Strategic workforce planning has been put in the too-hard basket for too many companies.
But this recent McKinsey article makes a strong case for why it’s not only more important than ever – it’s also easier to do in the age of Generative AI.
According to McKinsey, while 80 percent of organisations believe workforce planning is now essential, only 28 percent have taken meaningful action. That gap is where risk lives – and where opportunity is lost.
The good news? AI isn’t just the disruptor – it’s also the enabler.
Used well, it gives us the insights and speed we need to plan more effectively, anticipate disruption, and align our people to our purpose.
But here’s the kicker – you still have to bring your humans with you. Because even the best plan will fail if your people don’t believe in it, understand it, or feel part of it.
McKinsey’s Key Findings
Companies with mature strategic workforce planning capabilities are:
• 2.3 times more likely to avoid talent shortages
• 1.4 times more likely to hit their strategic goals
• Far more confident in their ability to implement AI and emerging tech
Yet most are still planning for headcount – not capabilities.
This is a critical mindset shift. You can’t design a future-fit organisation using yesterday’s job titles. You need to focus on the skills and tasks required to meet your business objectives – not just the roles.
And you can’t treat workforce planning as a static, once-a-year exercise. In today’s world, it needs to be an ongoing, living process that adapts as quickly as the world does.
The Modern Talent Strategy Model
This is where McKinsey’s insights align with what one of the things my friend and colleague Laura Staples have been working on.
The Modern Talent Strategy (MTS) Model starts with work – not jobs – and asks four key questions:
• Can this task be automated?
• Can it be augmented with AI?
• Can it be outsourced or done by a partner, freelancer or platform?
• Or does it need to be done by a human in-house?
Once we answer those questions, we build a blended workforce model using a mix of:
• Full-time employees
• Internal mobility and reskilling
• Project-based or fractional talent
• Talent platforms and partnerships
• Even co-opetition models in some cases
It’s agile, cost-effective, and perfectly positioned for the decade of radical change we’re now in.
Don’t Forget Your People
I say this often because it’s true – AI won’t replace most people in the short term.
But people who know how to use AI effectively will absolutely outpace those who don’t.
Which is why bringing your humans along on the journey is just as important as the strategy itself. Change that’s done to people is resisted. Change that’s done with them? That’s when transformation happens.
When you involve your workforce, build trust, and upskill with intention, you create a culture that’s not only ready for change – it thrives on it.
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The Bottom Line
Strategic workforce planning is no longer about roles and org charts. It’s about designing work – and a workforce – that can adapt, respond, and thrive in an AI-powered world.
If you haven’t rethought your workforce strategy in the last six months, now’s the time.
The Modern Talent Strategy model gives you a clear, practical framework to do just that.
Want help? Let’s talk. Or join one of my upcoming AI Deep Dive Labs – where we turn theory into action and help you build the future of work today.
