Why do so many workforce strategies fail to deliver real change? 

By Michelle O’Neill, Leadership & Organisation Principal Consultant at West Midlands Employers 

For this edition of The Pulse, I wanted to share something genuinely helpful, drawing upon what should be our core and go-to Organisational Development (OD) strengths So, I put myself in your shoes and reflected on the work we’ve been doing particularly in the strategic workforce planning space. 

Let’s be honest. No two local authorities are facing the exact same workforce challenge. Some of you are dealing with the relentless grind of budget pressures and service demands. Others are staring down the reality of devolution and reorganisation, knowing the next two years could bring structural upheaval. 

Whatever your situation, you need more than just a good workforce strategy – you need one that works in the face of what’s coming. 

And that’s where all my talk of the windmill comes in. Just humour me for a minute: 

A workforce strategy isn’t just a document, it’s a system – a way of working. Like a windmill, every part needs to work in sync, or nothing moves forward. 

• The Blades as Workforce Challenges – the external forces shaping your reality: budget cuts, recruitment struggles, retention crisis and devolution. 

• The Windshaft as HR & OD – the mechanism that turns workforce insight and energy into movement and delivery 

• The Millstones as the Policies & Performance – the processes that shape and enable talent, skills, and progression. 

• The Tower as Governance, Culture & Structures – the foundation that keeps your workforce system stable and resilient. 

• The Fantail as Leadership – the small but mighty force that ensures you are always facing in the right direction. 

If one part isn’t working, the whole system struggles. But not everyone’s windmill maybe stalling in the same way. 

So, what’s holding yours back? 

Depending on where you are, different parts of your windmill will need urgent attention. 

1. Are the blades stuck? (Big external pressures overpowering your efforts?)

If so: Stop playing defence and start shaping demand. 

• If recruitment and retention challenges are taking over, are you predicting the workforce shifts ahead, or just reacting to them? 

• Have you tested scenario mapping to anticipate your workforce needs in 3-5 years? 

• OD expertise is critical here. Workforce planning isn’t just about filling vacancies it’s about designing how work happens. 

Try this: Run a ‘Future Workforce’ scenario session with service directors. Explore best- and worst-case workforce futures. 

2. Is the wind shaft broken? (HR & OD struggling to turn insight into action?)

If so: Make OD a strategic driver, not just a support function. 

• OD isn’t a luxury it’s what makes workforce strategies work. If OD isn’t embedded in decision-making, workforce plans will stay reactive. 

• You need OD time and expertise to spot systemic issues, test new models, and shape workforce thinking. Do you have the capacity and capability right now? 

Try this: Make sure every major workforce decision includes an OD-led systems thinking review – are policies, processes, and leadership aligning? 

3. Are the millstones grinding to a halt? (Policies & processes working against you?)

If so: Prioritise fixing the systems that are slowing you down. 

• Is recruitment too slow? Are performance processes driving the right behaviours? Are rigid structures blocking talent movement? 

• If your millstones don’t turn, the whole workforce system clogs up. 

Try this: map a key workforce process (e.g., recruitment, career progression) using systems thinking. Identify where the real blocks are, then remove them. 

4. Is the tower cracking? (Governance & culture undermining progress?)

If so: make workforce planning a leadership issue, not just an HR one. 

• If you’re going through reorganisation, devolution, or structural change, governance isn’t just an issue – it’s the issue. 

• Too many workforce strategies fail because they aren’t woven into business strategy they’re seen as separate. 

Try this: Ensure workforce planning is on every leadership agenda. Not as an HR update, but as a core part of financial and service planning. 

5. Is the fantail failing? (Leadership struggling to set or role model a bold direction?)

If so: Invest in leaders’ ability to not just manage today but actively shape the future. 

• Leaders who can’t adapt to change become the bottleneck. Workforce strategy needs leaders who think in scenarios, systems, and possibilities. 

• OD professionals are key here. If leadership teams aren’t confident about the future of work, who’s helping them make sense of it? 

Try this: Launch a ‘Future-Fit’ Leadership programme. Not generic leadership training, but real-time support and appetite for leading in uncertainty, AI adoption, and workforce redesign. 

No two windmills are the same – but they all need to work 

If you’re in a stable authority, your challenge might be getting HR & OD to drive strategic action. 

If you’re facing reorganisation, your challenge might be keeping the system from dividing or falling apart entirely. 

Either way, the risk is the same – a workforce strategy that looks great on paper but never shifts reality. 

So, my question to you is: what part of your windmill is holding you back? 

Join us at the Workforce Summit to explore solutions tailored to local authority challenges, gain insights from sector leaders, and shape the future of your public service workforce 

Because you don’t need another workforce strategy. You need one that works 

#BuildAWindmill