External organizational environments

de Joel A. Fadem

Successful American companies are now factoring human resource issues into strategic business plans based on an assessment of current and projected environmental challenges to future corporate position. This typically requires a multi-tiered, participative planning process and a consensus on business and human resource targets. To support this, many corporations have created top level positions for "Issues Managers," "Environmental Analysts," and "Risk Managers." Key to successfully merging business and personnel planning is the ability to reliably "scan" a company's external environment. A comprehensive scan identifies an array of emerging social, demographic, economic, technological, and political developments and assesses potential impacts. External Organizational Environments is based on a survey of published information on major trends and developments in the 1980's which are likely to affect performance and viability of organizations. Thirty-one key trends are identified under eight major topics: Workforce Demographics; Technological Innovation; Work Force Social Values; Unions and Collective Bargaining; International Developments; and Human Resource Management. The 251-page report contains an Executive Summary and list of references for each section. This book is designed to satisfy several presentational needs. Each of the 31 sections is divided into a Trend Statement, Supporting Data (graphic), a brief outline of Major Implications; and Detailed Analysis of each implication. The work in this book was originally commissioned by the Environmental Scanning Association, a select group of executives responsible for human resource planning from 21 Fortune 200 companies.