Beyond Headcounts: An Experiential Activity to Teach the Dynamic Process of HR Workforce Planning

While workforce planning is a key practice in human resource (HR) management, it is often taught as a linear process that does not reflect organizational realities. We present an activity that engages students in a realistic workforce planning exercise where they can experience the uncertainty, work politics, and coordination of multiple stakeholders often involved with the practice. Students are assigned to HR or operational teams and provided with team scenarios outlining competing personnel needs and objectives. Each HR team meets with each operational team to discuss their talent needs before presenting and justifying final resource allocations. Debriefing highlights asymmetric information, the importance of collaboration between HR and managers, and the need to balance departmental demands with organizational priorities.