THE behaviours of Resource management (5)

Resource management refers to a leader's ability to determine the resource requirements of a project, analyse what the organisation has, deduce what is else is needed and acquire what is left. The fundamental forces at work when considering resource management can be simplified to the concept of Have, Need and Get.  

The Business Acumen Gauge measures how a leader aligns resources with strategic/tactical plans; how resource use is reviewed against plan; how organisational processes might be reviewed through a resource management lens and how a leader manages and reduces waste and inefficiency. 

Resources in this instance refers to internal/external, financial, human capital and physical resources. There are five measured behaviours, some of which are outlined below. 

resource management behaviours include:

Knows how to get the appropriate resources to deliver profitable outcomes

The initial phase of any project is the assessment of the resources currently at hand, clearly defined working parameters, the goal and success measures. The "Get" function is directly linked to the projects overall goals and objectives, budgetary constraints and risk assessment.

Predicts future resource requirements in an appropriate time frame

A leader's ability to predict resourcing requirements is essential for the function of any organisation. Take, for example, the Human Resource Manager that doesn't plan ahead for a significant spike in human capital requirements to support growth in a particular area of the business (reactive hiring). Production requirements can't be met and a significant opportunity is lost. Or consider an Operations Manager so caught up in the day to day that she/he neglects to see that current plant and equipment will be insufficient to meet an impending seasonal demand. A competitor will fill the gap left by under-supply. This capability allows you to measure and develop a leader's ability to predict future resource requirements. 

Eliminates waste and inefficiency

Organisations pay consultancies to audit their businesses to eliminate waste and inefficiency. Yet daily leaders are presented with evidence of inefficient practice and resource waste. They may overlook this evidence for a variety of reasons including a lack of awareness or an assumption that the function is the responsibility of someone else. This behaviour allows you to set an expectation with leaders and develop their awareness of waste and inefficiency (see sample below).