Redeployment is a strategic course of action taken by an organization to redirect or reallocate its current human resources: its employees. Continued utilization of effective human capital is primary to the life of an organization. Redeployment, which comes as a result of business circumstance or necessity, can be viewed as an intended transitional process. While employers may use redeployment as a reactive measure, the benefit of this continued process would be prolonged use or preservation of valued human capital. From a strategic perspective, the process would include taking measures to assess value attached to an employee’s expertise, knowledge, skills, and abilities. Then the organization would have to determine where the resources can be best used in response to the organization’s internal need to change. Redeployment is used when a company shifts a surplus of human resources from one department or division to another or to other units of its business that are in need of staff.
Change can come in many forms. For example, an organization could experience a merger, acquisition, downsizing, right-sizing, restructuring, or many other situations requiring a need to shift its resources and still retain assets attached to its valued employees. Redeployment is an effort to harness human knowledge that is already rooted, grown, and matured in an organization. This effort to harness resources would benefit an organization as it attempts to minimize the loss of valuable employees.
As a strategy, redeployment can be very effective. As employers set out to strategize and remain market-competitive, there is a need to retain expertise, knowledge, and know-how where possible. For example, knowledge-based organizations yield effective results through the use of redeployment maneuvers. The maneuvers should parallel the organization’s business practices to respond to and counter market needs. As well, new business is constantly being won or lost. Employers are most efficient when they are able to retain their skill set, knowledge base, educational and practical experience, and corporate culture. Employers seek to redeploy employees and retain knowledge within the organization and minimize the drain on their intellectual knowledge base. Consistency of services would be promoted in the redeployment of human resources. As well, redeployment enables employers to provide services without loss of quality talent. Employees would take from the redeployment a sense of good faith on the employer’s part. In return, valued employees are retained within the organization that can enhance an employee’s organizational loyalty. Redeployment permits management to redirect its human resources in a manner that is both beneficial to the valued employees and the organization as it moves through phases of change. As employers manage staffing needs, the redeployment of staff augments effective human resource management practices. Redeployment is opportunistic for an organization’s staff. It allows organizations to make knowledge shifts to sections of the organization where this knowledge can be utilized.
As organizations reallocate their knowledge resources, those transferable resources are put to use in new arenas; new work facets are experienced expanding and compounding employees’ duties and responsibilities within the organization. When there is a need to redeploy employees, managers assess in advance when resources will become available and can plan in advance for their redeployment to another line of business. Employees who are redeployed— redeployees—can be considered for vacant and new positions, including any positions made vacant by various forms of voluntary or involuntary turnover. Retraining can augment redeployment. Recognizing that different job families and levels of employees will have varying needs as they transition, employers can train in an effort to enhance the knowledge base of employees as required.
Redeployment processes can include many facets. Redeployment policy and procedures should be developed internally as a proactive measure. The option to be redeployed can be pushed as a benefit of the organization or an alternative to a reduction in force or layoff. Due consideration should be given to employees considered for selection or interested in being redeployed. In response to a surplus of staff, a manager or supervisor would assess the skill level of the employee and the viability of continued employment. Once this realistic assessment has taken place, there would be a need to look at alternative positions or locations within the organization where an employee’s skill set would be beneficial. Successful deployment could manifest effective outcomes for the organization as a whole.
As an extension of career development, redeployment could be a successful means of progression where an organization faces change. This change could promote opportunities for advancement and growth of an employee or a group of employees possessing the talents, skills, education, and expertise that can be transferred and redeployed in an organization. Employees can gain being given an opportunity to use their skill set in other areas of the organization. Training opportunities can also aid employees in their professional development. In addition, employees who are transferred or moved to other areas will benefit from being exposed to new business units. Employees will grow in flexibility as they are challenged with new experiences. Redeployment could be viewed as negative; still, the process is advantageous to employees. Strategic shifts and maneuvers to preserve the longevity of an organization’s knowledge base are crucial to the success of the organization. Redeployment is not a standard means of career pathing or movement within an organization; however, it is a process or measure by which organizations can open doors of opportunity to employees. The door would permit employees to continue working for the organization while the organization capitalizes on the strength of a consistent knowledge base. Employers seek expeditiously to capture and harness the value brought to the organization by its employees. Consistency of knowledge is a benefit to the organization and to the organization’s client base. Even in the face of adversity, an organization that redeploys its employees smoothly transitions through change to provide continued service to its customers without interruption in quality or value received by the customer.
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References:
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