Strategic Workforce Planning in the Healthcare Sector with Cody Martin

In our very first episode of Talent Draup, Vijay Swaminathan, CEO of Draup, sits down with Cody Martin, the Director of Total Workforce Management at Johnson & Johnson, to explore the evolving landscape of talent intelligence and strategic workforce planning. 

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Cody shares insights on identifying hidden competitors, leveraging AI-driven skills architectures, and effectively aligning talent strategies with business goals. Cody emphasizes that a company’s competitors for talent are not always in the same industry. 

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For multifaceted organizations like Johnson & Johnson, competitors might include tech giants or supply chain leaders. Recognizing these hidden competitors through talent flow analysis is crucial for refining recruitment strategies. 

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Looking forward to 2025, Cody highlights the need for readiness and agility, stressing that accurate and high-quality data is essential for making informed decisions about talent placement and compensation. 

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Cody advises focusing on three key metrics: supply, demand, and talent flow. Supply refers to the availability of talent with specific skills, while demand indicates the skills that competitors are hiring for. Analyzing these supply and demand flows offers predictive insights. Talent flow helps identify new competitors and refine hiring strategies. Leveraging AI-powered talent intelligence tools to analyze job descriptions can unlock invaluable insights into demand trends and competitor strategies. This approach can provide early warnings about skill shortages or shifts in competitor strategies, enabling proactive adjustments to hiring plans. 

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Cross-functional collaboration is seen as a vital driver of innovation. By engaging with IT, procurement, and compliance partners, talent intelligence teams can balance financial and talent implications of workforce decisions. 

Cody emphasizes that AI governance is a top priority, particularly in regulated industries like biopharma. In specific industries, the demand for AI governance skills often surpasses the demand for AI development skills. Many companies address this by establishing councils of technical and legal experts to ensure compliance while advancing AI initiatives. 

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When it comes to presenting data to stakeholders, Cody stresses the importance of simplicity. He advises starting with specific business questions and delivering clear, targeted answers. Mapping out potential scenarios in advance helps make insights actionable and aligned with business strategies. 

Cody briefly touches on the importance of considering geopolitical developments and macroeconomic trends in workforce planning. However, he advises focusing first on supply and demand analysis as a foundation before tackling more complex risks.