A workforce design model: providing energy to organizations in transition

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the change in performance realized by a professional services organization, which resulted in the Life Giving Workforce Design (LGWD) model through a grounded theory research design. This study produced a workforce design model characterized as an organizational blueprint that provides virtuous values to an open system in such a way to generate boundless energy to coordinate, motivate and stimulate human capital in accomplishing organizational objectives. The model represents an organizational strategy and structure that builds upon four primary disciplines - liberating leadership, authentic engagement, appreciative culture and sustainable systems and encompasses each discipline's corresponding operational practices. The operational practices were formulated to operationalize the model and to provide specific actionable tasks that would be meaningful to managerial practitioners. The potential utility and adaptability of the LGWD model and its related practices provides an organizational configuration maximizing the proficient use of human capital in the advancement of managerial objectives. The LGWD suggests that a collaborative correlation of the four disciplines, through the activation of operational practices, assists in the creation of a workforce that is self-engaging and an organization that is effective, productive, and successful. The main conclusions of this study are that specific organizational characteristics and conditions inspire human capital to flourish and contribute in organizational effectiveness. The model advocates that effective and efficient use of human capital is a prerequisite to improving corporate performance as measured by enhanced revenues, increased operating profits, improved employee retention, and superior client relations.