Episode 1: The Future of Human Resources: Navigating Tomorrow’s Talent

William J. Rothwell, Ph.D., SPHR, SHRM-SCP, RODC, CPLP Fellow is President of Rothwell & Associates, Inc. & Rothwell & Associates, LLC. His consulting focuses on succession planning and talent management.  He is also a Professor at Penn State University, University Park, where he teaches graduate courses in Organization Development and Change. 

Before becoming a professor 28 years ago, he had nearly 20 years of full-time human resource management experience in government and in business. He has consulted on succession planning with corporations, small businesses, family businesses, charities, and Federal, State and local government agencies. He has traveled to China 83 times and has consulted on succession on nearly every continent. Among his 127 published books are these, which are relevant to this webinar: The essential HR guide for small businesses and startups; Optimizing talent in the federal workforce; Building a talent development structure without borders; Effective succession planning: Ensuring leadership continuity and building talent from within; The leader’s daily role in talent management: Maximizing results, engagement and retention; Career planning and succession management: Developing your organization’s talent for today and tomorrow; The competency toolkit; Talent management: A step-by-action-oriented guide based on best practice; Becoming an effective mentoring leader: Proven strategies for building excellence in your organization; Working longer: New strategies for managing, training, and retaining older employees; Invaluable knowledge: Securing your company’s technical expertise-Recruiting and retaining top talent, transferring technical knowledge, engaging high performers; The manager’s guide to maximizing employee potential; and Cases in government succession planning: Action-oriented strategies for public-sector human capital management, workforce planning, succession planning, and talent management.

Rothwell & Associates, LLC. is an independent consulting firm that focuses on critical issues in human resource development and management. As a full-service consulting firm, we customize all programs to address the specific needs of the client. R&A specializes in succession planning, talent management, organization development, human resource development, and performance consulting. Our mission is to accelerate the potential of an organization's talent pool and to optimize the performance of its people.

Farhan is a visionary leader with a remarkable global perspective and an unyielding commitment to his values. With extensive experience in management, Farhan has carved a name for himself as a seasoned professional, known for fostering positive work environments and leading transformative initiatives. As a distinguished Ph.D. student, specializing in Organization Development and Human Resource Development, Farhan is constantly pushing the boundaries of knowledge in his field.

His passion for understanding and improving organizational dynamics drives him to bridge the gap between theory and practice, ensuring that his work has a tangible impact on businesses and individuals alike. Farhan's expertise is recognized by prestigious institutions, and he proudly holds certifications as a SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) certified professional for Human Resource Management, as well as being a Penn State Certified OD&C (Organization Development and Change) practitioner and consultant. These credentials demonstrate his dedication to staying at the forefront of industry best practices and cutting-edge approaches. Notably, Farhan's efforts have been acknowledged and celebrated by the renowned Organization Development Network, which awarded him for his unique contributions as one of the Emerging Practitioners in 2023. His groundbreaking research has led to the creation of books, book chapters, journal articles, and practical assessment tools, all tailored to empower OD (Organization Development) practitioners with innovative and effective methodologies.

With a passion for making a meaningful difference in the world of organizational development, Farhan's unwavering commitment to his craft is truly inspirational. As he continues to expand his horizons and blaze new trails, Farhan remains dedicated to leaving a lasting legacy of positive change in the professional world.

Rothwell & Associates, LLC. is an independent consulting firm that focuses on critical issues in human resource development and management. As a full-service consulting firm, we customize all programs to address the specific needs of the client. R&A specializes in succession planning, talent management, organization development, human resource development, and performance consulting. Our mission is to accelerate the potential of an organization's talent pool and to optimize the performance of its people.

A Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD) with a dual-title Ph.D. in Workforce Education & Development and Comparative International Education from the Pennsylvania State University. 

With over 25 years of experience in the learning and development field, the common thread that aligns my professional focus is the need to understand the challenges in cultivating an engaged and motivated work environment from the lens of improvement. As Dr Deming stated, “improve constantly and forever” with a focus on progress and evolution through incremental changes. As the world of work continues to change and evolve, so must the workplace learning strategies, including the professionals who implement these changes.

Master’s thesis was an exploratory case study on the implementation of diversity initiatives that utilized OD concepts as an approach to a planned change process involving the entire organization.

Dissertation research: The United Nations has recognized the importance of addressing the “worldwide shortage of health workers” (WHO, 2017, p. 4); and the World Bank has calculated a global shortage of 7.6 million nurses and midwives by 2030. This shortage is having adverse effects on health systems around the world (Oulton, 2006), and is leaving governments with a problem in urgent need of solving. A comparative case study was conducted to describe migration flow (magnitude and direction) of migrant Filipino nurses employed in North-America Sub-Group (the US and Canada) and the Middle-East Sub-Group (Saudi Arabia and the UAE). The research examined the ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors that influence the return of migrant nurses back to their home country. Influencing conditions of migration include (1) economic factors, e.g., wage differentials or purchasing value; (2) political factors, e.g., work visas or bilateral agreements; and (3) socio-cultural factors, e.g., work environment, social connections, and acculturation.

Rothwell & Associates, LLC. is an independent consulting firm that focuses on critical issues in human resource development and management. As a full-service consulting firm, we customize all programs to address the specific needs of the client. R&A specializes in succession planning, talent management, organization development, human resource development, and performance consulting. Our mission is to accelerate the potential of an organization's talent pool and to optimize the performance of its people.

Behnam Bakhshandeh is an accomplished business manager, known widely as a dynamic writer, speaker, personal and business coach and trainer. Implementing his skills as a passionate, visionary leader, he produces extraordinary results in record time. Behnam brings his broad experience and successful track record to each project, whether it involves personal development, implementing customer-focused programs, integrating technologies, marketing, redesigning operational core processes, or delivering strategic initiatives.

Before designing Primeco Education technology, Behnam led educational programs and later managed operations for a global education organization based in two major US cities. During this seven-year period, Behnam worked personally with tens of thousands of participants. He was accountable for expanding customer participation, training program leaders, increasing sales, and improving the finance department's efficiency and management of the overall operations for the staff and their team of over 400 volunteers, who together served an annual client base of over 10,000.

Behnam designed the Primeco Education technology in 2001. Since then, he and his team members have helped countless businesses and individuals not only achieve their goals, but also transform their thinking. His proven methodology is based on his extensive experience in business and human relations.

He consistently delivers and works with others to produce results beyond what was predicted or expected. This exceptional rate of business and personal growth is the result of his high integrity, unprecedented teamwork, open communication, and a contagious, unflinching commitment to excellence in all business operations, personal relationships, and professional interactions. Behnam is a shining example of how combining vision and goals with hard work consistently pays off beyond even the highest expectations. His work with businesses has resulted in successful team building, companies that grow through a shared vision, efficient process redevelopment, increased revenues, and work environments that support employee satisfaction and retention.

Committed to lifelong education, Behnam went back to school and earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from the University of Phoenix.  He continued his graduate studies at Penn State University to earn a Master of Professional Study in Organizational Development and Change, which was immediately continued by his Doctorate in Workforce Education & Development with a concentration on Human Resources Development (HRD) and Organization Development (OD) in College of Education at Penn State. Behnam enjoyed expanding into psychology as an addition to his already strong background in philosophy and ontology. He particularly enjoyed and was inspired by Positive Psychology and the work of many psychologists who used the Humanistic Psychology approach for empowering and treating their patients. Behnam finds these two psychological approaches very similar to his own work, methodology, and approaches. Behnam is widely known for his commitment to making a difference in every life he touches.  He is distinguished in his field for delivering outcomes that leave all his clients fulfilled in realizing their dreams.  His rigor ensures that results are produced while his compassion and sense of humor bring a play to every working relationship.