New blueprint helps organizations decide when to build, buy, borrow or automate talent

As AI accelerates change, skills gaps widen and workforce demographics shift, traditional workforce models are becoming less effective at meeting evolving talent needs. To help HR leaders move beyond reactive hiring, global HR research and advisory firm McLean & Company has published Optimize the Workforce Mix for Strategic Impact, a blueprint for deciding when to build, buy, borrow or automate talent.

Rather than defaulting to a single solution, HR leaders can weigh each option against role-specific factors, talent availability, operational priorities, resources and risk.

A three-step process

The blueprint lays out three steps:

  1. Uncover workforce needs and identify talent gaps. HR leaders confirm available resources, define the driving need and set the scope of work. They also identify key players, assess workforce needs, compare talent demand and supply, and select metrics to monitor outcomes.

  2. Evaluate workforce mix options. Leaders review the build, buy, borrow and automate options through a structured lens, assessing role criticality, urgency, time horizon, required resources and potential risks before confirming a recommended mix.

  3. Implement the decision. Organizations align the selected approaches across departments and key players.

Beyond filling roles quickly

Lexi Hambides, director of HR Research & Advisory Services at McLean & Company, said the right workforce mix doesn't happen by accident. She said the aim isn't simply to fill a role fast, but to choose the approach that best fits the work, available resources and the organization's tolerance for risk, while building the capabilities it will need next.

Organizations that make these decisions deliberately, the firm says, are better positioned to respond to today's workforce pressures without compromising long-term priorities.

Availability

The full blueprint is available through McLean & Company, which also offers facilitated workshops and practical HR resources for workforce planning.