FirstPreviousNext

Industry Canada Business Plan 2009–2010

Strategic enablers

People management

Effective human resources planning requires an in-depth understanding of the Department's current human resources situation and the state of its people management, paired with an understanding of the human resources capacity and capabilities required to deliver the mandate and achieve business strategies and objectives.

Industry Canada faces significant demographic and competitive challenges that are affecting the Department's efforts to enhance the long-term viability of its workforce:

• demographic realities of the Department's workforce, such as anticipated retirements, a competitive labour market requiring advanced skills, necessary increases in bilingual capacity, and related recruitment, retention and development challenges
• the need to align business and human resources planning processes with the resource allocation process
• increasing demands for strategic analysis and corporate knowledge sharing

The employee population at Industry Canada is changing, with rising average ages and looming retirements. In 2007–2008, the average employee age was 44 years, with 34 percent of the workforce being older than 50. Close to one third of employees will be eligible to retire in the next five years, and the Department's rate of departure has exceeded the recruitment rate for the last four years. With current recruitment and departure patterns, Industry Canada's workforce will decrease by 6.5 percent by 2013.¹

Industry Canada's workforce comprises many occupational groups. The Department is the leading employer of Commerce Officers (CO) and Patent Examination Officers (SG-PAT) in the federal government, and both of these groups have challenges due to the low rate of internal promotions and recruitment shortfalls, respectively. Based on demographic information, the groups below are considered to require specific attention and strategies to maintain and attract talent.²

Renewal strategies and succession planning on a sectoral (and skill group) basis will be important in addressing anticipated retirements and assuring that a sufficient complement of skills and workers will be able to carry on departmental business. The Department's human resource planning process aims to see that strategies, plans and progress are made in addressing these risk factors.

People management strategy for renewal and results

The challenges presented by an aging workforce and an increasing number of retirements at Industry Canada provide an opportunity for a cultural shift in people management. In the context of public service renewal, Industry Canada has assessed the current workforce composition and state of people management within the Department, identified gaps, and established a clear and compelling future state for people management in order to mobilize, align and drive efforts to make this vision a reality.

People Management Pillars

Industry Canada's people management strategy is aligned to four pillars: leadership development, employee engagement and renewal, human resources service excellence and performance improvement, and integrity and accountability.

Industry Canada's desired future state for each of these people management pillars is set out below. The Department has committed to realizing the goals under each pillar by 2011 and has established key measures against which progress will be reported.

Leadership development

• Executive talent is actively managed, ensuring development and retention.
• The development of the next generation of executives is nurtured within the organization.
• High-performing mid-career executives are attracted to Industry Canada by opportunities to be challenged, develop and grow in their careers.
• Managers at all levels receive leadership development opportunities and are well equipped to lead and engage their employees.

Employee engagement and renewal

• A workforce that reflects Canada's diversity is recruited into multiple developmental career streams to meet the challenge of the increasing number of retirements and to simplify internal promotion processes.
• Employees progress through career development programs that support competency development and provide systematic and rigorous performance feedback and integrated learning opportunities.
• Employees develop a growing sense of affiliation with the Department through opportunities to explore varied work assignments, within a culture that supports strong relationships among peer groups and regular mentoring, knowledge transfer and feedback from senior leaders.
• As ambassadors of Industry Canada, employees understand its key strategic objectives. Employees also understand where they fit and how they might seek work opportunities to further their development within the organization.
• Management and human resources professionals work jointly on value-added people management outcomes, improving the workplace, reducing time to hire, supporting employee development and effectively managing performance.

Human resources service excellence and performance improvement

• Speed of service and client satisfaction are seen as key enablers of Industry Canada's Human Resources Branch's success in delivering business value.
• The Branch is recognized for its client-centred approach and performance-based culture.
• The Branch's knowledge of clients' business needs ensures value in recruitment and organizational design; compliance and other risk management advisory services are seamlessly offered.
• Productivity is improved through the use of automated workflow technology and increased self-service for managers and employees.
• A single authoritative system of records holds information on all of the Department's people, increasing efficiency and multi-functionality.

Integrity and accountability

• Employees and human resources oversight bodies have confidence in Industry Canada's people management practices.
• The Department is recognized for its innovative people management approaches.
• Department achieves the highest possible Management Accountability Framework rating for people management excellence.

Employment Equity Action Plan

Industry Canada strives to position itself as a workplace of choice by fostering a work environment that supports open communication, respect, and equal access to employment and promotional opportunities for everyone.

The Department recognizes that having a diverse workforce and providing a work environment in which all employees can realize their full potential not only makes the organization more attractive and stimulating, but also positions Industry Canada to develop its business in the diverse markets and communities it serves. Diversity is key to creativity, innovation and achieving excellence. If diversity is to succeed, it requires commitment from all employees.

Accordingly, the Department has made a commitment to create a productive, welcoming and supportive work environment that allows each employee to contribute according to his or her potential.

To realize the Department's people management goals, Industry Canada's 2007–2010 Employment Equity Action Plan focuses on four high-priority objectives:

• Be accountable through leadership and commitment.
• Improve the representation of designated groups where under-representation exists, across the Department and within sectors, branches and regions.
• Foster an inclusive culture that supports the successful integration and retention of designated group employees.
• Sustain an organizational culture that embraces diversity.

The plan includes strategies and concrete actions, at both corporate and sectoral levels, to ensure that these objectives are met.

In addition, members of the departmental Employment Equity and Diversity Advisory Committee, which comprises representatives of the four employment equity designated groups, managers, and interested people from both headquarters and the regions, work collaboratively to create an inclusive work environment and provide views, advice and recommendations to senior management on issues that affect recruitment, retention, career progression, accommodation and accessibility for designated groups.

• At the end of the 2007–2008 fiscal year, Industry Canada's employee population reflected the workforce availability of all employee equity groups. As part of the Department's 2007–2008 public service renewal exercise, 33 new recruits (27.5 percent) self-identified as being a member of visible minorities, and it is expected that external recruitment efforts in 2008–2009 will continue to increase departmental visible minority representation.

Respect

We value diversity among our employees and the range of perspectives they bring to the work we do. That's why we strive to ensure that our workplaces are equitable, supportive and respectful, and that our workforce is representative of Canada's social and ethnic diversity. In this same way, we are creating an environment that is conducive to using either official language. We are also working to ensure that Industry Canada's services are offered equally in both official languages. And we are encouraging and supporting employees to increase their capacity to work in their second official language.

Growth

Continuous learning is an important part of our work. Industry Canada supports the professional and personal growth of its employees. Each employee has the right to develop a tailored personal learning plan with his or her manager that may include opportunities for career development, progression, mentoring and training. In addition, networking events and community building exercises are just some of the ways that Industry Canada's Young Professionals Networks (YPNs) are helping to shape our workplace. Industry Sector, Spectrum, Information Technologies and Telecommunications Sector, Strategic Policy Sector, and the Competition Bureau have established YPNs with open membership.

Renewal

Making this department a great place to work is not just a management exercise. It depends on the engagement and commitment of each individual, employees and managers at all levels across the organization. It's about building on the ideas of individuals and providing excellent advice and service as a result. It's about finding and developing great employees who want to make a real difference in their jobs. Industry Canada is working to foster a workplace and culture that supports today's knowledge workers and is sufficiently flexible to ensure we can meet the challenges ahead with confidence.

Top of Page

Management accountability

Industry Canada comprises many entities, each with a distinct mandate. Program activities are diverse and highly dependent on partnerships, and affect a wide variety of stakeholders.

Departmental integration is achieved through Industry Canada's Management, Resources and Results Structure, which sets out common strategic outcomes and a governance structure that brings together senior executives from across the organization through committees for policy and management engagement and decision making. These committees provide advice to the Executive Committee, which supports the Deputy Minister and the Senior Associate Deputy Minister in fulfilling their management responsibilities for the Department.

To enhance management oversight, Industry Canada established an external member departmental audit committee in October 2007. The committee provides objective advice and guidance about departmental risk management, internal controls and governance processes. Further, through the implementation of the Treasury Board Policy on Internal Audit and new Evaluation Policy, the Audit and Evaluation Branch will strengthen management oversight by responding to departmental priorities, helping departmental management enhance the efficiency, effectiveness and economy of operations, and supporting informed decision making and enhanced performance and accountability across the Department.

Industry Canada uses the annual Management Accountability Framework assessment to identify management strengths and opportunities for improvement. Treasury Board Secretariat has recognized the Department for its strong management frameworks for information technology, financial control, and security and business continuity. Over the last year, efforts have been focused on strengthening frameworks for performance measurement and reporting, risk management, information management, asset management and project management.

2009–2010 management objectives

Corporate performance framework

Industry Canada will implement the renewed Performance Measurement Framework, which sets out expected program results, performance indicators and targets, and a data collection, monitoring and reporting strategy. Implementation of the Framework will strengthen management decision making related to program planning, priority setting and resource allocation. Furthermore, there will be improved performance information to support program evaluations and audits.

Effective risk management

Industry Canada will build on the progress it made in 2008–2009 in setting the foundation for a departmental approach to risk management. Building on the work completed to renew Industry Canada's Corporate Risk Profile, the Department's Integrated Risk Management Framework will be implemented at the operational level. This will ensure that there will be risk profiles for each of Industry Canada's programs, as per the Program Activity Architecture, a document approved by Treasury Board Secretariat that sets out how the Department allocates and manages the resources under its control to achieve intended results.

Effective information management

Industry Canada has developed a multi-year Information Management (IM) Agenda to ensure that departmental information is managed efficiently and effectively to support program and service delivery; foster informed decision making; facilitate accountability, transparency and collaboration; and preserve access to information and records for the benefit of present and future generations.

In 2009–2010 the Department will focus on building the foundation elements of the IM Agenda: establishing the IM governance structures, policies and guidelines to support the management of information; developing a strategy to build IM specialist capacity; and developing an Enterprise Business-based Classification Structure (BCS), which will enable Industry Canada to organize its information resources based on the Department's Program Activity Architecture (PAA).

Strategic management of information technology

A five-year IT strategy will be in place for 2009–2010. The strategy will support continued evolution of IT systems and processes, enhancing Industry Canada's ability to deliver IT-enabled services to Canadians. Key themes in the strategy are promoting alignment of IT investments with the Department's business goals, and encouraging greater horizontal collaboration in systems development within Industry Canada and across government.

Effective asset management

Industry Canada will implement the Real Property Management Framework and associated policy and performance measures that were developed in 2008–2009. These tools will strengthen investment decision making, which is reflected in the annual update of the Department's Investment Plan.

Top of Page

Corporate functions

The following corporate functions and services enable the effective and efficient delivery of Industry Canada's programs and services. Integration of these enabling functions into the business planning process is a key factor of success.

¹ This year the Executive Group in particular is facing the impacts of demographic shifts. As of March 31, 2008, 49.7 percent of employees in the Executive Group are 50 years of age or older, and 46.1 percent could opt for retirement by 2009–2010.

² “Strategic Outlook: Recruitment and Departures.” Presentation to Management Committee, April 24, 2008.

Rate this page

The content of this page was useful to me.

Not useful 1

2

3

4

Very useful 5

x Close