The Workforce Awakens: The Star Wars Story of Workforce Management

(WARNING!!! This blog may contain spoilers) 

On its way to being the biggest movie in all of box-office history, Star Wars the Force Awakens is the reawakening of a legacy that has touched the hearts and captured the imaginations of millions. The new storyline begins 30 years after the events of Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. The First Order has risen from the ashes of the Galactic Empire and is opposed by General Leia Organa and the Resistance. Both sides are searching for the missing Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. New heroes rise in the form of Rey, an extremely force-sensitive scavenger from Jakku, and Finn, a stormtrooper turned hero who defects from the first order. Together they embark on a journey to find Luke Skywalker and cripple the First Order by destroying their new super-weapon, Starkiller Base. Kylo Ren, the apprentice of the Sith Lord Snoke, opposes these heroes.

Throughout the movie, loyalties are tested and alliances are formed as the Resistance takes on the First Order. So what does Star Wars have to do with Workforce Management? There is a lot we can learn about managing a workforce by looking at the Star Wars universe. Here are the top 4 lessons we can learn from Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

1. Training without Purpose is Futile:

The First Order and the Resistance are both searching for Luke Skywalker, but for different reasons. As the First Order, lead by Kylo Ren, scours the galaxy for the last piece of the map that leads to Skywalker, they decimate anything and anyone who gets in the way. During a raid of the planet Jakku, Kylo Ren orders one of his captains to slaughter a village of innocent civilians. Stormtrooper FN-2187 is horrified as the massacre plays out in front of him, remaining motionless and refusing to fire his weapon.

Stormtrooper FN-2187 later escapes from the First Order and renames himself, Finn. One of the main characters of the new film, Finn battles with reinventing himself apart from the First Order. Although he underwent intense brainwashing and training, it did not stop him from walking away from what he thought was wrong. We can learn a valuable lesson from Finn: Training without purpose is futile. No amount of training or education about WFM software will motivate employees to use the software to its full potential. It is crucial to communicate the purpose of the software and to pull employees into the bigger picture of what the changes will mean for the organization long term.

2. Buy-In is Key:

When Rey and Finn cross paths with Han Solo, it doesn’t take for the three of them to band together to bring BB-8 to the Resistance. Han takes Rey, Finn, and BB-8 to the planet of Takodana to meet with Maz Kanata. While Han, Chewie, and Rey are speaking Maz, Finn steps out to make a deal of his own and hires two pilots to take him away to Outer Rim for work. Even though Rey begs him to stay and fight for the Resistance, he insists on leaving. It is not until later, when Rey is taken by Kylo Ren, that Finn changes his mind and goes with Han to meet the Resistance.

Buy-in is everything. People naturally resist change, which means organizations often deal with significant internal resistance (no pun intended) during the implementation of major systems, especially a system like Kronos that touches every employee. It took Rey being kidnapped by the First Order for Finn to be motivated enough to fight for the resistance. When conducting an enterprise software implementation or upgrade, it is crucial to make sure all parties involved are motivated and fully understand the purpose and benefits of the project. Change Management planning is key to overcoming natural resistance. Change Management is how and organization plans to help employees deal with the change and use the software correctly. Creating an effective communicating and training plan will help eliminate potential points of friction. If effective communication and education are implemented during a WFM project, you are much more likely to achieve buy-in from both management and end-users.

3. Allies are Everything.

General Leia Organa bravely leads the Resistance against the First Order, all while searching for her missing brother, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. When Organa gets word that the First Order is attacking Maz Finn on the planet of Takodana and that Han Solo is in danger, she immediately sends in a squad of X-wing fighters to fight the First Order. Without the aid of the Resistance, Han and Finn would not have survived.

In the Star Wars universe and the business universe, allies are everything. When beginning a Kronos implementation or upgrade, a key step is to choose/find project champions or, in this case, allies. Creating a sponsorship team to drive the project and advocate for it is the first step in strategic alignment. The project owner or “champion” should be as high in the organization as feasible. The higher the placement of this “champion” the more holistic their view of the entire organization’s direction and ongoing initiatives that may interfere with resource availability and pull focus from the implementation. Ideally, the project owner will also have the authority to make the majority of decisions pertaining to the project by themselves. This includes mission-critical fiscal and labor decisions.

4. Silos are the real enemy.

Most of the movie, the main characters are hopelessly searching for Jedi Master, Luke Skywalker. The devastation brought by the First Order and the turning of Ben Solo has divided Leia, Han, and Luke, pushing them to opposite sides of the galaxy. The lack of unity proves extremely ineffective as the First Order gains power and the Resistance fights to gain an edge. These three powerhouses operating in silos cannot defend the galaxy. The same goes for large enterprise implementations. Departments and individuals cannot operate within silos.

One of the most common mistakes made during a WFM project is implementing Kronos in a silo. Improvizations often completes an Implementation Audit after a failed or subpar implementation, which often reveals a complete lack of cohesiveness and participation in the process by those whom the software will affect most.

WFM software is touched by every person in an organization, creating a need for concise communication between all parties. The best way to ensure clear communication is to build teams that can communicate effectively. There are 3 core teams to build and manage during an implementation:

1. The Core team: PM, the Project Sponsor, the IT implementation team, consultants, HR person, PR person, Operations representative, and a Finance representative. 

2. The Requirements team:A more detailed version of the Core team, the Requirements team should consist of management in each of the core team areas as well as a clerk or analyst. Bring in someone from Facilities, Security and multiple Supervisors from each of the departments and locations. The Requirements group is part of the Analysis, Design Review and Alpha Test team.

3. The Extended team:Built upon the Requirements team, the Extended team is responsible for running test plans. The test plans should be run by a greater number of employees after other teams have tested. Consider the Extended team members as beta-testers. 

Workforce Management has a place in every universe. By implementing these best practices, you can make sure that your WFM software is working to gain your organization the most ROI possible. Always remember, when it comes to Workforce Management: 

"Do or do not. There is no Try."

-Yoda

To learn more about best practices, download our white paper, 

“Successful WFM Implementation Strategies.”