Talent Management: Strategy to solution

In April’s edition of HRM Singapore, Ari Kopoulos (National Sales & Marketing Manager) offers insight into Talent Managent. You can find the article in hard copy form in Issue #10.4 on page 69.

Talent management is a complicated field; which makes finding an effective and integrated technology solution a high priority for many organisations. Ari Kopoulos, National Sales and Marketing Manager for EmployeeConnect, offers this checklist.

It’s pretty clear that people are a business’s most important asset and in this regard, organisations are seeking ways to build data-driven decision making platforms. The reality is that many organisations still struggle with the concept, let alone begin leveraging a full Talent Management strategy.

Let’s begin with a clear definition of what Talent Management is. I can say that integrated talent management is not a payroll system with some HR forms; it is not a recruitment system; and it is not a Performance Appraisal system. It could be a HR Information System, but not by default. Technically, it’s a framework of tightly integrated HR processes that assist in making informed decisions that support your strategic objective to be profitable and successful.

If you are starting fresh, avoid single module solutions offering out-of-the-box implementations and slick interfaces. Their lack of integrated modules can introduce functional and technical issues that could get in the way of your strategic decisions. With this in mind, consider the holistic approach. Look for a secure, single-platform, workflow-driven system. It should be user-friendly, leveraging a single data source and including all the core HR modules with robust, yet flexible, reporting layers. But most importantly, it should have a place to define your central framework.

It’s this central framework that enables the exchange of talent supply and with business demand. This is the currency between capabilities and needs, and integrates all the HR modules. As an organisation you will need to develop meaningful and standard definitions of competencies, behaviours, and skills required throughout the organisation, and relate those to a unit of demand such as a person, position, job, project or training.

Once this framework is defined, you can then move onto mapping the various strategies, processes and operational designs that will translate into your requirements document.

These include identifying your current and planned strategies for sourcing, recruiting, onboarding and aligning people with capabilities that match the business needs, and verifying that people’s capabilities are understood, measured and developed. At the same time, the organisation needs to be meeting people’s needs for motivation, reward and progression. Finally you need to define your reporting requirements that will drive planning, analysis and decision-making.

In all this, focus on results, define roles and responsibilities, and look for quick wins to the business.

One thing to consider is that your strategies must be flexible enough to address employee age, culture and personalities, globalisation, industry consolidation and, the near-perfect communication and connectivity that social software delivers.

Finally, rolling out a technology-based talent management programme is an evolving process requiring planning, commitment and realistic expectations. Plan for at least a one-to-two year journey. To ensure success you also need to tackle the cultural challenges and address change management. Therefore, allocate at least 30% of your project resources to change management and training. Begin by branding the strategy, with the goal of increasing awareness and ownership. Once talent management is accepted as a strategic enabler to the individual, engagement will increase and results will accelerate.

Although the value proposition of an integrated talent management strategy is quite compelling, many organisations still struggle with silos of HR processes and technologies. A holistic view, powered by an integrated Talent Management system, will empower your business with insight, agility, and efficiency, essential for success in today’s challenging landscape.