Org Design & Workforce glossary
45 terms on organization design, workforce planning, skills and workforce cost.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Org Design & Workforce glossary?
It is a reference of 45 terms used to design organizations and plan the workforce, from organizational structure, spans and layers, decision rights and Team Topologies to workforce planning, FTE, skills taxonomies and total cost of workforce. Each entry gives a short definition first, then explains what the term means in practice.
Who is the Org Design & Workforce glossary for?
Executives and transformation leaders, HR and organization design teams, workforce planners and people analytics teams, finance partners who plan headcount and labor cost, and managers responsible for how their teams are structured and staffed.
How are the terms organized?
Terms are listed A to Z and tagged by category: organization design; workforce planning and analytics; skills and talent; and workforce economics and transformation. Use the search box or the category filters to narrow the list, or jump straight to a letter.
What is the difference between workforce planning and headcount planning?
Headcount planning decides how many people the organization will employ over the next 12 to 18 months, in which roles and at what cost, and is tied to the budget. Workforce planning is broader. It looks at skills, workforce mix and future needs, often three to five years ahead, and decides whether to build, buy, borrow or automate. See workforce planning.
How do org design and workforce fit into the Enterprise Operating Model?
Org design and workforce sit in the Foundation of the Enterprise Operating Model. They connect how the organization is structured and staffed, and what its people cost, to the strategy, funding and work that the rest of the model plans and tracks. Explore workforce and labor.