a key tool for helping employees manage perfectionism and see failures as learning opportunities.
- Crucial Conversations · Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, et al.
Recommended as a resource for employees to learn how to navigate difficult, high-stakes conversations, directly addressing the book's theme of moving from conflict avoidance to healthy debate.
- Better Allies · Karen Catlin
The author is quoted on specific, actionable steps for allyship, making her book a practical guide for implementing the principles in Chapter 7.
- Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People · Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald
Explains the science of implicit bias, which is central to the book's argument that leaders need to be proactive allies because 'not being racist/sexist' isn't enough.