Ressources humaines

Report finds aerospace and defense companies face human capital shortfalls
The North American aerospace and defense industry will face significant challenges owing to problems in leadership development, talent sourcing, organizational structure and corporate culture problems, according to a report by Accenture.
The report is based on surveys and interviews with 40 executives employed at US and Canadian aerospace and defense companies with sales of at least $1 billion per year, according to MD-Aerospace and Defense Pinaki Dasgupta, who co-authored it. He told ATW that 67% of those surveyed said they lack confidence in their company's ability to develop future leaders while 63% lack confidence in their companies' ability to deal with human capital challenges. In many cases, a "top down, hierarchical structure" was cited as being a contributing factor to the challenges.
Warren Dodge, a senior executive with Accenture's Talent & Organization Performance Practice, said the aerospace and defense industry faces "daunting challenges," including a fast-approaching "leadership vacuum," as experienced executives and senior managers reach retirement age with few successors in the immediate pipeline. This is owing to post-Cold War hiring freezes and downsizings that created a barbell-like shape to many companies' workforces—heavily weighted toward senior and younger workers with insufficient numbers of those in the middle ready to climb the ladder into leadership roles.
A more fundamental challenge rests with changing workforce demographics in North America. According to the research, "Companies now face the harsh potential that sources of their most important skills—the so-called STEM skills of science, technology, engineering and math—are simply drying up." Both men believe that in order to attract more talented young people into the aerospace and defense sector, companies need to move from a "command and control" mindset into a more welcoming, collaborative, entrepreneurial environment more attractive to members of the so-called "Millennial Generation."
Dodge also emphasized the importance of changing internal cultures to stimulate the development of new leaders capable of performing in the global economy. The types of management skill sets that served companies well during the Cold War will be less effective today, he said. But he added that such a transformation can be achieved in a surprisingly short span. He cited Continental Airlines' journey "From Worst to First" under Gordon Bethune in the mid-1990s as an example of such a rapid change.