See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/317661762

PEOPLE AND TALENT MANAGEMENT

Book · June 2017

CITATION READS

1 3,938

1 author:

Betchoo Nirmal Kumar

Université des Mascareignes
31 PUBLICATIONS   24 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Trade unionism extends to the police force in Mauritius View project

Om Puri as we knew him View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Betchoo Nirmal Kumar on 19 June 2017.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

People
&

N K Betchoo

panart publication
| People and Talent Management-A concise approach

People
&

A concise Approach

N.K.Betchoo
panart publication
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

PEOPLE and TALENT MANAGEMENT

A Concise Approach
PanArt Publication
by Nirmal Kumar Betchoo
Republic of Mauritius
© February 2014
Reviewed with corrections: June 2017

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the author.

National Library of Mauritius

For Cataloguing and Reference
ISBN 978-1-63068-320-7

Books published by the author

The Mauritian Workplace-2003-225 pp: Modern Print Edition

Introduction to Public Sector Management-125pp-2005-Pan Art publication.
Evolutionary Concepts in HRM-2009-224p Pan Art publication.
An analysis of HRD in Secondary Schools-2012-125pp-Lap Academic Publishing
People and Talent Management-A Concise Approach-2014-140pp-Pan Art
publication.

Printed by PanArt Printing.

Offset and Four-Colour Separation.
Typeset in Aldine and Bureau Grotesque (5/1)
by N K Betchoo.
Cover design by author.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

This publication “People and Talent Management-A Concise Approach” aims to

develop a sound understanding of talent management in an economic climate
where the need to seek talents from potential and existing employees is
important because talent constitutes a competitive advantage to the organisation.
Talent is not essentially centred on the individual although one may broadly
address talent in the form of personal attributes like skills, knowledge and
experience. Although, these might be qualities that leaders are expecting from
their followers, it is the management of talent that is prioritised nowadays.

Talent management stems from the human resource management discipline but
it focuses on concepts like employee recruitment, motivation, communication,
retention, development, succession planning, leadership, etc. These attributes are
important in managing both people and talent. It is the blending of these
elements that contribute to the synergetic development of talent in the firm.

The management of talent creates wealth in business where capacity can be built
from the different competences developed. Talent management might not stop
here since it has to be retained given that employee mobility might influence
staff turnover. It is the responsibility of managers to see how they could retain
the best talent in their company.

The book has been written in a systematic way following the process of talent
management that involves entry, retention, development and performance. The
author found it right to include globalisation and diversity as inputs to talent
management since labour is more mobile than ever in a fast-moving environment
and that employee diversity also brings wealth to talent management.

The book serves a guide to a practitioner of talent management where it seeks

information from existing reputable organisations involved in the discipline like
talentmanagement.com, ere.net including authoritative sources like Ashridge
Business School Cases and Forbes Magazine. It is far from being a scholarly text
in talent management but goes more in the direction of a piece of research which
gathers information from sources and builds a body of knowledge in the form of
the talent management model. To make the text easy to read and navigate
through, case studies have been included from contemporary business
environments and world-known organisations. Equally, self-test questions help
to check learning of the text. For students taking talent management as a course,
objective tests have been included in the final pages as well as review questions
up to the standard of an undergraduate programme.

It is hoped that this concise text helps the reader better grasp the talent
management concept and hopefully practise it.

Nirmal Kumar Betchoo

 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

Chapter One: Introduction to Talent Management……………………………..6

Chapter Two: The Process of Talent Management …………………………….15

Chapter Three: Recruitment Strategy in Talent Management ……………..…23

Chapter Four: Employee Skills in Talent Management …………..….………32

Chapter Five: Capacity Building in Talent Management ……………………..41

Chapter Six: Motivation to Talent Management …………….……………….50

Chapter Seven: Leadership in Talent Management …………………..…….….60

Chapter Eight: Performance Management in Talent Management ……….….69

Chapter Nine: Communication Strategy in Talent Management………….…78

Chapter Ten: Onboarding strategy in Talent Management ……………..……87

Chapter Eleven: Reward Strategy in Talent Management ………..……….…..97

Chapter Twelve: Employee Retention in Talent Management ………..….….104

Chapter Thirteen: Globalisation in Talent Management ……...….………….112

Chapter Fourteen: Workplace Diversity and Talent Management ……..…..120

Chapter Fifteen: Talent Management – A source of competitive advantage …....130

Objective Tests: ………………………………………………………..….…..137

Review Questions: ………………………………………………………..….…143

Index: ………………………………………………….…… ……………….145

 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

Talent management is a relatively new subject area although it has been used and
applied by organisations since a long time back. Seeking talent means trying to
find out the best human resources to fit in the needs of the company, be it
current or future. Talent concerns all the skills, knowledge and attitudes that
managers expect from the workers but it does not limit itself to these three
factors. Talent has to be found out first and then consistently developed so that
it remains an asset for the company in question. One can then say that most
employees are talented because they provide what they can best undertake for
their company in question. This is a correct argument because companies will
buy firstly the skills and use them for their own benefit.

The question here is why companies focus on talent. Are the essential personnel
specifications sufficient prior to recruiting? In fact, companies will rely on
existing data regarding the choice of their employees but it is not an end in itself.
Just think of a company that recruits very skilled workers on paper and believes
that it will achieve excellence in the coming future. This might be true but
equally true if the talent of the worker is not developed. There might even be the
risk of failure if talent is not harnessed.

Talent management comprises an array of techniques that are needed to bring

talent to the organisation, develop the existing talent and horn the existing skills
so that they could be adaptable and worth exploiting in the future. Talent
management therefore has a future outlook in that companies will always hunt
for better talents and develop talents internally so that they are used and
exploited for their own benefit. This course covers the issue of talent
management from a broad perspective by creating concepts around talent
management from a human resource management point of view. The course
exploits the various techniques, methodologies and strategies that need to
develop talent in the organisation and bring success to the firm, the employee
and the stakeholders. Talent management enables a company to get the most
from deserving people as well as using them in such a way that the business stays
ahead of competition and ultimately survives. Talent is sought in all walks of
life, be it the public or private sector. It has to be developed throughout the
employee’s time at work. Managers should know how to reward talent, bring out
the best from their employees, deploy such talent in a meaningful and effective
way so that the corporate goals of the firm are attained not only as a means of
making profit or gaining shareholder value, but equally, in creating human
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

capital in the form of talent. Given that it is a relatively new topic in Mauritius
where focus has been on human resource development or management, talent is
already being sought in the emerging sectors of the economy and is being tapped
continuously.

Shifting from an industrial to a knowledge-based economy as desired by the

state, it is clear that talent management will be of greater concern in the country,
not only as a buzzword, but as an area of expertise that has to be developed and
well addressed to encourage better transition to a new competitive environment
where its outcomes can be assessed and appraised deservingly.

Talent management refers to the anticipation of required human capital for an

organisation and the planning to meet those needs. The field increased in
popularity after McKinsey’s 1997 research and the 2001 book on The War for
Talent. Talent management is the science of using strategic HR to improve
business value and to make it possible for companies and organisations to reach
their goals. Everything done to recruit, retain, develop, reward and make people
perform forms a part of talent management as well as strategic workforce
planning. A talent-management strategy needs to link to business strategy to
make sense.

Talent management suggests that companies are strategic and deliberate in how
they source, attract, select, train, develop, retain, promote, and move employees
through the organisation. Research done on the value of talent management
consistently reveals benefits in these critical economic areas: revenue, customer
satisfaction, quality, productivity, cost, cycle time, and market capitalisation. The
mindset of this more personal human resources approach seeks not only to hire
the most qualified and valuable employees but also to put a strong emphasis on
retention.

This term talent management is usually associated with competency-based

management. Talent management decisions are often driven by a set of
organisational core competencies as well as position-specific competencies. The
competency set may include knowledge, skills, experience, and personal traits
(demonstrated through defined performances).

Older competency models might also contain attributes that rarely predict
success (e.g. education, occupation, and diversity factors that are illegal to
consider in relation to job performance in many countries, and unethical within
organisations). New techniques involve creating a competency style for the
organisation that includes a competency dictionary to hold the competencies in
order to build job descriptions.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

A talent marketplace is an employee training and development strategy that is set

in place within an organisation. It is found to be most beneficial for companies
where the most productive employees can pick and choose the projects and
assignments that are ideal for the specific employee. An ideal setting is where
productivity is employee-centric and tasks are described as “judgement-based
work,” for example, in a law firm.

In adverse economic conditions, many companies feel the need to cut expenses.
This should be the ideal environment to execute a talent management system as a
means of optimising the performance of each employee and the organisation.
Selection offers are large return on investments. Job analysis and assessment
validation help enhance the predictive power of selection tools. However, within
many companies the concept of human capital management has just begun to
develop. With more companies in the process of deepening their global
footprints, more questions have been asked about new strategies and products,
but very few on the kind of leadership structure that will bring them success in
their globalisation process. “In fact, only 5 percent of organisations say they have
a clear talent management strategy and operational programmes in place today.’’

Talent Management has become one of the most important buzzwords in

Corporate HR and Training today. In this article we will explain the history,
principles, and processes of talent management and help readers understand our
research agenda in this important area.

To understand why Talent Management has become so important, we must first

look at the evolution of corporate HR.

In the 1970s and 1980s the business function which was responsible for people
was called The Personnel Department. The role of this group was to hire people,
pay them, and make sure they had the necessary benefits. The systems which
grew up to support this function were batch payroll systems. In this role, the
personnel department was a well understood business function.

In the 1980s and 1990s organisations recognised that the HR function was in fact
more important - and the concepts of Strategic HR emerged. During this period
organisations recognised that the HR manager had a much larger role: recruiting
the right people, training them, helping the business design job roles and
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

organisation structures (organisation design), develop ‘‘total compensation’’

packages which include benefits, stock options and bonuses, and serving as a
central point of communication for employee health and happiness.

The Head of Personnel became the HR manager and had a much more important
role in business strategy and execution. The systems which were built up to
support this new role include recruiting and applicant tracking, portals, total
compensation systems, and learning management systems. In this role, the HR
department now became more than a business function: it is a business partner,
reaching out to support lines of business.

We are now entering a new era: the emergence of ‘‘Talent Management.’’ While
strategic HR continues to be a major focus, HR and R &D organisations are now
focused on a new set of strategic issues:

How can we make our recruiting process more efficient and effective by using
competency-based recruiting instead of sorting through resumes, one at a time?
How can we better develop managers and leaders to reinforce culture, instil
values, and create a sustainable ‘‘leadership pipeline?’’
How do we quickly identify competency gaps so we can deliver training, e-
learning, or development programs to fill these gaps?
How can we use these gaps to hire just the right people?
How do we manage people in a consistent and measurable way so that everyone is
aligned, held accountable, and paid fairly?
How do we identify high performers and successors to key positions throughout
the organisation to make sure we have a highly flexible, responsive organisation?
How do we provide learning that is relevant, flexible, convenient, and timely?

These new, more challenging problems require new processes and systems. They
require tighter integration between the different HR bases - and direct
integration into line of business management processes. Today organisations are
starting to buy, build, and stitch together performance management systems,
succession planning systems, and competency management systems. The HR
function is becoming integrated with the business in a real-time fashion.

Organisations are made up of people: people creating value through proven

business processes, innovation, customer service, sales, and many other
important activities. As an organisation strives to meet its business goals, it must
make sure that it has a continuous and integrated process for recruiting, training,
managing, supporting, and compensating these people.

Workforce Planning
Integrated with the business plan, this process establishes workforce plans,
hiring plans, compensation budgets, and hiring targets for the year.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

Recruiting
Through an integrated process of recruiting, assessment, evaluation, and hiring
the business brings people into the organisation.

Onboarding
The organisation must train and enable employees to become productive and
integrated into the company more quickly.

Performance Management
By using the business plan, the organisation establishes processes to measure and
manage employees. This is a complex process in itself, which we describe in
detail in Chapter eight.

Training and Performance Support

Of course this is a critically important function. Here companies provide
learning and development programs to all levels of the organisation. This
function itself is evolving into a continuous support function.

Succession Planning
As the organisation evolves and changes, there is a continuous need to move
people into new positions. Succession planning, a very important function,
enables managers and individuals to identify the right candidates for a position.
This function also must be aligned with the business plan to understand and
meet requirements for key positions 3-5 years out. While this is often a process
reserved for managers and executives, it is more commonly applied across the
organisation.

Compensation and Benefits

Clearly this is an integral part of people management. Here organisations try to
tie the compensation plan directly to performance management so that
compensation, incentives, and benefits align with business goals and business
execution.

Critical Skills Gap Analysis

This is a process we identify as an important, often overlooked function in many
industries and organisations.

While often done on a project basis, it can be business-critical. For example,

today industries like Government, Utilities, Telecommunications, and Energy
are facing large populations which are retiring. How do you identify the roles,
individuals, and competencies which are leaving? What should you do to fill
these gaps? We call this ‘‘critical talent management’’ and many organisations are
going through this now.
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

From a talent management standpoint, employee evaluations concern two major

areas of measurement: performance and potential. Current employee
performance within a specific job has always been a standard evaluation
measurement tool of the profitability of an employee. However, talent
management also seeks to focus on an employee’s potential, meaning an
employee’s future performance, if given the proper development of skills and
increased responsibility.

People Excellence involves developing everybody that works for your

organisation not just the high-flyers.

Siemens’ talent management philosophy involves making sure that every

employee is provided with the guidance and support to achieve their full
potential. This aids them to do their best, every day. Everyone works together to
achieve the organisation’s objectives as well as meeting their own personal goals.
Everyone shares the same vision and dreams. Within this culture they are able to
progress and take on greater responsibility within the company.

Talent Management

Everyone has talent. For Siemens, matching talent with tasks produces
competitive advantage. Each individual at Siemens can make best use of their
talents, whatever they may be. Talent Management enables both:

 job enrichment, where individuals are encouraged to take on extra tasks

and
 responsibilities within an existing job role to make work more rewarding
and
 job enlargement, where the scope of the existing job is extended to give a
broader range of responsibility, plus extra knowledge and skills
development.

Talent Management is a global philosophy that is a key part of supporting each of

the elements of the Siemens’ business strategy. Talent Management enables
Siemens’ managers to engage and motivate employees throughout the
organisation.

The benefits of talent management

By applying talent management to all staff:

 all customer-facing staff are engaged, so all customers benefit

 everyone has the opportunity and choices to achieve their full potential
 the pipeline of highfliers is sustained.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

Performance Management

Siemens has created a standard process for managing the performance and
development of all employees. This is referred to as the Performance
Management Process.

The process creates a direct link between the strategy of the whole organisation
and plans for each individual. Every individual is given targets based on their
role and responsibility within the organisation. It is through meeting personal
targets that the individual is best able to help the organisation to achieve its
targets.

Performance management is a systematic process that creates trust and open

communication by:

 setting objectives
 monitoring progress made
 creating an ongoing dialogue between each team member and his/her
manager
 enabling forthright discussion.

Performance management in Siemens is the engine that drives Talent

Management. It is the cornerstone of its high performance culture. When carried
out in a consistent way, this system makes sure that everyone is told honestly
about their performance. Employees are clear about the impact of their
performance and what the consequences are for their development. Everyone
within the organisation is pulling together to achieve the business strategy.

Human Resource Development Strategy

All organisations need to have a sense of direction which is put into action
through a plan. This plan is referred to as a business strategy.

A key pillar of the Siemens’ strategy, alongside performance and portfolio,

operational excellence and corporate responsibility, is the way it manages,
develops and motivates its employees.

The importance of people in the organisation

The part of the Siemens’ business strategy that relates to people management is
referred to as People Excellence. At the heart of People Excellence is the building
of a high performance culture. Nothing helps an individual more than to be
given responsibility and to know they are trusted.

Almost without exception, people management theorists have shown that real
motivation comes from within an individual. Individuals develop such
motivation when they feel that their efforts are valued and that they are doing
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

something worthwhile. This is why People Excellence at Siemens is so

important.

Feeling part of a successful team is part of the engagement process. Individuals

who feel valued want to contribute to the success of the organisation. For
Siemens, people, like its technology and innovation, are a source of competitive
advantage. To make the most of this advantage, Siemens makes sure that its
employees work on developing the company’s heritage of innovation.

Siemens believes that there are many ways to make people feel valued and
engaged. These range from a pat on the back, a personal letter or a special
mention in a meeting, to a promotion or a higher salary.

Courtesy: http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/siemens

What are the benefits of talent management at Siemens? How does people
management bring excellence to Siemens? Explain the importance of valuing
people’s talent at Siemens.

Talent management suggests that companies are strategic and deliberate in how
they source, attract, select, train, develop, retain, promote, and move employees
through the organisation.

The term talent management is usually associated with competency-based

management.

Talent management decisions are often driven by a set of organisational core

competencies as well as position-specific competencies.

New techniques involve creating a competency architecture for the organisation

that includes a competency dictionary to hold the competencies in order to build
job descriptions.

A talent marketplace is an employee training and development strategy that is set

in place within an organisation. It is found to be most beneficial for companies
where the most productive employees can pick and choose the projects and
assignments that are ideal for the specific employee.

Organisations are made up of people: people creating value through proven

business processes, innovation, customer service, sales, and many other
important activities.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

As an organisation strives to meet its business goals, it must make sure that it has
a continuous and integrated process for recruiting, training, managing,
supporting, and compensating these people.

Item True False

Talent management suggests that companies ……………….. ………………
are strategic.

Performance management in is not the engine ……………….. ………………

that drives Talent Management.

A talent marketplace is an employee training ……………….. ………………

and development strategy that is set in place
outside an organisation.

People can create value through proven ……………….. ………………

business processes, innovation, customer
service, sales, and many other important
activities.

In job enrichment, individuals are not ……………….. ………………

encouraged to take on extra tasks.

Compensation and Benefits are an integral part ……………….. ………………

of people management.

The War for Talent, by Ed Michaels, Helen Handfield-Jones, and Beth Axelrod,
Harvard Business Press, 2001 ISBN 1-57851

The War for Talent refers to an increasingly competitive landscape for

recruiting and retaining talented employees. In the book, Michaels, et al.,
describe not a set of superior Human Resources processes, but a mindset that
emphasizes the importance of talent to the success of organisations.

The profession that supports talent management became increasingly formalised

in the early 2000s. Activities within talent management included succession
planning, assessment, development and high potential management.
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

To have an effective knowledge of talent management, one must understand the

process. There are some key steps in talent management that leaders must grasp.
The four key steps are: entry, retention, development and performance. The
combined effort helps in the achievement of talent as desired by the firm. This
might be implicitly practised in Mauritius but there is no clear evidence so far
that all the steps might be followed as stated.

Entry is considered as the first step where the organisation decides as to how to
recruit, select, orientate and develop the employees. Recruitment seeks attracting
the most talented employees at work while selection comprises a range of tests
and interviews needed to sort out the better candidates from others. Orientation
might close to Onboarding while employee development might be a similar term
used to describe human resource development.

Consequently organisations would need to retain their existing staff or talent.

Retention strategies help the employee stay in the firm and develop a long-term
commitment to it. Organisational culture will be a key component in that it
encourages the employee to learn about the values, history, milestones and
achievements made by the firm. The workplace environment could be another
useful component here. It is the atmosphere and work conditions that might be
useful in retaining employees.

Employee development is the third step of the talent management process. The
development of personal competences are important both to the employee and
the firm. The competence scan be assessed through performance management
mechanisms to elicit better standards from the employee. Mentoring from
supervisors of calibre might be useful here while the tasks done by the employee
must be influenced by challenges within the job environment.

Finally, performance management will be assessed. This has been an ongoing

debate in Mauritius but remains a key driver for talent. Performance is related to
rewards which could be both intrinsic and extrinsic. In a later chapter, we
explain how both matter. In performance management, the roles must be clearly
defined but at the same time, there must be constructive feedback provided by
the supervisor.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

Organisations know that they must have the best talent in order to succeed in the
hyper-competitive and increasingly complex global economy. Along with the
understanding of the need to hire, develop, and retain talented people,
organisations are aware that they must manage talent as a critical resource to
achieve the best possible results.

Few, if any, organisations today have an adequate supply of talent. Gaps exist at
the top of the organisation, in the first- to mid-level leadership ranks, and at the
front lines. Talent is an increasingly scarce resource, so it must be managed to
the fullest effect. During the current economic downturn we may experience a
short end of hostilities in the war for talent, but we’re all seeing new pressures
put on the talent running our organisations. Are today’s leaders able to do more
with less? The A-players can, and there should be a strategic emphasis on
keeping those leaders—and developing their successors. Many organisations are
reducing their workforces, but let’s be careful not to cut so deep that talent is
scarce when the economy rebound.

Steps in Talent
Management-The
Sergay Group Ltd

Determine the key leverage skill sets required by the organisation in order to
move into the future. The organisation’s strategic plan should give an indication
of these, as well as what constitutes the core competence that will ensure a future
for the organisation. This will all, in turn, direct you to what talent you should be
sourcing.
 Source the required people from the appropriate avenues.
 Be sure to have very detailed job descriptions that include specific
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

competencies required.
 Apply behaviour-based interviewing to select the best candidates.
 The ability to retain talent starts from the quality of the first point of
contact.
 Carefully consider how you orientate a new employee into the culture of
the organisation, the work area, and the specific job.
 Assist a new employee to transition into the organisation and to be able
to produce a quality deliverable within the first three months of tenure.
This will go a long way to ensuring that the placement will be
successful.

Retaining your talent will not solely depend on what you pay them. It is found
from exit interviews that many high performing individuals will leave an
organisation for the same or, in some cases, even less remuneration if other needs
of theirs are not being met.

 The culture, the way things are done around here, plays a huge role in
creating a work environment that will draw individuals in or repel
them. The culture is created through the systems, processes,
technology, structure, leadership, and behaviours of people and teams
in the organisation.
 Congruence in values between the organisation and the employee will
also exert influence on an individual’s decision to commit to an
organisation.
 The most important relationship for any individual in an organisation
is the relationship with one’s immediate manager. Ensure that your
managers have the skills to constructively lead their direct reports and
their teams.
 Involve individuals in decision-making in their areas of responsibility.
Involve high performers in cross-functional projects. Allow people to
feel that they are making a difference.
 Make sure that each new employee is the right fit for the organisation’s
culture, and then ensure fit with the work area, and then the actual job.
Revisit this person-environment fit, as people and circumstances
change and some adjusting or repositioning may be required for best
results.
| People and Talent Management-A concise approach

Development is about growing people to meet both their own and the
organisation’s needs. Development plays a large part in talent management. No
organisation can afford to promise a person a particular job through
development. At best, you can offer the promise of making a person more
eligible to be part of a pool of talent who would be looked at when positions
open up, and then only if the existing skills match the position requirements.

Competencies need to be broken down into their four components:

Knowledge (What you know)

Skills (What you know how to do)
Behaviour (What you do)
Attitude (What you are willing to do)

 Assess every employee’s competency profile. This would include

establishing if there are any competency deficiencies that are
responsible for the gaps that exist between the actual and desired
current performance, as well as gaps between current
competencies and possible future performance needs.
 Avoid getting trapped into only developing weaknesses; focus on
keeping strengths at the cutting edge.
 Create opportunities for development through different methods;
such as, training, job shadowing, job rotation, involvement in
projects, cross-functional exposure, and teamwork.
 Make sure that the training provided is linked to the strategic needs
of the organisation.
 Mentoring can play an important role in developing others, as well
as strengthening relationships. This goes a long way to
influencing feelings of belonging to an organisation.
 Build in stretch deliverables for high potential individuals to
produce, as being challenged by what they do often meets
individual’s personal needs.
 Link talent development into the performance management
system.

Identifying potential is one component of talent management, but actual

performance reflects on usable talent. Sound performance management
practices are crucial.
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

 Clarify roles throughout the organisation, ensuring alignment with

the strategy, as well as across functions.
 Involve individuals in setting their own performance agreements.
These agreements need to be firm on objectives to be met,
deliverables to be produced and at what quality standards, actions to
be taken, and the deadlines.
 People need to be held accountable for what they deliver, but
against performance agreements that function as working
documents so that adjustments are made to them as circumstances
dictate.
 Feedback is essential - ongoing, objective and constructive.
 Positive reinforcement, when done with genuineness, goes a long
way to making people feel recognised.
 Tap into what would make talented individuals within your
organisation feel rewarded; it is not necessarily always about money
or upward mobility.

Identify high performance individuals who display characteristics favoured by

the organisation. Use this pool of talent to help transition new employees into
the organisation. This will speed up acculturation, and ensure the entrenching
of desired ways of operating. It has also been found that the better the first
experiences of a new employee, the more likely the individual is to be retained
by the organisation and the quicker performance results can be achieved.

Talented individuals can also serve as mentors throughout the organisation

and it can be seen as recognition or as a reward to do so. Innovations by
talented individuals can be introduced into systems, processes, and approaches
in the organisation in the pursuit of continuous improvement. They should
also be recognised for this.

Ultimately, talent management that is based on respect and transparency will

go a long way to ensure that one can access, select, empower, and retain top
talent for his organisation (squidoo.com). There is certain importance given to
terms like empowerment and retention of top employees.

In Mauritius, the term ‘‘empowerment’’ has been broadly used across industry
to mention how and why government and deciders from private companies
want their employees to develop their own competences by taking certain
decisions on their own. It is seen that providing freedom of decision to
employees (leadership continuum model) helps employees provide better
performance and develop loyalty to their organisation.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

The BBC has been establishing and developing its talent management and
succession processes since 2010. The aim of the overall strategy is to have
detailed and comprehensive information about their staff’s ability and
potential, so as to have the right talent available to meet current and future
business objectives.

The strategy makes use of a range of tools, including talent mapping. The BBC
is committed to talent mapping because:

It enables the organisation to have clarity about the skills needed to meet
business objectives, and a clear, consistent and comprehensive picture of the
talent and skills available, so that roles and people can be matched as closely as
possible. The best use is made of the available talent.

This enables good-quality succession planning for known vacancies, and

diminishes the risk posed by unknown vacancies occurring. Because there is a
clear picture of the talent available, plans can be put in place for developing a
pool of people internally and matching development plans to organisational
need, or recruiting for it externally.

Talent mapping results in a consistent approach which provides transparency

but also facilitates movement around the organisation.

People feel valued knowing that their leaders are proactively engaged in
thinking about their development. They benefit from clear career direction.
Development plans can be matched to organisational and individual need.

Because processes are consistent and transparent, performance conversations

with managers are of a high quality, which results in clear actions for those
identified as successors and improvement plans for poor performance. In
addition, those who perform well but may not have potential for promotion
can still be recognised by the organisation and developed appropriately
through this process.

What does it look like? Size and Scope

The scheme encompasses three categories of manager across the whole

organisation: senior leaders, of which there are 300; senior managers; and
future leaders. Senior leaders are defined as having a proven track record of
establishing and leading successful teams and functions and are divisional
board members; senior managers are in their first 1-3 years of senior
management with high potential for bigger leadership roles or divisional board
level roles; future leaders are rising and star performers with potential for
leadership roles.
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

The human resources team have records showing that 3,000 people have been
through the talent mapping process and have personal development plans in
place.

The scheme is designed so that information about managers is shared across

the business, allowing for full use, movement and sharing of talent.

As a result of the talent mapping process, the organisation is able to:

 Develop succession plans for leadership and key roles, and resourcing
plans to ensure a talent pipeline;
 Establish a mitigation plan for succession gaps;
 Establish development plans for key talent;
 Implement performance improvement for poor performers;
 Set up training plans to build skills needed for the future;
 Reward and recognise its staff.

What is the importance of talent mapping at the BBC? What benefit is earned
from a process of talent management which is transparent? Could this process
be adapted to Mauritius? How could it benefit local organisations?

Organisations know that they must have the best talent in order to succeed in
the hyper-competitive and increasingly complex global economy.

Organisations must manage talent as a critical resource to achieve the best

possible results.

Talent is an increasingly scarce resource so it must be managed to the fullest

effect.

Many organisations are reducing their work forces but must not to cut so deep
that talent is scarce when the economy rebound.

There are some key steps in talent management that leaders must grasp. The
four key steps are: entry, retention, development and performance.

Entry determines the key leverage skill sets required by the organisation in
order to move into the future.

The firm must assist a new employee to transition into the organisation and to
be able to produce a quality deliverable within the first three months of tenure.

In retention the firm involve individuals in decision-making in their areas of

responsibility.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

Development is about growing people to meet both their own and the
organisation’s needs. Development plays a large part in talent management.

Talented individuals can also serve as mentors throughout the organisation

and it can be seen as recognition or as a reward to do so.

Innovations by talented individuals can be introduced into systems, processes,

and approaches in the organisation in the pursuit of continuous improvement.

Ultimately, talent management that is based on respect and transparency will

go a long way to ensure that you access, select, empower, and retain top talent
for your organisation

Item True False

Mentors are useful in talent management ……………….. ………………
in a firm.

Entry is the second step in the process of ……………….. ………………

talent management.

A talent marketplace always has a lot of ……………….. ………………

talents available. Scarcity is rare.

Effective organisations must include ……………….. ………………

transparency in talent management.

In talent management, transition may not ……………….. ………………

be necessary.

People feel valued knowing that their ……………….. ………………

leaders are proactively engaged in
thinking about their development.

The Sergay Group provided a model of talent management. The objective here
is to conceptualise the talent management process rather than letting it blurred
while enforcing that the steps follow one after the other namely entry,
retention, development and performance.
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

Recruitment is one of those important aspects that managers and leaders

consider as part of their talent management strategy. It is said that the quality
of recruitment will impact the organisation. High calibre managers are likely
to influence the firm’s future direction and sustain its development in the
competitive environment in which we are living today. Mauritian
conglomerates are already seeking highly qualified employees which they
believe are the resources that should be tapped and developed in the company.
Recruitment can also be viewed as the first step in the development of talent in
the firm.

Recruitment is a three-step exercise where talent is initially located from a

certain environment where labour is available. It is then identified where the
company streamlines the type or quality of labour that it needs. Finally, the
company has to attract the employee by offering him or the conditions where
the worker can develop his talents.

Recruitment is expensive if the best talents have to be sourced out. It requires

time and patience to scrutinise the potential employees, find out what they can
best offer and contribute to the firm and find out the gaps between the existing
skills and what could be done to improve them by bridging such gaps. There
are different recruitment strategies but the end-result is to see how they drive
the talent in the organisation.

Headhunting is an essential element in the recruitment for talent. Talented

managers are those who have turned the business around and who are capable
to bring something special to the prospective company in question. Obviously
they are not the creators of miraculous happenings in an ailing business but
such recruitment can be a saving grace to companies where the selected
candidate should provide some new insight into the management of the
business, hence offering it a new direction.

The recruitment exercise will also depend on the selection techniques that
companies must adopt in the search for talent. For instance, what are the
human qualities that are required from potential staff? What are their
intellectual abilities? How to find out the drive and energy from those
potential managers likely to step into a new working environment?
Techniques of selection could focus on psychometric tests to disclose the
essential qualities of the potential managers.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

In the quest for talent, there is no place for complacency and approximate
search. The ethical aspect has major importance in that managers or lower
level employees who are likely to be recruited are exemplary workers with good
conduct and a high sense of ethical behaviour. If these people act as role
models for their future company on already being talented workers, the future
of the company will not be bleak. Ethics in the recruitment exercise will
certainly set the pace for the creation and development of talent at the
beginning itself and this will have an effect on the future of the firm. In a
nutshell, recruitment influences the management of talent now and in the
future in Mauritius.

The design and deployment of winning business strategy is done by people

within organisation. Over the past decade there has been a glut of management
literature around the topic of talent management. The challenge of effective
talent management to support business growth has been consistently identified
as a top priority among global CEOs. While the phrase “Talent Management”
is relatively new as a concept, however as a management focus it has always
been at the core of strategic Human Resource Management.

Strategic HRM performs an enabling and investment management role for

organisations. The HR leader as champion for organisational human resource
management excellence is tasked with the primary responsibility of leading
and strategizing comprehensive efforts to attract, develop, engage and retain a
workforce that is competent to support strategy and strategic management
efforts.

Talent management systems and processes need to be integrated into the total
HRM system of the organisation. Traditional roles of HRM such as
recruitment, training, performance management and compensation need to be
aligned to support the achievement of talent management goals such as talent
turnover, employee engagement, succession pipeline ratios, etc. This article
addresses how recruitment and selection, a traditional function of HRM needs
to be managed in an organisational context that has a focus on talent
management.

Expressed from a strategic business perspective, “Talent management may be

defined as a core sub-system of an organisation’s strategic management system,
to develop a human resource asset base that is capable to support current and
future organisational growth directions and objectives.”

Talent management may be described as comprising three key components:

-Talent Identification
-Talent Development – Internal and external talent development
-Talent Engagement, motivation and retention
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

The first component talent identification is the process of identifying key

positions and roles required to support the design and deployment of strategic
and operational plans and initiatives.

The second component, talent development is divided into internal and

external development. Internal talent development relates to a variety of
activities such as training, performance management, coaching, special
projects, job design, career development, etc. External talent development is
essentially recruitment and selection, where the organisation goes out into the
labour market to identify, attract, select and motivate required talent to join
the organisation.

The third component, defined as “Talent EMR” is an acronym for employee

engagement, motivation and retention. Once the organisation has the required
talent, it needs to manage its investment, building required commitment and
strategic alignment to support the organisation’s strategy.

Talent management has to address both current and future needs. Similarly,
recruitment as part of talent development needs to be approached with a clear
perspective of both current and future talent requirements. Recruitment
request while often raised at an operational level.
(Example: Production manager requesting for a Marketing Manager) need to
be approached with a strategy driven operational perspective.
What does this mean?
It means that each time a request for a key position is raised, the HR leader, in
partnership with the line manager would need to map out the strategy.
(Note: Key positions are positions that have a direct impact on the
achievement of business strategy and objectives):

Strategic contribution this role will make:

Current and future performance expectations and challenges

Behaviours expected when performing assigned task and interacting with
various functions, levels and groups (internal and external);
Knowledge and experience.

Talent gaps to be filled through recruitment need to be defined from a strategic

perspective. Sourcing and selecting open positions based on narrow and
outdated job descriptions hinder the alignment of recruitment to overall talent
management efforts of the organisation. Each key position filled needs to result
in the organisation having a better aligned talent pool in terms of current
competencies and/or access to high potentials with the capability to be
developed to meet future strategic needs.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

Having defined the position profile for open talent positions, the next step
would be to recruit and select. A key challenge related to recruitment is
selecting the “right candidate”. The ideal situation would be to find candidates
with the required knowledge, skills, experience, behaviour and attitude.
However, trying to find that perfect candidate is like chasing after the wind. A
more appropriate objective would be to find candidates that achieve “Holistic
Fit”.

The holistic fit approach differs from the ideal candidate approach in terms of
its focus on finding a candidate that is able to fit into the organization and/or
has the potential to be developed into the ideal candidate through structured
internal talent development efforts.

The holistic fit approach aims to evaluate and select individuals that display a
relatively stronger fit with:

The organisation – this refers to the degree the organisational culture and
values align with those of the employee.
The team – this refers to the similarity or diversity that the open position is
expected to fill in relation to the rest of the team that the new employ will be
working with.
The superior / boss – this refers to the ability of the superior and the new
employ to build up a mutually satisfactory and beneficial working relationship.
The job requirements and expectations – this refers to knowledge, experience,
contacts, skills and competencies required for the position. In the case of
emerging industries knowledge or competencies that would provide a suitable
base platform for development would be the criteria.

A competency may be defined as a broad classification that describes a

combination of abilities, skills, knowledge and behaviour. Organisations need
to identify core and leadership competencies that are required from their talent
pool. These competency requirements become the assessment criteria used
during the competency based interview process. The interview aims to gain
insight into past, proven knowledge, skills, experience and behaviour of
potential new employ. Its approach generally involves asking open ended
probing questions, eliciting detailed descriptions of how the candidate handled
specific work projects, problems and situation. Information from interviews,
provide insight into the candidates’ level of achievement with reference to the
desired competencies.
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

Resourcing is about how organisations plan, attract, access and retain or release
people to deliver their objectives in the most effective way. Recruitment and
Selection processes are integral to any resourcing strategy.

Recruitment, it follows, is about attracting and securing talent for the

organisation and includes the process of matching individuals with work.
Selection is deciding 'best possible fit' between people and roles.

Effective recruitment:

 Reflects organisation direction

 Attracts the right people
 Minimises risk to the organisation
 Acknowledges the changing nature of work and individuals' career
aspirations
 Influences job and organisation design
 Maximises benefit from internal job markets

It is really quite simple - to be successful, organisations need to get better at:

 Describing what they want

 Exploiting the match between personal capability and job deliverables
 Acknowledging individual career aspirations
 Recognising and rewarding talent
 Supporting personal development

Before reviewing your recruitment procedures conduct a workplace survey to

assess how your employees view the workplace. Prioritise staff retention and
make any practical changes to create a versatile workplace that values people
and their skills.

New employees’ experience once hired is critical to their retention. Although

having a fair and transparent recruitment process is important, the workplace
climate or culture will determine whether new recruits stay. For example, if
there are forms of discrimination such as pay inequity, poor advancement
opportunities, exclusion from key job assignments and social isolation, or the
company culture is incongruent with what new employees were led to believe
during recruitment, they are likely to leave.

If staff turnover is high, determine why people are leaving your organisation; is
it due to their a need for more flexible working options or better work-life
balance?
Are they being headhunted by competitors, or is it as a result of bullying and
unhappiness in your workplace?
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

Organisations must be able to define which talents they wish to source out.
For example qualified graduates with specialisation in a particular field are
more likely to be recruited on basis of their respective competences. A private
hospital or clinic may wish to source out specialists or surgeons who can fit in
their needs like cardiac surgeon. Sourcing these talents will be suitable at
developing or building competence. Otherwise, recruiting talented staff in the
nursing and medical field adds up to capacity building rather, a contribution to
talent management.

A leading banking and financial services client had a specific requirement to

fill two finance analysts’ roles urgently. Both positions required a much
specified skill set. The role specification demanded PPP experience, a
professional accounting qualification and a strong academic background. The
client identified that to attract such candidates would be a challenge internally
particularly within the timescale set. They therefore engaged the services of
Hudson Ireland's Banking and Financial Services team.

They recognised that as specialists in banking and finance recruitment,

Hudson's consultant could quickly develop an attraction campaign, combining
various methods including: targeted online job board advertising, Hudson's
unique Google powered database, networking with internal and external
associations as well as quality referrals.

The Solution

Drawing on the diverse sources, Hudson put together a strong shortlist of

suitable candidates. Hudson interviewed and screened each candidate to
validate that they met the skill set and experience requirements for the
role. Each candidate was fully briefed on the role and the working
environment in advance, so they were committed to the application prior to
interview. They were also made aware of the client’s recruitment process.

The Result

Hudson Banking and Financial Services successfully placed both Finance

Analyst positions with the client. The process moved smoothly and both
candidates were pleased with the customer service and level of professionalism
from the consultants at Hudson. The client was delighted with Hudson’s
handling of their recruitment campaign from the initial briefing to the
selection and offer support.
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

How can a recruitment agency fulfil the role of finding out talents in an
organisation? Are local recruiting agencies capable of undertaking such a task?
Provide illustrations. Create a small portfolio of competences that you might
need regarding recruitment of talented staff.

The Client

Rittal (10,000 employees) is the largest company in the Friedhelm Loh Group
and the world’s leading supplier of housing and enclosure systems. Rittal’s
global presence spans over 63 subsidiaries, 10 production sites and 40 agencies
world-wide, enabling best local and direct contact to customers with unique
service delivery.

Hudson has a proven track record for delivering, having successfully placed a
candidate in a similar sales role for the business in the past. For that previous
role, the company had tried to hire directly but the calibre of candidates did
not meet the company’s specification. They therefore opened up to a number
of recruitment companies including Hudson. Hudson succeeded in placing the
candidate. A good working relationship was established with the company.

The Challenge

Rittal Ireland were seeking to recruit a senior level solutions sales person to
develop a key new business in Ireland, an important role for the organisation.
Hudson was appointed on an exclusive basis following the success of the
previous placement together with our understanding of the business.

The Solution

As the business is based in Carlow, as part of the services offered, Hudson’s

offices in Dublin were made available for both the first and third stage
interviews, to accommodate both candidates and the hiring manager. A
comprehensive search was undertaken to attract suitable candidates that had
the skills, experience and cultural fit to fit the role specification.

The Result

As per the brief, the consultant presented a short list of four suitable
candidates for first interview. Two candidates progressed to second stage and
one to final stage who was subsequently offered. Rittal Ireland were delighted
with the appointment, the service provided by the Hudson consultant together
with the added benefit of the provision of meeting rooms to conduct interviews
centrally.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

Why may interviews need three or more levels? Why is the recruitment of
sales staff a challenge for an organisation? How can an agency provide a
suitable database for recruitment?

Courtesy: Both cases are taken from Hudson Recruitment Ireland.

Strategic HRM performs an enabling and investment management role for

organisations.

Talent management systems and processes need to be integrated into the total
HRM system of the organisation.

Talent management may be defined as a core sub-system of an organisation’s

strategic management system, to develop a human resource asset base that is
capable to support current and future organisational growth directions and
objectives.

Talent management has to address both current and future needs.

Recruitment as part of talent development needs to be approached with a clear

perspective of both current and future talent requirements.

Talent gaps to be filled through recruitment need to be defined from a strategic

perspective.

A competency may be defined as a broad classification that describes a

combination of abilities, skills, knowledge and behaviour.

Organisations need to identify core and leadership competencies that are

required from their talent pool.
Resourcing is about how organisations plan, attract, access and retain or release
people to deliver their objectives in the most effective way.

Recruitment about attracting and securing talent for the organisation and
includes the process of matching individuals with work.

Selection is deciding ‘best possible fit’ between people and roles.

A company must prioritise staff retention and make any practical changes to
create a versatile workplace that values people and their skills.

Organisations must be able to define which talents they wish to source out.
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

Item True False

Talent management should mainly ……………….. ………………
address current organisations’ needs.

A holistic approach in recruitment of ……………….. ………………

Talent Management means to consider
recruitment from all possible perspectives.

Young people should be an integral part of ……………….. ………………

a firm’s hunt for talent.

Staff retention may be neglected by ……………….. ………………

organisations if they can new potential
talent from the market.

In a talent pool, existing competences ……………….. ………………

should be analysed

One element of talent resourcing is ……………….. ………………

attracting high calibre staff.

An important part of this chapter referred to the work Kevin Vince Fernando on
Aligning Recruitment to Talent Management Efforts. Information on recruitment
talent was sourced from: www.eeotrust.org.nz
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

Employee skills are various talents that people acquire over time. These talents
are usually tuned in the job through constant repetition of tasks and projects.
Employee skills are often contingent upon a person’s job description or rank.
For example, more experienced managers will likely have better leadership skills
than hourly workers. Additionally, high level executives will usually develop
better problem-solving skills than lower ranking employees. Skills can be
classified into several components but organisational ability looks to be
prominent among managers who want to see whether the worker is capable of
clearly prioritising his goals, setting the task correctly and managing time and
effort efficiently.

Talent Management is an investment. Every company wants to have the best and
brightest employees, and with Talent Management that can be achieved. The
item that usually accounts for the highest cost for a company is its workforce.
With a company’s workforce being the highest cost to it, does it not make sense
to invest in it? With Talent Management you are developing a more skilled
workforce and attracting a higher calibre of new employee.

We all know that training and retraining costs money and Talent Management
can reduce these costs. Recruiting the correct people, and keeping a talented
workforce is a priority in today's business environment. Having a talented group
of employees has always been a key to success; it will translate into cost savings
and higher productivity. Talent Management is the investment that will pay
dividends over the course of its use (Corporate Training Materials).

Organisational skills allow an employee to accomplish specific tasks and projects

on or before deadlines. For example, a marketing analyst will often write down
tasks of various projects. Each day, she will complete certain tasks that are
required to complete the project. Along the way, she may use organisers and ‘‘To
Do’’ lists to better manage the time she spends on each project. Employees must
also know how to prioritise certain tasks as part of the organisational process.
Prioritising tasks entails listing things in order of importance, then making sure
the most important tasks are completed first.
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

Communication skills are the some of the most important types of employee
skills. Communication skills include both oral, written and listening skills
(Quintcareers.com). Managers must be able to convey their ideas to others in a
clear, concise manner. Additionally, employees must know which words to use,
enunciate them properly and speak loudly enough so their audience understands
them. Employees must also be skilled at putting their thoughts down on paper.
Effective writing skills include using the proper verb tenses for various nouns, or
arranging paragraphs in a logical way. Advertising copywriters must use
convincing headings and copy to get customers to buy their company’s products.

Employees must have analytical skills to determine which strategies to use in

business. For example, a product manager will need to decide how to counter a
competitor’s price reduction. He will likely think of several alternatives during
his analysis. He may weigh the option of lowering prices or adding additional
features to justify the higher prices. Whatever the case, an employee’s analytical
skills require employees to think and make the most logical decisions.

Most jobs today require computer skills. Computer skills can include typing
speed, as well as the ability to use various software programs. Examples of
computer software skills include the ability to use word processing, spreadsheet
and database management software. Employees will also need to be proficient in
composing, sending and reading emails from co-workers. Another type of
employee computer skill is knowing how to use the Internet for research and
informational needs.

With so many graduates now on the market, employers will look for evidence of
skills and work experience which will make you stand out from the crowd. Start
gathering them now or work on what you've got so you are ready to impress
recruiters.

Graduate employers place a lot of emphasis on finding candidates with the right
skills and competencies for their organisations. Depending on the career sector
and profession you choose to work in, there could be very specific skills, abilities
and knowledge needed to do the job. However, complementing these are general
competences and behaviours that are essential for successful working. These are
often overlooked by candidates, but they are the things recruitment professionals
want to see evidence of.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

This is about knowing how a business or industry works and what makes a
company tick. Showing that you have an understanding of what the organisation
wants to achieve through its products and services, and how it competes in its
marketplace. Marketing intelligence can be a suitable example of this.
Organisations seek people who are aware of what is taking place in Mauritius.
This is a much desired requirement and skill. Please see the skills required from
insurance agents, marketing and sales managers in Mauritius. A lack of
commercial awareness is likely to reduce the recruitment opportunity for an
employee.

This covers verbal and written communication, and listening. It is about being
clear, concise and focused; being able to tailor your message for the audience and
listening to the views of others. The ability to communicate impacts virtually
every aspect of personal and professional life. Effective communication skills can
make an important presentation, a major project, a key initiative or even a career.
No matter how strong a manager’s skills in the other facets of a job, the ability to
work with and lead others will depend heavily on communication.

Having the right communication skills, however, can vary depending on the
circumstances. Executives who are effective communicators in some areas may
still need work in others. And as communicating in the workforce grows more
complex, it has become more imperative that those in the talent management
function pay extra attention to the skill.

You need to prove that you are a team player but also have the ability to manage
and delegate to others and take on responsibility. It is about building positive
working relationships that help everyone to achieve positive goals and business
objectives.

This is about being able to put forward your way, but also being able to
understand where the other person is coming from so that you can both get what
you want or need and feel positive about it.

You need to display an ability to take a logical and analytical approach to solving
problems and resolving issues. It is also good to show that you can approach
problems from different angles. In Mauritian companies, employees are given
the change to undertake problem-solving activities like sales planning, preparing
the next budget, making forecasts, etc.
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

One may not be a manager straight away, but graduates need to show potential to
motivate teams and other colleagues that may work for them. It is about
assigning and delegating tasks well, setting deadlines and leading by good
example. According to Forbes, of all the programs HR executives want to
improve, our research shows that global leadership is the priority. And Forbes’
research also shows that companies with mature leadership development
strategies dramatically outperform their peers. If there’s anything you should
invest in this year, it is expanding your global leadership development
programme.

This is about showing that you can prioritise, work efficiently and productively,
and manage your time well. It is also good to be able to show employers how you
decide what is important to focus on and get done, and how you go about
meeting deadlines.

Corporate soft skills training programs will focus on behavioural competencies

that improve interpersonal skills, or ‘‘people skills’’ that build relationships of
trust, empathy, and productive interactions, such as anger management, conflict
resolution, negotiation and communication skills, team building, personal
productivity, strategic thinking and more creative problem solving strategies.

Soft skills may in fact be more important for career development and
organisational success over the long term than many specific occupational skills.
One example that has been recently very popular is the concepts around civility
in the workplace.

Employers want people to have a bit of get-up-and-go. Working life presents

many challenges and you need to show employers that you're the kind of person
who will find a way through, even when the going gets tough... and stay cheerful

This is about keeping calm in a crisis and not becoming too overwhelmed or
stressed. Mauritian companies have to address this issue and it is seen from job
descriptions how companies are concerned with it. Haven’t we heard about
meeting tight deadlines, ability to work during holidays and festive periods, etc.?
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

In the workplace you need to strike the balance of being confident in yourself but
not arrogant, but also have confidence in your colleagues and the company you
work for.

There are certain words which are key to catching an employer’s interest.
Mention them in your CV and at interviews and see how impressed they are with
your business-speak (but do not go overboard or you will sound peculiar).

Initiative Dynamic Team player Proactive Self-Motivated

You can also talk in terms of actions that you achieve through your skills by
using good, strong verbs in applications and interviews:

Led Achieved Completed Co-Ordinated Delegated Delivered

Identified Presented Promoted Reported Resolved Organised

Make the most of university life and extra-curricular activities to develop your
general skills.

Plan early to get relevant work experience and voluntary work which will give
you moves that will make you work ready: have something lined up for each
vacation, and get ready for formal placement and internship applications at the
beginning of your second year.

Dutifully record the skills you gain and work experience activities you do so that
you can pull out good examples on applications and in interviews.

Network! Use family, friends and contacts to get work experience and to find out
more about career areas that interest you.

Visit the Mauritian Careers service: find out whether it runs any employability
skills sessions; sign up for relevant courses and workshops; get help from a
careers adviser to write a CV that really showcases your competences and
abilities.

Take advantage of careers fairs and employer presentations: talk direct to

recruiters to find out what they look for.

Always do your homework before applying for jobs. Employer research will help
you identify the skills and competences a particular organisation places most
emphasis on. In turn, you can tailor your application so that it stands out. One
employer’s understanding of ‘‘using initiative’’ might be considered ‘‘risk taking’’
by another. For example, in organisations where following procedures
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

systematically is important (such as in healthcare) opportunities to use initiative

will be more limited than in organisations that depend upon new ideas and
taking a chance that something might work, such as the entertainment
industry. Finally, many employers require graduate employees to be enterprising.
The term enterprising is often associated with being an entrepreneur that is
being self-employed and initiating your own business ideas.

The purpose of this case study was not to say that you should copy everything
Apple does, but rather to point out that with relentless execution and focus on
key factors even a firm near bankruptcy can fight its way back to the top. In 13
years Apple has transformed itself from an organisation of the verge of collapse to
the world’s most valuable firm, amassing a phenomenal innovation record in the
process. While Apple’s approach wouldn’t work for every firm, there are lessons
to be learned that can influence program design regardless of industry, firm size,
or location.

Make your employees “own” their learning, training and development

because Apple frequently produces new products requiring expertise in
completely different industries (i.e. computers, music devices, media sales, and
telephony), its employee skill set requirements change faster than at almost any
other tech firm. While there is plenty of training available, there is no formal
attempt to give every employee a learning plan. Just as with career progression,
employee training and learning are primarily “owned” by employees. The firm
expects employees to be self-reliant. Its retail salesforce for example receives no
training on how to sell, a practice that is certainly unconventional in the retail
environment. The lesson is simple: providing target competencies and
prescribing training can weaken employee self-reliance, an attribute problematic
in a fast-changing environment. Employee ownership of development encourages
employees to continuously learn in order to develop the skills that will be
required for new opportunities.

Make managers undisputed kings — Apple is not a democracy. Most direction

and major decisions are made by senior management. “Twenty percent time” like
that found at Google doesn’t exist. While in some organisations HR is powerful
when it comes to people management issues, at Apple, Steve Jobs has a well-
earned reputation for deemphasising the power of HR. Although Apple was the
first firm to develop an HR 411 line, I have concluded that most of the talent
management innovations at Apple emanate from outside of the HR function.
There is a concerted effort to avoid having decisions made by “committees.”
Putting the above factors together, it is clear that at Apple, managers are the
undisputed kings. The resulting decrease in overhead function interference,
coupled with the increased authority and accountability, helps to attract and
retain managers that prefer control. Unfortunately, concentrating the authority
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

has resulted in having some managers being accused of micromanagement and

abusing team members.

Having a product focus drives focus, cooperation, and integration – Apple is

notably famous in the business press for its “product-focused” approach (versus a
functional or regional focus). Everything from strategy to budgets to
organisational design and talent management functions are designed around “the
product.” One of the primary goals of talent management is to ensure that the
workforce is focused on the strategic elements that drive company success. That
focus can be distracted with selfish or self-serving behaviour that instead shifts
the emphasis to the individual, a business function, a particular business unit or
even a region. Although deciding to have a product focus is normally a business
decision, it turns out that Apple’s strong product focus also has significant
positive impacts on talent management.

Apple purposely offers only a relative handful of products, so employee focus

isn’t dispersed among hundreds of products as it is at other firms. By releasing
products only when it can have a major market impact, Apple essentially
guarantees that every employee can brag that they contributed to an industry-
dominating product that everyone is aware of. This focus on product helps to
contribute to employees feeling that they are “changing the world.” This focus
may also reduce the chance that employees will notice that the day-to-day work
environment with its politics and the required secrecy may be less than perfect.
And because Apple is no longer a small firm, with nearly 50,000 employees, a
unifying and inspiring theme is required to maintain cohesion and a single sense
of purpose.

Final Thoughts

Although Apple clearly produces extraordinary results, its approach to talent

management is totally different than that of Google and Facebook, which also
produce industry-dominating results. As Apple has grown larger, its rigour
around sustainable innovation has grown as well, a feat that proves impossible for
most organisations including the likes of HP, Microsoft, and Yahoo.

The three “big picture” learnings I hope you walk away from this case study with
include:

1. Focus on “the work” — it is management’s responsibility to do whatever

is necessary to keep work exciting and compelling.
2. Strive for continuous innovation — Apple’s emphasis on being “different”
is so strong that it can’t be overlooked by any employee or applicant. It
delivers industry-dominating innovation levels because everyone is
expected to.
3. Deliver on your brand - Apple works hard to make sure that potential
applicants, employees, and even competitors admire its products, the firm,
and how it operates.
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

These three factors are not easy to copy, but they are certainly worth emulating.
If you can bring them and the results that they produce to your firm, there is no
doubt that you will be a hero.

Text by John Sullivan (2011), See Notes.

Given that Apple expects employees to be self-reliant and that its retail salesforce
for example receives no training on how to sell, a practice that is certainly
unconventional in the retail environment. How does Apple’s employee
ownership of development encourage employees to continuously learn in order to
develop the skills that will be required for new opportunities? The concept of
making managers undisputed kings can be an opportunity for managers to
develop their skills independently. How does this apply to Apple in this case
study? Refer to the last chapter: Final Thoughts: How do the concepts
mentioned develop competencies?

Employee skills are various talents that people learn over time and are usually
honed on the job through constant repetition of tasks and projects.

Organisational skills allow an employee to accomplish specific tasks and projects

on or before deadlines.

Prioritising tasks entails listing things in order of importance, then making sure
the most important tasks are completed first.

Communication skills are the some of the most important types of employee
skills.

Communication skills include both oral, written and listening skills.

Effective writing skills include using the proper verb tenses for various nouns, or
arranging paragraphs in a logical way. Advertising copywriters must use
convincing headings and copy to get customers to buy their company's products.

Employees must have analytical skills to determine which strategies to use in

business.

Most jobs today require computer skills. Computer skills can include typing
speed, as well as the ability to use various software programs.

Graduate employers place a lot of emphasis on finding candidates with the right
skills and competencies for their organisations.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

The ability to communicate impacts virtually every aspect of personal and

professional life. Effective communication skills can make an important
presentation, a major project, a key initiative or even a career.

Teamwork is about building positive working relationships that help everyone to

achieve positive goals and business objectives.

Item True False

Employee skills should be numerous if one ……………….. ………………
wants to assess their talents.

An analytical skill is to find out very solution ……………….. ………………

to a problem at work.

Young people may have difficulties in gaining ……………….. ………………

effective communication sills.

Managers are also liable for skills and these ……………….. ………………
must be developed as well.

ICT skills are important in the recruitment of ……………….. ………………

skilled employees.

Organisational skills involve prioritising ……………….. ………………

activities at work.

Effective communication skills can break an ……………….. ………………

important presentation, a major project, a key
initiative or even a career.

Employees must have analytical skills to ……………….. ………………

determine which strategies to use in business.

To Build, Buy, or Trade Talent: That Is the Question behind Talent

Management by Dr. John Sullivan and Master Burnett.
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

Capacity building could have been a term with a vague meaning if it had little to
do with the development of talent. Managers in both public and private sectors
of Mauritian companies can think of capacity building by considering the critical
mass of employees with the intention of developing talent in the firm. A large
number of well-trained public and private employees in the country would mean
that capacity is being created. For instance, providing training in the
Information and Communications Technology area could mean that employees
or the population at large benefiting from such training has created some
capacity. This term was also important in the past during the early years of
industrialisation of the Mauritian economy where the shortage of skilled
employees impacted the development of the textile sector and needed the
development of capacity in that sector.

From that point, capacity building has become important for the country because
skills shortages might be appalling in certain areas. Capacity, in itself, can mean
different things. This can first come from the number or quantity of staff needed
in a particular sector. Understaffed departments will hence lack capacity.
Further, capacity could be also addressed in terms of the competences required
from the staff. A private clinic in Mauritius could consistently develop its
capacity by looking for well-talented employees.

This chapter considers the relevance of capacity building to talent management.

As explained above, companies that rely on capacity building will aim firstly at
selecting staff that are likely to work hard and attain the objectives and, equally,
those people who need to be to be trained in order to meet the requirements of
their departments.

Capacity building starts from the development of a company portfolio where the
internal audit highlights the strengths and weaknesses of each department. It is
from this position that managers come to find out what they are really lacking
and how they might also call for more competences from the external labour
market given that internally, it is difficult to meet the needs and expectations of
the department. In parallel, there might also be the need to develop programmes
that can effectively address the issue of capacity building.

Capacity building could be hence considered as the development of portfolios

leading to the creation of units that are adequately staffed and where and workers
have the skills and attitudes demanded from them. There is also another useful
consideration in Mauritius. Younger employees in all sectors tend to further
their learning competences. They do so by finding out learning opportunities in
the form of part-time courses or distance learning. This is much of a reality
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

nowadays but might address the issue of capacity building. In a similar manner,
such employees are also developing their talents and become liable to supply
their competences to management. The argument lying here is whether this
practice clearly explains capacity building or it is more a haphazard way to
develop capacity. Still the talent could be useful here.

All around the globe, the transformation of traditional staffing into talent
management is happening among leading organisations. Like many evolutionary
changes, this one got off to a slow start, but it is picking up momentum
exponentially. Driving this transformation is the realisation by senior leadership
that talent — as much as, if not more than, technology — is the driver capable of
increasing or limiting the capability or capacity of the organisation. Supported by
the select few human resource professionals who ‘‘get it’’ and a host of talent
imported from other functions, these organisations are going where none have
gone before, establishing new practices that demonstrate talent management is as
much a science as any other management discipline.

Like all emerging disciplines, the term ‘‘talent management’’ is quickly

becoming overused and its meaning diluted by practitioners who aspire to be
something they are not. Lately, a number of people have introduced themselves
with titles that incorporate talent management, despite the fact that they have
nothing to do with talent management, and continue to practice archaic,
inefficient, and ineffective approaches to staffing. If your organisation is looking
to procure leading-edge staffing professionals, heavily scrutinise what candidates
claim to have done in this emerging area.

At the core of this transformation is the application of a science known as

capability and capacity planning (CCP), long used in other areas of the business,
to the macro-level talent pool that makes up the organisation.

Capability and capacity planning from the talent management perspective is all
about balancing the ‘‘load’’ of labour needed by an organisation to meet or exceed
its strategic objectives with the optimal mix of ‘‘resources’’ capable of doing so.
CCP is in use throughout most organisations and can be easily identified in the
IT function, where CCP looks at the demand for network bandwidth that will be
placed on the network infrastructure (often referred to as network load) and the
mix of hardware components that have the capability (features) and capacity to
meet the forecasted demands. If a manager asks around, he will probably find
CCP at play in every function of your organisation in one form or another.

The changing trends have clearly indicated that the transformation of

management from regular routine recruitment process to focus towards
intangible capital management. Talent management is basically constituent of
five elements such as attracting, selecting, engaging, developing and retaining
employees and it is generally concerned with identifying the talent gaps,
succession planning, retaining talented employees by variety of initiatives as well
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

as implementing different strategies. In knowledge oriented society human

capital is a strategic resource in attainment of competitive advantage. Talent
Management of the employees is striking for numerous reasons as it is the best
remedy to achieve the entire organisational goal with few employees who are the
key players and best performers. The workforce development is necessary for
upcoming challenges like again economy being hit by recession (Singh, 2012).

Talent Management by capacity building of the employees makes it more

enhanced wherein the worker’s potential grows manifold. It is a process of
change and it is about managing transformations. Singh (2012) states that
people’s capacities and institutional capacity and a society’s capacity change over
time.

With the understanding that talent can be managed on a macro level like any
other asset, let's turn our attention to the leading practice in the area of talent
management, talent resource planning.

Talent resource planning is the application of CCP to the inventory of talent that
comprises the organisation.

The analysis which drives it looks at:

The capability and capacity of labour needed to achieve the strategic objectives of
the organisation.

The capability and capacity of the current talent inventory.

The gaps that exist between the two.

The methods capable of filling the gaps.

The disaster plan should any of the methods fail to close the gaps in the time
allotted.

One of the questions that arises when analysing the methods capable of filling
the gaps in an organisations talent inventory is, which method produces the
greatest cost/benefit to the organisation?

It is widely accepted that there are only two methods of augmenting the
inventory of skills present in your organisation:

- acquire new skills through recruitment and outsourcing or

- develop them through training and development activities.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

As anyone who has ever baked a cake, painted a house, or built a piece of
furniture can attest, sometimes it is cheaper to build or develop from scratch than
to acquire something ready to use.

When you procure something that is ready for immediate use, you pay a higher
margin - after all, whoever sold it to you has to derive some value for doing the
work for you. The same is true with talent in an organisation: acquiring talent
may be costlier than developing it, but it also may not be. In a talent
management organisation, a robust analysis coordinates both the distribution of
labour and methods used to produce talent resources.

Talent resource planning and talent management in general requires that

functions within HR coordinate, and work together at levels few organisations
have ever witnessed. This interdependence on one another drives analysis and
actions that have the potential to profoundly impact the bottom line of the
organisation. Unfortunately, getting people who are used to working in a vacuum
to work in an integrated environment isn't easy.

To help one get started, the following are some of the types of data that will be
needed to help power a talent resource planning initiative in an organisation:

Prioritised list of strategic business objectives

Market projections associated with each objective

Projected monetary impact associated with only partial attainment of objectives

or delays in obtaining objectives

Defined capability and capacity of all current strategic business partners

Forecasted change in skills inventory necessary to accomplish strategic business

objectives relative to the operations of the unit

Defined capability and capacity of all current contractors, consultancies, and

outsourced service providers approved for use.

Projected cycle times to source, screen, offer, and hire talent needed according to
skill type and mastery level needed.
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

Total projected talent acquisition cost according to skill type and mastery level
needed.

Total compensation expectations according to skill type and mastery level

needed.

Historical time to minimum productivity for new hires according to skill type
and mastery level needed.

Cycle time to develop needed skills profile, according to skill type and mastery
level needed.
Cost to develop skills profile by resource needed.

Availability or time-line of development resources capable of augmenting current

inventory.

Success/failure rate of development resources to develop mastery level required.

Risk of immediate turnover post development.

In an era of true global competition, remaining competitive comes down to

managing the capability and capacity of an organisation to meet the demands of
its target customers, an activity that is largely dependent upon your ability to
recruit, retain, motivate, and develop your labour force accordingly. Note that in
the modern era, the labour force is made up of more than just the employees on
an organisation’s payroll; it includes a significant volume of contractors,
consultants, outsourced service organisations and strategic partners.

Developing world-class practices to manage the talent resources capable of

driving capability and capacity will be the ability most in demand by leading
organisations over the course of the next decade and as the next war for talent
builds momentum. Already, organisations and individuals in developing nations
flush with an influx of operating capital from outsourcing and offshoring work
are looking to expand the capability and capacity of their operations by looking
outside the borders of their home country.

Are you as a talented manager ready to compete globally? You had better be!
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

The Capacity Building Mindset: From Korn Ferry, Globalnovations.com

Insight: India and Mauritius sign MoU for capacity building skills
India and Mauritius today signed an agreement in the field of skill development
and capacity building aimed at development of micro and small units. The
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Minister of State
(Independent Charge) for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) K H
Muniyappa and Mauritius Minister of Business, Enterprise and Cooperatives, an
official release said. Muniyappa exuded confidence that through this positive
engagement his ministry would be able to create an ideal framework for further
collaboration in this sector.

‘‘The agreement provides for further capacity building for developing an

appropriate policy and institutional framework for MSMEs and providing
training for improvement of managerial and technical skills for these units,’’ the
statement said.

Under the MoU, surveys and feasibility studies would also be carried out to
identify thrust areas and opportunities for development of these units in
Mauritius, it added. Besides, the two ministers discussed the possibility of setting
up of a vocational training-cum-incubation centre for the benefit of Mauritian
SME sector. An incubation centre would provide hands-on practical training to
the first generation budding entrepreneurs and unemployed persons in order to
equip them with knowledge and expertise for setting up new enterprises.
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

Public sector organisations that rely on recruiting school leavers and graduates
(such as the Police Service and the NHS) are already battling against private
companies for the brightest youngsters.

Indeed, the Metropolitan Police Service’s recent review of its talent management
strategy was promoted by a concern about the need to compete for young talent.
Equally concerning is the fact that many senior officers with the ability to lead
command teams and who have invaluable public order experience will be eligible
for retirement just when the 2012 Olympic Games come to London. Public and
private sector organisations are also beginning to experience skills shortages
caused by a complex interplay of factors such as changing demographics;
international competition; the changing composition of the workforce, especially
the shift away from white males to more women and people from ethnic
minorities; and the serious ‘‘brain drain’’ affecting the UK. Reportedly the worst
among 220 countries, the UK brain drain represents a serious loss of experienced
professionals.

Over 20% of UK nationals with a university degree live in another OECD

country, and overall, the UK has lost one in ten of its most skilled workers. Most
seriously for the public sector, 27% of these emigrants have health or educational
qualifications. The reality of these trends is that many public sector organisations
are experiencing difficulties in recruitment and retaining employees, particularly
where they compete with local firms for skilled workers. For example, local
government organisations have reported serious skills shortages. In 2006, 87% of
all authorities encountered difficulties in recruiting people with professional
skills. Specifically, 72% of councils reported skills gaps in organisational
development and change management; 61% in business process improvement
and 60% in performance management, all of which are skills areas that are
increasingly vital for the Government’s ongoing modernisation agenda. Concern
about the quality and quantity of current and future public leaders has led to calls
for better talent management.

A report by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister urged local government to:
•recruit from the widest possible pool of talent
•better manage the careers of high fliers
•recruit more graduates
•facilitate more movement of talent staff across the public sector
•participate in joint leadership development with other public sector
organisations.

More recently, the IDeA’s five strategic priorities repeatedly mention talent and
the need to “identify, develop and motivate talent”. A report about talent
management by PSPMA also concludes that local government needs to become
better at talent management for all employees, not just an elite group.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

Organisations need to take a more systematic and coordinated approach to talent

management.

Talent management, says PSPMA, “is about developing pools of skills, giving
employees the opportunity to widen the scope of their expertise and experience
while at the same time providing organisations with the talent they need to grow
and evolve.”

Strategic perspectives that shape talent management. On the face of it, talent
management comes in many shapes and sizes, making comparative research
difficult. One of the most useful findings from the research is that the varied
‘habitat’ of the talent management terrain can be codified and mapped once the
strategic priority and perspective underlying a talent management approach is
recognised (and for some companies, such a perspective can be implicit and
difficult to articulate). An organisation’s strategic perspective shapes the way in
which a talent management system is owned, viewed and implemented. This
perspective needs to be understood and supported by those who implement the
system, otherwise talent management processes can be distorted or neutralised by
individuals with quite different motives and agendas. The role of the line
manager can make or break the system.

Source: Ashridge Business School, 2012, UK

Why should local government need to become better at talent management for all
employees and not just an elite group? Explain the concept: An organisation’s
strategic perspective shapes the way in which a talent management system is
owned, viewed and implemented.

Relate the concern about the quality and quantity of current and future public
leaders to better talent management in the UK. How does this compare with
Mauritius?

Capability and capacity planning from the talent management perspective is all
about balancing the load of labour needed by an organisation to meet or exceed
its strategic objectives with the optimal mix of resources capable of doing so.

Capacity building starts from the development of a company portfolio where the
internal audit highlights the strengths and weaknesses of each department.

The changing trends have clearly indicated that the transformation of

management from regular routine recruitment process to focus towards
intangible capital management.
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

Talent management is basically constituent of five elements such as attracting,

selecting, engaging, developing and retaining employees and it is generally
concerned with identifying the talent gaps, succession planning, retaining
talented employees by variety of initiatives as well as implementing different
strategies

The capability and capacity of labour needed to achieve the strategic objectives of
the organisation.

In an era of true global competition, remaining competitive comes down to

managing the capability and capacity of your organisation to meet the demands
of your target customers, an activity that is largely dependent upon your ability
to recruit, retain, motivate, and develop your labour force accordingly

Item True False

There is capacity shortage when there is a lack ……………….. ………………
of talented staff in the firm.

Capacity building aims at catering for the ……………….. ………………

long-term needs of the firm.

Capacity must relate to the firm’s strategy. ……………….. ………………

Capacity building was important in the past

during the early years of industrialisation of
the Mauritian economy where the shortage of
skilled employees impacted the development
of the textile sector and needed the ……………….. ………………
development of capacity in that sector.

The Capacity Building Mindset: From Korn Ferry, Globalnovations.com, Talent

management by capacity building of the employees (Singh (2012), Powell M and
Devine M (2008) Talent management in the public sector, The Ashridge Journal,
3600.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

Motivation in talent management is important because talent is developed and

sustained through the empowerment of workers. Motivation theory has clearly
spelled out two main forms of motivation-intrinsic or extrinsic. In a consumer
society, it is clear that extrinsic rewards are important and that employees are
keener to look on the monetary side than get the feeling of internal rewards that
have no connection with money but are internally felt in the form of self-
gratification (Herzberg, 1960).

What is the link between motivation and talent? From an initial point of view,
employees who are encouraged to perform better, sense that their needs are being
fulfilled and satisfied, will be those who will be motivated, hence overcoming
their frustration. The term frustration could be important here because
employees do mention or simply talk among themselves that their frustration is
so high that they are unwilling to do better or simply expect their lives within
the organisation to move on smoothly until retirement.

This assumption is a fallacy because employees will have to be motivated. It is

not merely saying that managers must press on employees to work harder, attain
that extra mile or simply overburden themselves with work. By the way, there
have been recent amendments in Mauritius where the Human Resource
Development Council has ushered that working more does not really mean
working better. So here, the motivation concept gets in the area of talent
management.

Motivation creates the urge or desire to get something. For example, an

employee will be enthusiastic at learning something new, discovering new
techniques or learning experiences in his company. This is altogether right but
requires the support of top management. Then motivation becomes important or
might be considered as the prerequisite for good talent development. Motivation
will depend upon management’s desire to improve the learning environment of
the employee, to provide the right training and learning environment, to set the
right learning objectives but equally to reward the employee. This chapter gives
little importance to the aspect of internal rewards which are essential to talent
management. Haven’t we often heard from people that they feel happy from
some training or acquisition of new learning techniques? Apparently, the
employee did not ask for tangible rewards but was internally satisfied. If more
motivational opportunities existed in the organization, the employee might have
even performed better. Motivation is not a bland word. It has to be used and
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

applied in the right way. It has been always the flagship of the Ministry of Civil
Service Affairs where the achievement of excellence could lead to a more
productive and customer-focused public sector. This depends essentially on how
workers are encouraged in a well-structured manner, how they are given the
chance to improve their potential, how they are rewarded for their good effort.
The extra mile will always remain a challenge but motivation should be that fuel
which really contributes to such a means. In the end, there should be an effective
contribution of motivational theory to talent management.

In turbulent times, the role of the manager becomes more important than ever
because managers play a vital and distinct role, different from anyone else in the
organisation. That role is as a catalyst-someone who can “reach inside each
employee and release his or her unique talents and convert them into
performance.” (Buckingham and Coffman, 1999).

To effectively motivate and retain employees, a manager needs to deal with each
person one at a time-asking questions of, listening to, and working together one-
on-one. A “good manager” therefore, is one who will help talented people find
satisfaction in their work, and “satisfaction” is key to an employee’s decision to
stay or leave an organisation. (Buckingham and Coffman, 1999; Kreisman, 2002;
Kaye and Jordan- Evans, 1999).

It must be recognised, however, that over the last 10-15 years, most organisations
have de-layered and eliminated many middle management positions. Today’s
managers often have large numbers of direct reports in addition to individual
responsibilities of their own (Buckingham and Coffman, 1999). Very few have
the time to effectively make the emotional tie with their subordinates that is
really effective.

Turbulence in the Work Environment

In slightly more than a decade (1988-2000), the eminent issue for companies was
one of attracting and retaining people with the skills necessary to do the work.
The situation became even more complex during 2001 as an economic downturn
forced thousands companies to cut back or downsize their employee populations.
In the past year alone, more than a million US jobs have been eradicated leaving
a scenario of lost trust, eroded loyalties, financial demise, growing employee
cynicism and diminished productivity. Employee stress levels have escalated as
morale and creativity plummet, while simultaneously, the cost of absenteeism
and medical related expenditures have risen. Further, companies are now
indicating that product quality is beginning to suffer; customer satisfaction is
dropping and many organisations are beginning to experience a significant
increase in turnover of key talent-especially amongst those individuals
considered most ‘‘crucial’’ to the downsized organisation (Ambrose, 1996; Caplan
and Teese, 1997; Reichheld, 2001; Deal and Kennedy, 1999).
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

In a sense, the manager’s function is that of a “catalyst” and as with all catalysts,
the manager’s function is to speed up the reaction between two substances, thus
creating the desired end product (Buckingham and Coffman, 1999). Specifically,
the manger creates performance in each employee by speeding up the reaction
between the employee’s talents and the company’s goals, and between the
employee’s talents and the customer’s needs. When hundreds of managers play
this role well, the company becomes strong, one employee at a time.

In today’s slimmed-down business world, most managers shoulder other

responsibilities: they are expected to be subject matter experts, individual
superstars and leaders in their own right. These are important roles which
managers execute with varying styles and degrees of success, but when it comes
to the manager aspect of their responsibilities, “great managers” excel at the
catalyst role.

What we are faced with today, is an extremely dynamic and volatile work
environment marked by continued turbulence in the economy. Managers face a
difficult challenge of motivating and retaining employees in an environment of
increased uncertainties (Mitchell, 2002).

Essentially, no organisation, profession or community has been unaffected by the

continuing series of layoffs, dot com failures and restructurings. At the same
time, jobs are being created at unprecedented rates: 700,000 new businesses are
being established annually and there are worker shortages in some professions—
particularly the medical and services industries (Corporate Leadership Council,
2000).

So how can managers and organisations make sense of all this chaos?

Research shows that in the future, successful organisations will be those which
adapt their organisational behaviour to the realities of the current work
environment where longevity and success depend upon innovation, creativity
and flexibility. Further, the dynamics of the work environment will have to
reflect a diverse population comprised of individuals whose motivations, beliefs
and value structures differ vastly from the past and from one another.

What motivates people to do their best work in any endeavour they undertake?
Management theory and practice has traditionally focused on extrinsic
motivators—pay, benefits, status, bonuses, pension plans, expense accounts, etc.
While these are powerful motivators, by themselves they are no longer enough—
intrinsic rewards are essential to employees in today’s environment (Thomas,
2000).

When organisations wanted only compliance from workers, they bought it with
money and other tangible benefits. Extrinsic rewards do not come from the work
itself; instead they are allocated by managers to ensure that the work is done
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

properly and on a timely basis (Thomas, 2000). Nowadays motivational issues are
more complex because of the wealth and opportunity so many employees have
enjoyed.

Thus, work in the current decade has the potential for much richer, “intrinsic”
rewards. Intrinsic rewards come to employees directly from the work they do—
like the pride of technical accomplishment, service to a customer, or making a
difference in the world. In today’s competitive labour market, intrinsic
motivation is crucial. Over the long haul, people need intrinsic rewards to keep
going and to perform at their peak (Thomas, 2000).

Organisations can no longer offer guaranteed employment and a pension in

return for worker loyalty and compliance. And employees with dull or
unfulfilling jobs are less willing to remain with a company for the mere
possibility of an eventual pension.

Workers have been forced to take more responsibility for their own careers, going
where the work is rewarding and where they can develop skills that will
guarantee their employability—in whatever organisation (Hall and Associates,
1996). This mobility and “free agency status” has created greater competition for
skilled employees amongst organisations. Talented workers have more choices
than ever before, and are likely to leave if not satisfied with their employer or job
content.

As employees have become more likely to leave unrewarding jobs, the impact of
losing individuals has become greater. With global competition and a scarcity of
talent, few organisations can afford the cost of recruiting and training
replacements (Thomas, 2000).

Managing for intrinsic rewards, then has become the crucial next step in keeping
employees.

Organisations have had generations to develop their extrinsic reward systems. In

the future, the biggest gains will come from systematically improving an
organisation’s intrinsic reward process—making the work itself so fulfilling and
energising that employees will not want to leave.

Work is made up of tasks and tasks are comprised of activities (behaviours) that
an employee performs. However, tasks are comprised of more than just
activities—they are actually sets of activities directed toward a purpose (Cox,
1996; Thomas, 2000).

Rediscovering the role of purpose in work is key to understanding the new work
and the motivation of today’s employees. There is much evidence that today’s
employees, especially knowledge workers, tend to expect their work to be at least
somewhat meaningful and rewarding. They are more educated than workers of
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

preceding eras, have a higher standard of living, and see more opportunities for
meaning in their work (Thomas, 2000). Organisations now find themselves
competing to attract and retain workers on the basis of the meaningfulness of
their jobs.

When managers or supervisors are asked how they keep good people, many
respond, “With money.” Research suggests that 89 percent of managers still
believe it’s largely about money (Kaye and Jordan-Evans, l999; Kreisman, 2002;
Herman, 1999). As noted previously, the manager matters most because the
factors that drive employee satisfaction and commitment are largely within the
direct manager’s control (Buckingham and Coffman, 1999). Once again, these
include providing recognition and feedback, opportunity to learn and grow, fair
compensation which reflects an employee’s contribution and value to the
organization, a “healthy” work environment, and above all, recognition and
respect for the uniqueness of each person’s competencies, needs, desires and
style.

Companies should bridge the gap between manager and employee. It can be used
a tool for enhancing communication which then helps managers to better
understand the motivational drives and interests of each person. Insights can
further be utilised as a vehicle for providing feedback about performance and
style.

Coupled with a 360-degree Feedback Report, Insights becomes a powerful

mechanism to reinforce other’s views of an individual’s behaviour and/or style
indicating areas of strength or developmental opportunities (Collins, 2000).

In essence, managers can bring about a closer relationship between employee and
manager which enables both parties to better adapt, connect and understand one
another. When understanding does not exist, often the manager perceives that
the employee lacks the skill to do the job (Kreisman, 2002). The truth is that the
employee may be highly competent but his or her style is very different from that
of the manager. The “Value to a Team” section of an Insights report provides
crucial information to a manager who tends to evaluate all employees against one
set of standards.

Arguably, the most valuable (and volatile) asset is a stable workforce of

competent, dedicated employees. Longevity gives a company a powerful
advantage; depth of knowledge gives organisation strength. The loss of a
competent employee is increasingly difficult to replace with someone of
comparable competence—even with an effective succession planning process.
Unhappy people can seriously affect employee morale. Whether they leave or not,
disaffected workers can damage the attitudes of other workers (Caplan and Teese,
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

1997). Negative feelings impact the quantity and quality of work, absenteeism
and tardiness, cooperation with supervisors, and a company’s ability to attract
desired applicants. Instability of the workforce, often caused by ineffective
managers, can cause far-reaching problems. When dedicated workers have
difficulty getting their jobs done, they quite naturally look for other employment
opportunities where they can achieve the satisfaction they seek from work.

Insight: Seven Ways to Motivate Top Talent in De-Motivating

Times
The following are seven areas managers must focus on to ensure they keep their
top talent motivated:

Companies must have a performance based culture

Even in difficult times there must be clearly defined goals for the company.
These goals must cascade down to your top talent. They must have quantifiable
objectives that motivate them, so when reached, they feel a sense of
accomplishment. Providing specific time based goals with achievable results
clarifies exactly what is expected of your people. Your best talent will embrace
the goals and not stop until they reach the goal. Employee engagement is critical
to retaining your best people.

Dysfunctional culture

This is probably the biggest reason top talent gets nervous and begins to think
outside your company. Do you know your company’s culture? Can you define it?
Will your executive staff define it the same way? Will the in-the-trench worker
bees define it the same way? If not, this is the time to begin working on it.

Then once the culture is well defined, do the behaviours match the culture? Do
managers from the CEO on down demonstrate this culture day-to-day in how the
deal with the employees, customers and vendors? You can’t claim to have a
culture of teamwork if the manager’s idea of teamwork is, “As long as we do
things my way, without any questions, you can be on my team.”

Respect and appreciation

This is probably the least expensive and least used method to motivate and retain
top talent. Small things can make a big difference with top talent. Respecting
their contributions, listening to them, including them in the decision making
process, asking for their thoughts and ideas all make them feel respected and
appreciated.

Consider building a culture that respects your top talent so they feel appreciated.
Top talent does not want to be taken for granted.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

Consistent feedback

This could be considered a subset of number three, but more formal. This
includes regular and structured 1-on-1 feedback sessions. Not standing in the
hallway conversations, but actually sitting down and focusing on them. Giving
them feedback, encouraging them, listening to what their needs are (even if you
can’t meet them, just listening), taking an interest in their career and building a
shared bond. This makes them feel their manager cares about them as a person,
not just an employee.

Praise

You may have experienced a manager with this philosophy: “That is what they
get paid for. Why should I thank them? They should thank me for having a job.”
How did you like it? Compare that to a manager with this philosophy: “Thanks,
I know it is just part of your job, but I appreciate the pride you take in your work.
It helps everyone in the department.” How did you like that? A little praise goes
a long way to motivate people. In difficult times when people are doing more
than expected and yes maybe they should be glad to have a job, demonstrating
appreciation will be returned when the economy turns and they don’t have to be
working there any longer.

Education and Growth

Top talent companies insist on getting better. They know once their learning
curve flattens out, future opportunities can become limited. They do not like to
have their growth potential limited. Giving your best people the opportunity to
take some additional classes, lead a project outside their normal job, challenge
them with new opportunities, give them a chance to serve on a cross functional
team or take an on-line class will ensure they are becoming better. All these not
only ensure your talent is growing, but also makes them a more valuable
employee.

Self- Motivating Culture

Executives and managers have the power to inspire the employees around them
to self-motivate. The ability of managers to get the most out of the people they
employ is critical to the success and productivity improvements of any
organisation. The problem with many companies is in tough times rather than
unleash this powerful and innate behaviour to get more productivity; they
instead demand more productivity and thereby often stymie this behaviour.

This element of leadership is one of the core areas to reflect upon when retaining
executives and managers or for that matter when hiring leaders. As a company
begins to reflect on this they need to ask themselves some questions.

 How do the company’s executives and managers currently inspire others

to self-motivate?
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

 Is this a core value of the company? Should it be a core value of the

company?
 What best practice techniques have worked and are now part of the
company’s culture.
 What are the executives and managers actively doing to inspire their
direct reports to self-motivate?
 Which self-motivating techniques have not been successful?
 What do the executives and managers consistently do to learn about the
latest tactics and methods around inspiring their direct reports to self-
motivate?
 How do the executives and managers specifically build the inspiration to
self-motivation into their staff meetings and one-on-one conversations
with their direct reports?
 Has the company surveyed its employees to determine if the executives
and managers inspire self-motivation?
 When interviewing candidates – how does the candidate get a precise
understanding of the manager’s ability to inspire motivation?

How would the company’s employees and managers answer these questions? Do
the executives and managers believe in their heart it is their responsibility as a
manager, executive, leader, owner, founder to inspire their people to self-
motivate? If so, where would their employees rate their performance on self-
motiving on a ten-point scale – 1 being weak and 10 being the poster child for
inspiration and self-motivation? As the company’s leader do ALL the managers
in the company know how to inspire their direct reports to self-motivate? Does
the company’s CEO inspire self-motivation all the time or only as passing
thought? What would the executive’s and manager’s direct reports tell others
about the leadership’s ability to inspire self-motivation?

If a company’s leadership cannot inspire its very best people to self-motivate,

they will never succeed as great managers or executives. Now this begins digging
into the realm of culture, company values, retention, employee satisfaction,
employee motivation, employee engagement, and ultimately back to the first
point – performance. Is it time to re-examine how the company’s leadership
manages and lead? How do they specifically inspire others every day?

Source: Remillard B (2012) Seven Ways to Motivate Top Talent in De-

Motivating Times, Chiefexecutive.net.

According to a recent poll conducted by The Gallup Management Group only

30% of U.S. employees are fully engaged in their jobs. Improving employee
engagement can increase productivity and profitability while also reducing
employee absenteeism and turnover.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

The Gallup Management Group reported that improving employee engagement

is important because engaged employees have:

 51% lower turnover

 27% less absenteeism
 18% more productivity
 12% higher profitability

Source : Insala.com. (2008)

What if People Can Choose a Better Motivational Experience?

A tenet of traditional motivation is: People are either motivated or they are not.
An important distinction in the paradigm of optimal motivation is: People are
always motivated; it is the type of motivation they have that makes a difference.

In any given workday, people experience different types of motivation. Some

forms of motivation are suboptimal — more extrinsic and generally thwarting
people’s three basic psychological needs for autonomy, relatedness and
competence. Some are more optimal forms of motivation — more intrinsic and
generally satisfying the three basic psychological needs. Making the distinction
among different types of motivation is important to organisations.

Research conducted by Forrest, Zigarmi, Fowler and Facer indicates there is a

significant correlation between more optimal forms of motivation and the five
intentions that lead to employee work passion: intention to stay, endorse,
perform, use discretionary effort on behalf of the organisation, and use altruistic
citizenship behaviours. There is either no correlation or there is a negative
correlation between more suboptimal types of motivation and the five intentions.

Think of optimal motivation as health food and suboptimal motivation as fast

food. Suboptimal motivation may be easy and appealing, but it has the same
characteristics as fast food: It provides a spike of energy that declines rapidly; it
can cause feelings of guilt or shame. Suboptimal motivation is enticing in the
moment, but it rarely sustains motivation on a long-term or complex goal. Take
away promised rewards and so-called motivation evaporates. Suboptimal
motivation tends to diminish or outright destroy intrinsic enjoyment, along with
creative thinking, innovation and initiative.

Compare the two types of motivation that affect individuals? Why intrinsic
motivation is highly valued? Refer to the Insight topic on motivation and relate
some of its key elements to the retention of talent at work.
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

To effectively motivate and retain employees, a manager needs to deal with each
person one at a time-asking questions of, listening to, and working together one-
on-one.

A “good manager” is one who will help talented people find satisfaction in their
work, and “satisfaction” is key to an employee’s decision to stay or leave an
organisation.

Executives and managers have the power to inspire the employees around them
to self-motivate.

Companies must have a performance based culture to achieve excellent talent

management.

The ability of managers to get the most out of the people they employ is critical
to the success and productivity improvements of any organisation.

A tenet of traditional motivation is: People are either motivated or they are not.

People are always motivated; it is the type of motivation they have that makes a
difference.

Item True False

Intrinsic motivation can be more important ……………….. ………………
than extrinsic motivation in talent
management.

Managers must direct employees and motivate ……………….. ………………

them according to their own desires.

Companies must have a performance based ……………….. ………………

culture to achieve excellent talent management
and motivation.

Suboptimal motivation may be easy and ……………….. ………………

appealing, but it does not decline rapidly.

As employees have become more likely to leave ……………….. ………………

unrewarding jobs, the impact of losing
individuals has become greater.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

Leadership has a contribution to talent management. Obviously, autocratic

leaders - those who just give directives without consulting employees and use an
overly directive approach to leading employees - have little or no role in
developing talent in the firm. Democratic leaders - those who are at the other
end of the Spectrum-Continuum of leadership theory - are hence liable for
effective leadership through the transmission of values, support and deserving
help to all their employees. They keep listening to their employees, empathise
with them, offer the right environment to work and develop talent in the
company, and ultimately get the best from managing talent.

Leadership is the key factor leading to the development of talent. In the

Mauritian context, it is particularly the new or emerging sectors that source
talent and need high calibre leaders. Companies that work with the external
environment will need managers who adopt the best leadership practices in order
to maximise the effectiveness of their human capital through the development of
talent.

What it means in this context is that local leaders should find out environments
that are favourable to the development of talent. Employees can be exposed to
new learning techniques, learn a lot from seminars or conferences where they are
confronted to experiences from outside managers and leaders. It is through such
exposure that leaders will be able to develop or further the potential of their
workers. Leadership theory has its say in developing talent equally. If one refers
to the Hershey Blanchard Situational leadership theory, he will come to know
that leaders who encourage participation and delegation when their employees
develop maturity, are more liable to develop the talents of their workers.

In the Mauritian context, it is usually difficult to think critically of having the

genuine or valued leadership from managers since the work environment looks
more for compliance than the development of talent from the workers. Routine
work will not disclose the potential of the worker in the same way as compliance.
An expression like “thinking out of the box” may add value to leadership in the
field of talent management. It does not merely mean that leaders have to show an
extrovert approach to work or simply let lose the organisation by giving too
much freedom to their employees. It is rather useful to think how leaders could
compel their employees to learn better, improve themselves, overcome their
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

weaknesses, and build up strengths so that their employees intrinsically develop

the thirst for learning and seeking talent. This might also break up the day-to-
day routine style of work and promote a more conducive work atmosphere.
Hence, democratic leaders with a clear intent of leadership and those who
genuinely practise leadership will be those who first pass the post.

With a plethora of leadership training programmes available in Mauritius with

the contribution of international experts, it is positively thought that leadership
could be essential to the development of talent in Mauritius. It depends how far
the transmission of values and experiences will benefit the workers and positively
contribute to their talent management.

The talent management game has changed. Slower economic growth combined
with a scarcity of talent to fill crucial positions, the advent of social networking
and a new generation of digital natives, and increased expectation from the top,
mean that the days of transactional HR have long passed. HR leaders want a seat
at the strategic table and CEOs want to give it to them. But to be able to make
this leap from transactional to strategic, HR leaders need to put greater focus on
tools, process and integration and stop addressing talent management without
proper consultation.

While tactics for decreasing time to fill, maximising the effectiveness of

compensation and rewards, and retaining top performers vary among companies,
one thing is constant: easy access to workforce intelligence is key. Without access
to clean, consistent data, HR leaders cannot act with the certainty and speed to
get the best people at the lowest cost and ensure the best performance and lowest
attrition. Moreover, HR will lose the opportunity to be true leaders in the
business and help guide the CEO in decisions based on future business impact.

How many top performers will you lose to retirement in the next five or ten
years?
What skill demands are need greater attention?
What will be the bottom line impact of giving merit increases to top performers
only v/s all employees?
This is all insight that the HR leader can and should provide.

Talent management is increasingly becoming a priority for companies and CEOs

have new, more strategic expectations of their HR leadership. At the same time,
HR leaders strive to be seen as more than transactional contributors and push for
a seat at the executive planning table. To elevate their roles and present CEOs
with the thoughtful, proven talent intelligence demanded, HR leaders will need
to make systems integration and clean, consistent data greater priorities.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

Most organisations have some kind of leadership development programme in

place. Very few have the right kind. All too often, the focus is on acquiring new
skills, which may instantly become obsolete with the smallest shifts in
technology, market behaviour, or business strategy. Today’s rapidly changing
world calls for a more contextual approach.

Training companies can collaborate to create leadership development solutions

that improve company valuation and change people’s lives. They do this by
anchoring - not just aligning - to the organisation’s strategy, mission, culture,
and purpose. They also put equal weight on personal, team, and organisational
development - prompting progress and momentum on all levels.

The benefits of having an effective leadership development program are well

documented. Studies show that differences in the quality of executive leadership
explain an organisation’s performance.

Additionally, most ambitious growth-focused organisations are currently

pursuing or considering a strategic shift — a change to their core business model
that provides fuel for their continued growth, marketplace relevance, and
financial health.

Here are some examples of strategic shifts from a number of companies:

A global pharmaceutical company seeks to significantly expand its North

American footprint by establishing a series of distribution partnerships and
developing a differentiated sales force that captures increased physician mind
share and time share.

An Indian IT services company attempts to fight the forces of commoditisation

and eroding margins by climbing the value chain, competing against the global
IT consulting players, and pursuing sources of more strategic, longer-term, and
higher-quality revenue.

But not all such shifts come to fruition, for many organizations. For myriad
reasons, there is a well-documented gap between vision and execution.
Leadership development can be one of the driving forces in closing this strategy-
execution gap, getting you closer to your vision of the future and realising the
potential in your organisation and people.

Although the development support we offer varies from business to business,

there are three core tenets that underpin all our work:
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

 Design in context: business strategy, culture, and mission provide the

context for leadership development
 Focus on what leaders need to be and do: build characteristics that are
universally crucial and develop specific competencies based on context
 Treat leadership development as a journey: learning and application occur
in context with an intensity and time frame that match the strategy

Through tailored programmes and research-based, time-tested methodologies,

we help organisations develop leaders who can meet uncertainty with
understanding, transform complexity into clarity, and find, in the volatile
conditions of the present, a compelling vision of the future. In other words, we
help leaders - and, by extension, their organisations - blaze a trail through
uncharted territory and realise their full potential for strategic growth.

Executive Development
Drives business performance and improves company valuation by developing a
bench of strategically ready leaders who are engaged and motivated to activate
the organisation’s strategy to meet critical business challenges.

High-Potential and Pivotal Leader Development

Accelerates readiness for bigger and broader leadership roles as well as the
increased complexities of current leadership roles.

Enterprise Leadership Development

Helps clients develop the next generation of leaders at all levels of the
organisation.

Development Coaching
Provides one-on-one coaching with leaders to accelerate their advancement in
expanding self-awareness, improving leadership effectiveness, and preparing for
future critical roles in the organisation.

Effective leadership
The need for effective leadership has never been greater. Success will depend on
how rapidly and decisively your organisation is able to respond. Are your
leadership teams properly equipped to lead the way?

Development and Coaching practice provides leaders with the capabilities they
need to rise to the challenges and maximise the opportunities facing their
organisation now and in the future.

Drawing on the richest portfolio of assessment tools on the market, and

combining standardised methodologies with a highly tailored approach, training
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

companies must have the ability to enhance effectiveness on an individual, team,

and organisational level.

The best approach to executive coaching is a combination of “inside out” and

“outside in.” Inside-out coaching focuses on individual drivers: external
consultants help leaders gain insight into how their beliefs, values, and
motivations drive their behaviours at work. Outside-in coaching focuses on
organisation goals: external specialists help leaders develop a better
understanding of what their organisation expects of them and what impact their
behaviours have on others.

By integrating these two coaching elements, a training company can help leaders
transform their performance at a personal, interpersonal, and organizational
level.

Although coaching and development services are highly adaptive and

personalised, a company might leverage a four-step process that has been proven
over time and across organisations to produce excellent results. The four steps
are to build:

 Awareness — understanding self and others’ perceptions

 Commitment — engaging personal motivation and enrolling support
from others
 Practice — managing self and trying new behaviours to effect observable
change
 Accountability — integrating feedback for learning and achieving desired
results

Transition and Onboarding Coaching

Focuses on accelerating performance and improving leaders’ chances for success
during the first 100 days of a critical transition, whether onboarding from outside
the organisation, or transitioning internally through a promotion, international
assignment, or a lateral rotation.

Executive Coaching
Fosters the development of strategic leadership competencies, whether it is part
of an enterprise-wide initiative or an individual development plan. Executive
Coaching is important in the Mauritian context. Some succession planning
exercises in local companies help in the development of the so-called designate
CEO to shoulder the key responsibilities later.
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

Systemic and Enterprise Leadership Coaching

Accelerates organisational development through multiple executive coaching
engagements that are aligned to the business strategy, building personal, team,
and strategic leadership.

Cohort and Team Coaching

Enables small groups of leaders with shared development goals to improve
individual and organisational effectiveness while also forming new business
partnerships.

Reinforcement Coaching
Reinforces new leadership behaviours through ongoing coaching and practice.

Effective leadership is always the key element to motivating and retaining staff.
The studies prove it. Whenever employees are asked to identify why they left a
company, “lack of leadership” is often cited as one of the top reasons. In order for
employees to want to contribute, they must feel that they know where the
company is going and that it’s strategically strong. Strong leaders instil these
beliefs (Sujanzki, 2012).

In order to help managers and executive level employees lead effectively so they
can motivate and retain key talent, coach them to employ the practices listed
below. Doing so will enable to create a work environment that gets employees
excited about the company and eager to produce results.

While talent management systems may be established with the best of intentions
for both the organisation and the individual, the actual achievement of the
benefits intended may be more difficult than anticipated to achieve. The history
of the organisation, its culture and the sensitive nature of some work
environments can lead organisations to include everyone in the talent pool,
without any attempt to differentiate between them. While this may appeal to the
more egalitarian amongst the workforce, the lack of segmentation results in the
talent management system being little more than an enhanced performance
management process.

The culture of the organisation will impact on the perspective taken on talent
management, and talented individuals are likely to choose, in the longer-term, to
work for organisations whose culture is more closely aligned to their personal
values.

If an organisation does take a more exclusive approach and does segment a talent
pool, they then face the question of transparency. At its worst, high transparency
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

might marginalise those who are excluded from the talent pool while over-
boosting the egos of those who are included, or it might put the identified
talented individuals under such pressure that they fail to perform well as they
fear whether or not they can continue to meet expectations.

At its best, high transparency could have a number of benefits:

- supporting an open culture where information is exchanged freely and
constructions about talent are discussed frankly;
- prompt some difficult conversations about performance that may have been
avoided;
- motivating individuals to influence the way they are defined (particularly when
all definitions are attractive);
- providing clarity for people about opportunities and choices (especially if
coupled a transient definition of talent).

The issue also arises as to whether or not the identified talented individuals want
to meet the expectations placed on them or not. People go through phases in
their lives when different elements of their life take on different levels of
importance, and talented people may prefer to have the option of stepping off the
ladder every so often to focus their energy on family or other pursuits.

Developing the talent can also be difficult. Push them too far too quickly and
there is the danger that they will over-focus on the organisations needs at the
expense of wider moral and ethical principles, but leave them unsupported and
undeveloped and they are likely to leave.

In making choices about the talent management approaches, organisations

should consider the kind of leadership that the organisation is looking to foster
for the future. The processes that are used to identify, develop and communicate
with ‘‘talent’’ is likely to have a significant impact on the kind of leadership that
the organisation develops. In this sense, the approach that an organisation uses
needs to be congruent with the type of leadership the organisation needs in its
future.

Whatever system is in place, if it is effective, a significant number of the future

leaders of the organisation will be those individuals who thrived, were noticed or
succeeded within the talent management system of choice.

To some extent, the need for talent management systems is an organisation-made

issue. Organisations ’responses to business process re-engineering, TQM and the
downsizing that dominated the previous decade have now resulted in the
realisation that actually they do need good people, and having wiped out layers of
managers, they perhaps don’t have the pool of people ready for senior positions
that they once had. Having taken job security and development opportunities
away from individuals, and putting career management and employability firmly
on the individual’s agenda, organisations are now trying to reverse this trend by
enticing individuals back to the idea of loyalty to one organisation, and they want
more say in their careers.
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

Talent management systems may yet have the potential to provide a rigour in
defining business critical skills for an organisation, behaviours required now and
in the future, and enable focused development for different talent segments. Will
they be able to achieve this? Time will tell.

Consider the idea that companies may push leaders too far too quickly and that
there might be the danger that they will over-focus on the organisations needs at
the expense of wider moral and ethical principles, is there a need to support and
develop young leaders? What happens if such leaders leave the company for a
better prospect?

A significant number of the future leaders of the organisation will be those

individuals who thrived, were noticed or succeeded within the talent
management system of choice. Who are such leaders? Where are they available?
How can the company make the best from such people?

Companies may not have the pool of people ready for senior positions that they
once had because of downsizing. How is this incompatible with leadership talent
management?

Source: Developing Future Leaders: The contribution of Talent

Management; Ashridge Business School, UK

The talent management game has changed.

HR leaders need to put greater focus on tools, process and integration and stop
addressing talent management without proper consultation.

Talent management is increasingly becoming a priority for companies and CEOs

have new, more strategic expectations of their HR leadership.

Most organisations have some kind of leadership development programme in

place. Very few have the right kind.

Training companies can collaborate to create leadership development solutions

that improve company valuation and change people’s lives.

They do this by anchoring — not just aligning — to the organisation’s strategy,

mission, culture, and purpose.

Companies can also put equal weight on personal, team, and organisational
development — prompting progress and momentum on all levels.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

A selection of tactics are: Executive Development, High-Potential and Pivotal

Leader Development, Enterprise Leadership Development, Development
Coaching,
Effective leadership, Coaching inside out and outside in.

A range of coaching solutions comes from Transition and Onboarding, Executive

Coaching, Systemic and Enterprise Leadership Coaching, Cohort and Team
Coaching, Reinforcement Coaching.

Item True False

The issue of leadership in talent management ……………….. ………………
must be directed from the boardroom.

Directors must teach new leadership tactics ……………….. ………………

which are adapted to today’s environment.

Executive development is sufficient by ……………….. ………………

following an MBA programme.

Leadership programmes must be broad-based, ……………….. ………………

varied and centred to the needs of the
prospective employee.

An open culture is more supportive to ……………….. ………………

leadership development than a closed one.

Mission or purpose need not be aligned with ……………….. ………………

leadership development programmes.

Onboarding has a relevance to leadership ……………….. ………………

development because the potential leader
might be conversant with the firm’s existing
culture.

Case Study reproduced from Ashridge Journal 2006, A selection of leadership

tactics-Kornferry.com
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

Performance Management has been considered as crucial to the attainment of

talent. As such, it might not have a direct link with talent but develops the
premises of good talent management. In the Mauritian context, performance
management has been given great importance since the past and particularly
through the different salary reviews published by the Pay Research Bureau. It
could have been mentioned that performance management coupled with the
programme-based budgeting strategy (PBB) could lead to a more performing
public sector. Having said this, could one think of linkage between performance
management and talent management? Does performance management through
performance standards or goals help in the development of talent?

Ultimately, performance management acts as a yardstick for good performance,

good corporate governance but indirectly impacts talent management. Since
employees are accountable to good performance and will be liable to achieve
rewards, there is that linkage provided that talent is harnessed and that
employees are encouraged to do their best in achieving the goals that they might
have set on their own or jointly with their immediate supervisor. Performance
management was at one time thought to be the governing principle for the
attainment of high levels of performance.

In this lesson, the various aspects of performance are assessed with examples
taken from environments where performance brings better talent to the
organisation. It is also said that performance standards need not be exacting so
that they will defeat the purpose of evaluating performance and in a parallel
manner discourage employees if the objectives are not attained. There is an
adage stating that quality must not be sacrificed to the extent of quantity. In
performance management, very unfortunately, the quantity issue arises although
leaders will rather state the other issue. Productivity will be better measured in
terms of how much employees have been capable of producing efficiently. This
is where the dilemma of performance management affects talent management.

In order to build capital or create capacity building – two terms that are quite
close – it is important that performance measures remain realistic and achievable.
Managers who will apply the concepts at work must first get the feedback from
their employees, think how both can have convergent views rather than
conflicting ones on performance goals and respectfully review and realign the
objectives that should be in favour of both parties.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

Apart from that lie the issue of talent management and the development of
competences. Good performance could be an indicator of possible good talent
creation or development. This places the responsibility of deciders who will have
to explain how performance could both satisfy the organisation and their
employees. Just looking at one side of the coin is not enough. It is urgent to
consider the issue from both sides, keep both parties happy and accept that good
performance management delivers value by developing better talent at work.

In 1900 only 17% of all jobs required knowledge workers. By the year 2000 this
had increased to over 60% (McKinsey & Co, 2001) and the rate of increase is
accelerating. Since the 1990’s, when the major source of competitive advantage
had clearly moved from capital, assets and geography to intangible assets such as
talent, brands and intellectual capital, talent has clearly emerged as a major
source of competitive advantage. Acquiring and applying knowledge has
increasingly become the key competitive factor and the knowledge society will
become more competitive than any we have yet known because knowledge is
universally accessible. As economies become more knowledge based, the
incremental value of talented people continues to grow and the supply of them
lags behind demand. Competition for talent has grown exponentially and is
reshaping the way that businesses structure and organise themselves.

The ability to attract, develop and retain talent determines the strategic
capability of organisations. Management talent - the talent of the leadership
within organisations - is a make or break factor in the achievement of strategic
goals and the incremental value of the best managers versus the ordinary ones is
enormous. Many organisations are now realising that attracting, growing and
retaining top management talent is a strategic issue.

Most management talent comes from the 25 to 40 year old age group but this age
group is growing at a much slower rate than the total workforce, fuelling
competition for talent.

Recruitment alone is no longer sufficient. There is no alternative but to develop

and grow talent within the organisation. During the next decade, only 30 percent
of 20-year-olds in the U.S. will obtain a college degree, but more than 90 percent
of new jobs created during this period will require such a degree. The number of
computer science majors is 39 percent lower than it was in 2000.

Companies have been hearing about the pending talent shortage for years. But
what employers are failing to understand is that if they don’t address the issues
now, it will be too late,” Erickson said. “This year marks the tipping point
between labour supply and demand”. The workforce is going to shift rapidly
during the next five years, and companies will need a different set of human
resources practices.
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

The Old Reality The New Reality

People need companies. Companies need people.

Machines, capital & geography are the Talented people are the competitive
competitive advantage. advantage.

Better talent makes some difference. Better talent makes a huge difference.

Jobs are scarce. Talented people are scarce.

Employees are loyal and jobs are People are mobile and their
secure. commitment is short term.

People accept the standard package People demand much more today.
they are offered.

McKinsey and Company, 2000: The War for Talent

McKinsey undertook research into high performance organisations and

identified these six characteristics mentioned above namely: Companies need
people, talented people are the competitive advantage, better talent makes a huge
difference, talented people are scarce, people are mobile and their commitment is
short term and people demand much more today.

One of the characteristics was being energised by an intense performance driven

environment. What they found was that performance ethic was an all–pervasive,
high intensity focus by the whole company to outperform the competition. The
companies researched included Coca Cola, Emerson Electric, General Electric,
HP, J&J, and Sara Lee. In addition, executives at fast growing, up and coming
companies such as Dell and Southwest Airlines were interviewed.

The common denominator was that they were all high performers, well regarded
in the market place and known for their ability to execute strategies in a superior
fashion.
In particular, they exhibited the following characteristics:

They have a talent mindset – a widely held, deep-seated belief that high
performance and competitiveness are achieved through better talent.

All managers, starting with the CEO, are held accountable for strengthening
their talent pool.

They clearly understand what top talent is capable of delivering.

 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

They understand that people will go to enormous lengths for a cause they believe
in if they have leaders whom they value and respect.

They create a vision for the organisation and work hard to ensure everyone
understands and engages with the strategy that will deliver it. Individual goals,
targets and behaviours are focused on contributing to that delivery.

Performance targets are contracted outcomes that people commit to deliver, not
good intentions.

Ronald Williams, President of Aetna Inc. said in April 2006 when outlining his
company’s turnaround “We appreciate efforts; we reward results.”

Development is primarily focused around stretch jobs and frequent, high quality
coaching and mentoring.

Performance review and coaching sessions are undertaken every two to three
months rather than once a year.

They undertake rigorous talent reviews and differentiate between A, B and C

performers. They invest in these people differently.

They shape their company, their jobs and their strategy around talented people.

They create a culture around the way they deliver their success to lock in
ongoing high performance.

Recruitment is like marketing.

They have well developed people systems and tools to drive this culture.

High performance is regarded as the measure of how well people are being
developed as well as the reason for doing so. Most management talent comes
from the 25 to 40 year old age group but this age group.

To ensure individual To make it easy for To make the delivery of

stretch performance goals managers to give and strategy visible in real
are aligned across the receive high quality time
organisation to deliver mentoring and coaching
the strategy and vision frequently so that
capability is developed
and top talent is retained
and grown
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

-To manage performance proactively each manager must have access to their
goals & targets and those of their manager, peers and everyone below them in
real time.
-Alignment with the strategy and business plan is key.
-The top team must be able to see the goals and targets for the whole organisation
in real time to manage alignment with the business plan and the strategy.
-Progress towards achievement of goals must be visible in real time for the whole
organisation.
-Managers must be able to see their full span of control.
-A performance management system needs to be easy use/high value to users to
obtain their commitment.
-Administration and follow-up must be automated. Managers must focus on
developing their people, the system must take care of administration and
providing data.
-Time and information barriers must be eliminated as reasons for not managing
performance frequently.
-Non-electronic systems are too expensive.
-One-on-one coaching and mentoring must occur with a frequency and quality
that allows real learning to occur (2-3 monthly).
-The system must drive people to behave in fundamentally different ways.
-It must make people act.
-It must ensure action is taken by everyone every time.
-How performance is achieved (competencies, values, leadership model) must
also be measured and fed back using an electronic 360 degree feedback system.

Performance High Reward

Improvement & Accelerated
Programme Development
Exit Behaviour
Programme Improvement
Programme
Business Performance Delivered
Performance Management System
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

In organisations people make all the difference and nothing could be more
important than talent management. Attracting great people is the first step, but
you also need a strategy to properly select the right candidates and then engage,
develop and maintain the talented professionals in an organisation.

Employees and managers are partners in the effective implementation of the

process. The foundation of this partnership is the ongoing, open and candid
communication that takes place throughout the year during formal conversations
and the daily ‘‘informal’’ conversations. An effective performance management
process produces outcomes that benefit employees, managers, and the
organisation as a whole (University of Chicago, 2013). The PMS cycle is shown
below just for the recapitulation.

Courtesy: University of Chicago

Provides clear goals and expectations which define

requirements for success.

Creates development plans that support and enable current

performance and future growth.

Provides ongoing feedback and coaching to leverage

strengths and identify obstacles and opportunities for
improvement.
Aligns employee goals with department and unit priorities
and initiatives.

Provides the basis for a training plan to develop individual

skills and build overall team capabilities.

Provides a framework for managers to share continuous

 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

feedback and coaching throughout the year to maximize

results and keep performance on track.

Provides the structure, guidelines and support for effective

discussions about performance and development.
Ensures that employees have goals that are focused on the
most important work and priorities of their department and
the organisation.

Supports proactive employee development and a process for

building the capacity of the organisation.

Promotes a climate of open and candid discussions between

employees and their manager.

Provides a process for effective performance reviews and the

alignment of performance and rewards.
University of Chicago, 2013

Few talent processes are as powerful or as widely despised as performance

management. The steps to align employees with corporate goals, coach them to
higher performance and assess their accomplishments often elicit an unending
stream of complaints from managers and employees alike. Talent managers
should ignore the siren’s calls to eliminate the performance review, and instead
create a process that is guided by science, easy to use and features clear
accountability. Thanks to 60 years of psychology research, there is sufficient
information to set goals that create higher motivation and drive performance.
Science tells us that:

More difficult goals produce higher performance

We increase our effort as a goal becomes more challenging. The old performance
management maxim of “three regular goals and a stretch goal” does not cut it.
Today it should be four stretch goals.

Goals motivate better when they coincide with self-interest

When we believe a goal can help us earn, learn or realise other personal
objectives, we’ll be more motivated to complete it. This doesn’t mean employees
should set their own goals. In fact, allowing them to do so can easily reduce the
power of the first point.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

Fewer goals are better than many

The more goals we have, the less effort we can give to each. Science does not tell
us the right number of goals, but my experience is few of us have more than five
truly important goals in any given year.

Many parts of the typical performance management system add complexity to the
manager’s life without adding value. You can eliminate many traditional bells
and whistles to make your process easier and more efficient for your managers.

Encourage a one-page goal setting and review form

We can all agree it’s not about the form, but a complex, difficult-to-use form can
poison the process for both managers and employees. The only form elements
supported by science are a goal statement, metrics and a section to evaluate
results. Anything else you want to include should be considered guilty until you
prove it innocent.

Why does this case focus on setting goals for performance? Why does it
emphasise fewer than many goals? What does self-interest mean here regarding
performance measures? What is the relevance of a review form?

Source: Marc Effron, Perfecting Performance Management, talentmgt.com

McKinsey undertook research into high performance organisations and

identified these six characteristics mentioned above namely:

Companies need people, talented people are the competitive advantage

-better talent makes a huge difference
-talented people are scarce
-people are mobile and their commitment is short term and
-people demand much more today.

An effective performance management process produces outcomes that benefit

employees, managers, and the organisation as a whole.

To manage performance proactively each manager must have access to their goals
and targets and those of their manager, peers and everyone below them in real
time.

Performance management acts as a yardstick for good performance, good

corporate governance but indirectly impacts talent management.
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

Progress towards achievement of goals must be visible in real time for the whole
organisation.

A performance management system needs to be easy use/high value to users to

obtain their commitment.

To make it easy for managers to give and receive high quality mentoring and
coaching frequently so that capability is developed and top talent is retained and
grown

Item True False

The outcome of performance management ……………….. ………………
benefits mainly top managers.

Real time performance management develops ……………….. ………………

managers’ talents.

Progress towards performance goals is not a ……………….. ………………

necessity.

Talented people are keen to develop their ……………….. ………………

performance at work.

Talented people are common everywhere ……………….. ………………

today.

Performance Management should be the ……………….. ………………

concern of managers only.

An effective performance management process

produces outcomes that benefit employees, ……………….. ………………
managers, and the organisation as a whole.

Diagrams, chart and notes in section are taken from University of Chicago
website. Sources relating performance management data are taken from
mariner.com. All other sources are cited wherever possible.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

Communication is a vital component of talent management in that managers

who speak out their vision clearly and correctly are those who best translate them
to their employees and attain their vision. Some managers may unwillingly hide
themselves from their subordinates believing that it is very important for them to
deal with senior management and let information flow down the line through the
traditional communication channels like oral or written communication. While
these channels remain important in providing information to the employees,
they might not in themselves provide the real opportunity to develop talent.

Communication techniques involve ways to deal with subordinates. Firstly,

there is a need for clear communication without subjective intonations or
superfluous emotions. Secondly, the message should be clear and concise so that
there is no poor retention of information. Further, communication should help
at removing misunderstandings and barriers between management and their
subordinates.

This chapter also deals with analytical skills that form part of communications
strategy. Analytical skills involve abilities that enable the manager to make
effective review and analysis of problems and, in turn, implement decisions that
are rational. Managers might spend their time along to think and develop ideas
that will impact positively on the firm. Analytical skills eventually depend upon
the manager’s intellectual competences to solve problems, clear out difficulties as
they might crop up in the organisations and find out solutions that are practical
and workable with their fellow employees.

The other argument is about relating communication to talent management.

Leadership theory, in practice, that aspect dealing with leaders’ traits, explains
that good leaders must have the drive to lead but also general intelligence and the
ability to communicate correctly. Hence, communication is a key factor when it
concerns the development of talent in the organisation.

Managers who communicate correctly develop their own talent and so is the
relevance of communication talent for employees. Employees communicate in
different ways, usually through their leader or individually. They must also be
able to write down and convey their ideas correctly. It is in this area that
communications helps in the development of talent among employees.
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

Employees may, on their own, develop their communication competences by

taking examinations and acquiring new qualifications. Their success in
examinations might depend upon their ability to communicate their ideas
correctly on paper but this is not enough. Oral communication is definitely
important where employees and managers alike learn to communicate, overcome
their communication difficulties, influence the members of their organisation
and maintain their image within the firm. Conclusively, communication
strategies have always been sought by managers and communication specialists
and the art of public speaking supports the central idea of talent development in
communication.

The often underestimated skill of communication is growing more significant

among top talent leaders in today’s dynamic, technologically based business
world. The ability to communicate impacts virtually every aspect of personal and
professional life. Effective communication skills can make or break an important
presentation, a major project, a key initiative or even a career. No matter how
strong a manager’s skills in the other facets of a job, the ability to work with and
lead others will depend heavily on communication.

Having the right communication skills, however, can vary depending on the
circumstances. Executives who are effective communicators in some areas may
still need work in others. And as communicating in the workforce grows more
complex, it has become more imperative that those in the talent management
function pay extra attention to the skill.

Workplace communication, as many well know, offers the array: making

presentations, giving speeches, composing important emails, writing a proposal,
discussing complex issues, running a staff meeting or delivering difficult
messages.

One area where many executives can gain a better sense of where their
communication skills are lacking is through peer assessments. In this age of
smartphones and remote devices, it’s almost too easy to shoot off an email at the
spur of the moment. Most managers could benefit from working on collecting
and organising their thoughts, while reviewing their messages for tone and
content before hitting the “send” button.

A trusted colleague can be asked to provide constructive criticism about

communication abilities. The colleague can help a peer target where to start, how
to present, and what tone will work in different situations. For a presentation, a
peer consultant might help answer these questions: Is a stronger introduction
needed? Is the audience engaged? Is the presenter dynamic? Does the presenter
become defensive in addressing questions?

Receiving constant feedback from these questions will only help managers or
leaders improve their communication skills.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

Once a peer assessment is complete and development areas are targeted,

managers should then focus on a six-part framework to develop a more effective
communication strategy — to either help themselves or their employees.

Define the audience

Is the message being communicated to board members, colleagues at a staff

meeting, new clients, a department or the entire organisation? Consider setting
as well: There is a difference between a one-on-one meeting, a small group or a
speech in front of many. Communication is not one-size-fits-all; it should be
customised for each specific audience.

Clearly lay out an overall goal

What is the manager trying to accomplish? Is a line of communication a report?

Or is he/she trying to start a dialogue in a one-on-one? Which party is
asking/answering questions? Keep the end result and overall goal in mind when
facilitating different communication.

State a clean and clear message

It is important to be succinct and to have a deep understanding of the messages

being presented, so the main points come across successfully. Learning to
synthesise communication into a coherent message is a must for all managers and
leaders.

Polish the content

How will the information be structured? What is the best format for the audience
and the venue? What is the sequence? What technologies are needed?

Ask for feedback

Reach out to others for feedback before and after communicating. Where does
the communication style need strengthening? Are the messages clear? Does
information need to be added, removed or more clearly explained?

Refine

Use the information gathered from feedback sources to polish the

communication. This is a tricky step in the process, but an elevated level of fine-
tuning is necessary, depending on the type of communication.

As the business world grows more technologically savvy and dynamic, whether
by way of tablet computers or social media, strategic communication will become
more vital to being a successful leader or manager. It’s a skill that talent
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

managers should consider a core component of every talent development

strategy; it’s poised to lead to more talented leaders and stronger organisations.

Companies can foster emotional attachment through meaningful work and

performance-based rewards to build commitment, interaction and involvement.
Senior talent executives may be surprised to learn that a sizeable number of
people who are highly engaged at work don’t intend to stay with their company
for long. Talent leaders do not have to just wave a sad goodbye to their
employees, however. Offering career enhancement and work opportunities as
well as performance-based rewards can act as effective retention tools and foster
high levels of engagement to ensure not only that employees stay at a company,
but they give the organisation their all.

High engagement can be a critical component of a company’s success. The

typical employee engagement definition includes elements of commitment to the
employer, willingness to interact to help reach the company’s objectives or goals
and full involvement in and dedication to individual work responsibilities. But
engagement goes deeper than that. According to research and consulting
company Scarlett Surveys, “employee engagement is a measurable degree of an
employee’s positive or negative emotional attachment to their job, colleagues and
organisation which profoundly influences their willingness to learn and perform
at work.”

So while meaningful work, performance-based rewards and attractive career

opportunities are useful retention tools, companies have additional opportunities
to foster that emotional attachment through employee commitment, interaction
and involvement. The two biggest influences on employee engagement levels are
clarity of company goals and regular communication.

Employees who know what the company is committing to, how their own actions
and responsibilities influence those goals and how the company measures
employees based on achievement of those goals are typically more engaged people
who deliver more value to the organization. Open communication channels, such
as weekly/quarterly/annual meetings, show an organisation’s commitment to
keep employees aware of and involved in company issues. When leaders also take
the opportunity to listen to employee suggestions, concerns and ideas, they open
the door for further engagement by encouraging interaction and showing respect
for the individual.

An engaged employee intentionally helps the company reach its goals. To do

that, employees need to be crystal clear on what those goals are, which makes
communication a critical consideration when building retention programs or
promoting specific behaviours. Managers cannot expect an employee to stay
engaged in reaching a goal that is ever-changing, out of touch with the market or
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

artificially created to mask some other agenda. The objectives employees work
toward need to make sense so they can contextualise their efforts in goal
achievement.

Once goals are defined, ongoing support by management is a key factor in

reaching those goals. Asking employees what they need from their manager to
complete a task shows managers are committed to an individual’s success. If a
goal is established and communicated only once to the employees, but they never
receive proper funding or further support, putting their effort into that goal may
feel like a waste of their time and dedication. Alternatively, goals that remain
visible, are measured regularly and rewarded for successful achievement lead to
greater employee satisfaction.

Talent managers also should be careful not to set goals that are impossible to
achieve; this happens more often than leaders would like to admit. Employees
know they can’t cross a particular finish line, and rather than be on a losing team
that has been set up for failure, they may simply leave the company. Setting goals
that are too mysterious or poorly defined can be an engagement trap as well. In
this situation, employees may find it difficult to map their tasks and projects to
support the corporate goal.

Here again, communication is critical. Scheduling discussions that break down

corporate goals to departmental, team and individual goals is time well spent so
employees understand clearly how influential their contributions are to the
organization’s success. Sharing the effects of not meeting goals also can spur
employee commitment and interaction. By illustrating the domino effect of not
meeting deadlines, for example, employees can understand why certain metrics
were chosen and how their own success or failure directly affects other people in
the organisation.

Technology hurdles can raise an employee’s frustration level with the company
as a whole. Talent managers must remove these barriers from employees’ daily
work environment. For example:

• Does a laptop continuously crash, wasting time and disrupting work? Replace
it.
• If individuals are expected to be accessible when out of the office, put a
corporate phone program in place and supply the team with smartphones.
• Allow access to online meeting technologies and educational resources to allow
employees access to educational opportunities, reduce travel time and other
expenses.

By opening the door to more forms of communication, companies increase

interaction and visibility between peers, bosses and employees. Having more
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

options available with which to communicate also gives employees the

opportunity to access information in ways they feel comfortable with, and can
increase productivity and remove barriers to work or collaboration. For example,
instant messaging can provide real-time communication throughout the day,
during conference calls and meetings. Texting can provide quicker access and a
faster response by those users who prefer it over voicemail.

Source : Lois Melbourne - 2011 Talentmgt.com

Effective communication and conversation can yield significant improvement in

areas such as productivity, quality, diversity, leadership capability, sales
performance, employee engagement, team collaboration, customer satisfaction
and change management (trovo resources). Through workshops, one-on-one
coaching and strategic planning of communication initiatives, trainers can help
turn ordinary conversations into powerful dialogue, communicate vision,
improve professional relationships and increase decision-making capability.

The fact that Mauritians are multilingual may add both to the improvement and
some decline in the quality of conversation. Too often the translation of terms
and expressions do not fit reasonably in a different language. Taking Creole as a
reference language may make it difficult to make a smooth transition to teaching
English where the approach is different. Despite this shortcoming, using more
than one language in a conversation may help to clarify the message.

The argument is whether communication brings productivity at work or not.

There is no apparent measurement to it but the transmission of clear messages
can impact productivity-people are able to listen well and execute the tasks
correctly. Misunderstandings are avoided and lead to better harmony and
understanding.

Empowered Thinking

Presenting employees with essential information they need to do their jobs is a

basic part of business life. Companies can get these thoughts and ideas across in a
number of ways, including meeting face-to-face, hosting online webinars,
sending out emails and creating multimedia resources for personnel to use in
completing essential tasks. These methods of communication should be
established early and used often, as poor communication can be a major
stumbling block for talent management.

One of the biggest problems that corporations are likely to see when using
communications techniques is a lack of clear and concise networking between
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

personnel. Every method people use to interact forms a vital link in sharing
goals, discussing action plans, creating business intelligence forecasts
and conveying the basic requirements of a new position.

Each of these elements must be presented in the best way possible and should be
reinforced over time, rather than portrayed only once. Forming the right
networks and interactive opportunities is essential for firms that want to boost
communication and increase performances from all personnel. Understanding
what is expected of them helps employees enhance their output, hit goals and
become more engaged at work.

Getting it all on the table

Companies that want more out of their personnel first need to offer them the
ability to perform at a higher level. From the moment a job description is posted,
through the hiring process to onboarding and the rest of an individual’s career,
clear and concise communication is the key to conveying what businesses need,
and how employees are supposed to obtain these outcomes. Through this
carefully orchestrated series of networks, interactions and reminders, staff
members will be able to carry out all the requirements businesses set before
them.

As LinkedIn’s Lou Adler said, this level of communication should be the

foundation of every corporation's regular activities. Companies need to present
their ideas and goals in a way that gets people motivated and gives them the
direction they need so that they can get to work making these concepts a reality.
Presenting the steps personnel require to be successful means creating tenable
action plans, setting out guidelines and offering employees all the direction and
insight they need in order to make headway.

HR management solutions allow companies to carefully assess how their staff

members are handling job tasks, and promote an accurate understanding of what
these positions entail and how employees are meant to deal with each
requirement. Expectations need to remain reasonable, and various benchmarks
for success should be measured against total goals and timetables to determine
whether issues are cropping up before they become serious problems. Using
HCM software in conjunction with internal communication will help promote
better outcomes for personnel of all kinds.

Creating better communication capabilities

One of the key elements for promoting superior results is enhanced network
capabilities. Rather than simply relying on face-to-face interactions, businesses
now have a wealth of different outlets available to them for getting messages
across to employees. The rise of social media, the addition of mobile devices to
the workforce and the increased presence of cloud solutions allows entities to
seamlessly connect with staff members on a number of levels.
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

To get the best possible responses from personnel, though, organisations need to
be certain that they're using these outlets appropriately. Simply delivering a
message in a traditional meeting environment may get the key talking points
across, but in today’s modern work environment, it is not enough to relate all the
intricate details that make these solutions function correctly. Additionally, it fails
to utilise the wealth of collaborative resources that companies offer their staff
members.

As Young Entrepreneur stated, it is vital for corporations to integrate as many

multi-channel experiences into their talent management solutions as possible.
These resources, including social networks, cloud storage, multimedia
presentations and graphic guides all create a web of resources personnel can fall
back on whenever they have questions. This eliminates confusion and boosts
communication within teams, creating more engaged employees by offering them
a bevy of opportunities to explore, innovate and initiate new ideas. Ideally, these
outlets also offer businesses the ability to reinforce ideas over time. As the source
wrote, simply conveying an idea once won't make it stick with personnel.
Businesses need to provide reminders and resources for instilling the clearer and
more complete comprehension of projects, culture and goals possible to
successfully engage and retain key employees.

Presenting employees with essential information they need to do their jobs is a

basic part of business life. How can companies achieve this? Why are clear and
concise communication the key to conveying what businesses need? How do
enhanced network capabilities improve communication talent? Why is it vital for
corporations to integrate as many multi-channel experiences into their talent
management solutions?

The often underestimated skill of communication is growing more significant

among top talent leaders in today’s dynamic, technologically based business
world.

The ability to communicate impacts virtually every aspect of personal and

professional life.

Effective communication skills can make or break an important presentation, a

major project, a key initiative or even a career.

Receiving constant feedback from these questions will only help managers or
leaders improve their communication skills.

Communication Techniques and Talent require: Defining the audience, clearly

laying out an overall goal, stating a clean and clear message, polishing the
content and asking for feedback.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

High engagement can be a critical component of a company’s success.

Open communication channels, such as weekly/quarterly/annual meetings, show

an organisation’s commitment to keep employees aware of and involved in
company issues.

Scheduling discussions that break down corporate goals to departmental, team

and individual goals is time well spent so employees understand clearly how
influential their contributions are to the organisation’s success.

Sharing the effects of not meeting goals also can spur employee commitment and
interaction.

Item True False

Since the world is fast changing, ……………….. ………………
communication becomes vital for talent
management.

There is a need to align communication ……………….. ………………

technology with communication strategy.

Communication is naturally haphazard and ……………….. ………………

varied and this must be part of a talent
management strategy.

Talented people are keen to develop their ……………….. ………………

communication strategy at work.

To refine communication means to change the ……………….. ………………

message entirely.

Discussions should normally be ad-hoc in ……………….. ………………

organisations.

Talented people need not communicate their ……………….. ………………

feelings to their managers.

Emotions in communication can improve ……………….. ………………

talents of employees.

The case study on Empower thinking is from Empower Software solutions. All
technical-related software information has been removed for the case study
needs.
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

The effort for management to get the potential manager in the bandwagon or on
saddle is known as onboarding. There might be some connotation with
succession planning where the firm is likely to bring a new manager in the future
to serve its needs. Workers might come from the inside but equally they might
be new talents that are either recruited or headhunted by the existing firm.
Onboarding as the term explains speaks literally of bringing the new manger “on
board” and offering him the chance to learn about the firm, its culture, work
environment, workforce, objectives or expectations. Expectations are
unfortunately high for companies and there is the risk that employees who have
been onboarded might not necessarily fit in the organisation context and end up
as high fliers.

Onboarding is rarely heard as a term in Mauritius but it is a core component to

the management of talent. It is heard from the press and other media sources in
the country that new managers are being recruited and having the responsibility
to either ensure the smooth running of their new company or simply forge a new
direction in their new assignment.

Onboarding becomes essential in so far by assisting the new manager in a new

and challenging environment. Lower grade staffs have lesser opportunities for
onboarding as they might be merely exposed to induction training or the
commonly-known term “Sitting by Nellie”. Can this be applied to managers?
The answer is eventually not because managers have much bigger challenges and
responsibilities to undertake while making stakeholders happy with their
performance.

This chapter explains that onboarding cannot be a short-term assignment that

allows managers to learn about the company culture and the workers in a short
time or moratoria. It stresses that managers might need about 90 to 120 days of
training, induction and familiarity with their new environment if they are
expected to become effective leaders and winners.

Next consider the techniques needed for onboarding. These might cover
elements like training, human resource development, orientation, etc. before the
managers becomes familiar with the work environment and works comfortably
with the employees under his supervision. The development of talent is not
easily perceptible during the onboarding phase but might be the start of such a
strategy that the firm intends to bring along in the future. Part of the
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

onboarding strategy will cover the issues of talent management where the
manager will have to start learning from the workers, understand the current
practices within the organisation and some to learn about what might be
conflicting in the company and which tactics might work correctly.

There is also the concept of onboarding existing employees who have already got
the experience in their own company. This is a positive technique because it
might avoid the firm from making expenses and struggle for adjustment if a new
manager comes from the outside. Globally, whether it is internal or external,
onboarding has to be sought as a key strategy to management development hence
talent development?

Organisations have resumed talent acquisition especially globally. The result has
been a revisit to long postponed Onboarding Technology Expenditure –
particularly where it is key to executing talent strategy. Onboarding sits at a
crossroad or crucible between talent acquisitions, engagement, while providing
an important touch point to influence performance. If considered in terms of its
year on year benefits the rationale for adopting Onboarding best practices and
technology becomes clear.

Over the last several years the vast majority of job growth has been in the fast
growth markets of China and India. Now a new cadre of fast emerging countries
within Latin America, South East Asia and Africa is the new frontier requiring
attention from Onboarding programmes, talent strategists and corporate culture
leaders as companies scramble to maximise growth wherever possible.
Subsequently global enterprises need to consider their onboarding practices and
policies around local vs. global and brand integrity to its employees.

Millennials are now hitting the market in force and the result has been a changed
and changing landscape for employees and employers. Technology has a larger
role to play as enterprises become more social, but as Onboarding addresses-
culture, innovation and real engagement among its millennial workers it will
require significant customisation in its delivery and approach.

Without appropriate onboarding practices, a new hire’s success with an

organisation becomes a much more “sink-or-swim” proposition. Increasing speed
to competence and productivity must be key features of any onboarding
programme (The Conference Board 2013).

Executives are demanding a discontinuous jump in workforce performance and

productivity. On average global executives (n=2046) believe they will need a
20% improvement over and above current levels in order to meet their business
objectives". Investments in new hires must be optimised with effective
onboarding programs integrated into the end to end talent management system.
Effective onboarding drives organisational performance by accelerating time to
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

contribution, increasing productivity, driving employee engagement and

reducing turnover of new hires.

No longer viewed as basic ‘‘employee orientation’’, onboarding is a key talent

management initiative that is directly tied to business results. Best in class
programs begin reaching out to new hires in the pre-board stage, the time
between offer accept and start date, to inspire, inform and connect them to the
company, their new manager, team and role. Integrating role based learning into
onboarding pays big dividends with the onboarding process continuing for 30
to 90 days for highly complex roles (2020Totalmanagement.com).

To practise Onboarding, the company prepares the new employee to fit into his
company’s culture, beginning with a thorough review of his own assessment from
the hiring process. The company will use the assessment to create an executive
summary, called a communications manual, to share with teammates and
supervisors in facilitated sessions. Next comes employee orientation. The
orientation process should be meaningful and thorough. Why?

Human Resources designs a formal orientation programme, manages an

orientation checklist, evaluates orientation activities, places the employee on the
payroll, and explains benefits, company organisation, and provides a personal
tour of the company.

The Manager prepares co-workers to warmly receive the new employee,

introduces the new employee and provides an overview of the job setting,
department plans, and work rules. The manager provides personal introductions
to customers, vendors and key contacts inside and outside of the organisation,

Senior Managers introduce themselves, provide organisation history, state

future objectives, and share key information about customers, products and the
organisation’s competitive advantage.

Finally, the new employee is invited to attend meetings with the owners, direct
supervisors, and others at the same level to review one another’s communication
manuals. The new employee, in turn, meets with her direct reports to discuss
expectations (Strategic Talent management, 2013).

Organisations are devoting more time to the onboarding process and employing
more creative and exciting techniques in an effort to get their newly hired
employees productive sooner and to lay a foundation that will help retain them
(Wheeler, 2008).
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

Engage employees

First of all, they are fun, not overly formal, and engage employees. Make sure you
develop a programme that has substance and that addresses serious issues
effectively, but do it in a manner that is interactive and fun. Some organisations
are using the Internet to facilitate the experience and provide the new employee
with the corporate history, the values of the firm, an overview of the strategy and
fiscal goals. This is often delivered in a video. Videos can be used to provide an
overview of the finances by the Chief Finance Officer, for example, and a
greeting from some senior-level executive. Many offer tours of the facilities via
video narrated by an employee.

All of these tools and activities set a stage for productive, aligned, and focused
work. Don’t assume that employees are just going to “pick up” all the things they
need to know to be successful in your firm. What is obvious to you may be very
obscure to someone just walking in the door.

Good Onboarding programmes may extend over several months

Second, good onboarding programmes may extend over several months. After an
intensive 1 to 2-day session up front to start things off, subsequent activities may
extend over several months at periodic intervals. Some programs include
rotational assignments; others may include special projects that are designed to
expose the new employee to parts of the company they would not normally have
any contact with. For example, an executive could be given as assignment to find
out something about the manufacturing operations that would require her to
actually go to the factory and gather data. This way she sees how other employees
work and begins to get a feel for the culture in action. Scheduling events out
several months gives you the opportunity to get into topics in an in-depth way
that short programs cannot.

Getting the manager to be part of the Onboarding process

The third thing effective onboarding programmes are good at is getting the
manager to be part of the onboarding process. Surveys show that the relationship
with the manager is one of the most significant in an employee’s work life.

Source: Wheeler K (2008) How the Best Onboarding Programs Work, ere.net

Companies that adopt a strategic onboarding process see that the key is to
consider onboarding as an experience instead of an event. Onboarding thus
becomes a holistic approach whereby companies place their focus more on
personalisation and strategic employee growth rather than completion of a ‘‘first
day’’ checklist. This change of perspective and approach results in a few notable
outcomes and lessons (Human Capital Institute).
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

The initial weeks and months on the job are a crucial time for new hires, and
while it may seem like a basic responsibility to offer an orientation to newcomers,
a new survey shows that more than a third of HR managers said their
organisations provide no formal programme. That is according to a recent survey
by Accountemps, a specialised staffing service for temporary accounting, finance
and bookkeeping professionals, and includes responses from more than 500 HR
managers.

A best practice is not just for employers to offer orientation, but to take it to the
next level by providing a more substantial on-boarding program. Here are some
steps to ensure a more engaging on-boarding program to help set new hires up
for long-term success on the job.

Put It in Writing

Supervisors should offer new hires a handout that details the company’s on-
boarding process, including a schedule of activities and topics. Knowing what to
expect can help to ease the jitters many people feel when starting a new job. An
added bonus is that the handout also can keep managers on track with their role
in the process.

Use Videos or Books Appropriately

Leaders need to recognise that videos and handbooks are supplements to a

broader introduction; they’re not intended to be the bulk of on-boarding
programmes. People need the opportunity to interact with supervisors and
colleagues and ask questions to feel fully prepared to assume their jobs.

Clarify Expectations

Newcomers must meet with their direct managers early on to learn the
expectations of their position. New hires must be told not only about their
responsibilities, but also how their role ties into larger objectives. A timeline
should be given indicating when key learning objectives must be met. For
instance: Training in the firm’s proprietary software must be completed by the
end of the second week. Likewise, managers also need to spell out top project
priorities and target dates for completion. This will inform employees about
exactly what they need to do to meet goals from the start.

Involve Senior Management

When holding orientation or training sessions for multiple new hires, it’s
beneficial to have a company leader - the higher up, the better - make an
appearance. This shows the organisation takes on-boarding seriously and values
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

those joining the team. In smaller meetings with one or two new hires, the head
of the department might be invited to stop by to offer a welcoming message.
Executives can talk about the vision for the company and how newcomers can
bring a fresh perspective to related efforts.

Get More Out of Mentoring

The “Sitting by Nellie” approach some firms take does not ensure knowledge
transfer. Managers can tap into the expertise of their tenured employees by
setting up formal mentoring relationships between more experienced team
members and new hires.

Those selected to guide newcomers should not only have the right skills, but also
the time and interest to assist them. Mentors need to be ready to show new
employees the ropes and be available to address any questions or concerns people
aren’t comfortable asking their supervisors.

Follow-Up

The Onboarding process is not complete once employees finish their

probationary period at the company. Managers also should take the time to
solicit feedback from newcomers about their experience with the program.
Some questions to ask include:

What elements were most or least useful?

Did you receive adequate preparation to do your job?
What information should be covered in future programs?
How helpful were other employees during your first months at the firm?
Did the information that you learned match up to the realities of working for the
company and doing your job?

Feedback can help leaders pinpoint any flaws in the current program and make
changes. Inviting comments from new staff also shows the company promotes
open communication, which can further create a positive impression and boost
retention.

Explain the relevance of onboarding to an organisation? Why is orientation not

a major issue of onboarding? What other techniques are required? Why should
managers also be involved in onboarding? Why is feedback useful for an
onboarding programme? Why are the initial weeks for onboarding crucial for
managers?

Source: Robert Hosking-Talentmgt.com

 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

In the talent management universe, the new employee orientation and

mainstreaming process is known as “employee Onboarding.” Keeping in mind
that you never get a second chance to make a first impression, your business
should make absolutely sure that new hires feel welcomed, valued, and prepared
for what lies ahead during your new employee orientation or Onboarding
process.

The following four key points will help you get your newest team members on
track, up to speed and “on board” so they can start contributing to your success
as soon as possible.

Familiarity Breeds Contentment

A friend recently married into a large family and was overwhelmed with the sea
of new faces, names and relationships. To ease her transition, a well-meaning
uncle prepared a set of flashcards, complete with photos, names, hometowns and
professions. Thanks to his efforts, she knew that the woman making the tearful
toast at the wedding was her mother-in-law’s first cousin. A similar approach will
help familiarise new hires with the corporate family tree and could help avert
embarrassing situations such as the new hire who asks a stranger for help with
the fax machine, only to discover later that he was the Chief Financial Officer.
Rather than flashcards, a “who’s who” area with photos, names and titles on your
company Intranet will do the trick. Offline, a simple bulletin board with staff
pictures, names, and positions will get the job done.

Let New Employee Orientation Be - Simple and Interesting

The employee Onboarding period can be quite complex and uncertain. Consider
the experience from the employee’s perspective, and then make an effort to make
it fun, interesting, exciting, painless, and as simple as possible. If you do, you will
make your new team member feel valued, wanted, interested and excited. By
engendering these positive emotions from the word go, you make the new
employee want to do great work and add great value to your organisation.

One easy solution is to post new employee orientation schedules, materials,

benefits forms, and an extensive FAQ about the company on an Intranet that is
accessible to new hires from a link in a welcome email before their first day on
the job. By providing some information in advance, you eliminate a common
source of new hire anguish and give them a better chance to start off on the right
foot.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

Do not Make New Employees Learn “The Hard Way”

Every workplace comes with its own set of rules and regulations, benefits and
bonuses, nuances and traditions. Don’t make your new employees learn these
things the hard way. If your company observes a “casual Friday” rule, make sure
all new employees know this before they show up at the office on their first
Friday in a neatly-pressed suit.

Every company offers a range of benefits and perks. They will seem even more
valuable if you make sure your new employees know about them from the onset.
Give new employees an easy way to keep track of exactly what they are eligible
for, and how they can take advantage of these benefits. This applies to social
functions as well as benefits packages. If your company plays in a corporate
softball league, let the new guy know right away. Welcoming the whole person,
rather than just a set of job functions, will help new hires more quickly assimilate
to your corporate culture. And you never know – maybe that unassuming new
financial analyst will be the secret weapon that your team needs to shut out your
fiercest rival.

Again, post policies and procedures in writing somewhere convenient. Verbal

mentions during a marathon new employee orientation session can easily go
unheard, especially on a new hire’s first day in the office. Similarly, a stack of
papers and reminders can easily get lost in the shuffle. An online resource that is
regularly updated, and always accessible, is the best practice when it comes to
information sharing.

Make New Employee Orientation Personal

Do not make day one all about paperwork. Instead, prioritise interpersonal
relationships with key colleagues. Consider assigning welcome mentors to each
new hire, so they can immediately get a feel for the personality of your
organisation. This day of first impressions will have an enormous impact on the
employee experience, so make it a good one.

Of course, some paperwork must be handled on or before the start date. Keep in
mind that when your new hire goes home to tell his family about his first day on
the job, he would rather have something more exciting to report than, “I filled
out over 30 forms.”

When it comes to documentation, get the key documentation on file in advance

or as quickly as you can on day one. For everything else, create an online hub
where new hires can find materials as they need them. Once they have settled
into their new job, send a reminder email that certain materials are available
online, and encourage them to frequently visit the Intranet for information.

When it comes to onboarding new talent at your company, the Internet is the
most powerful tool in your toolbox. A web-based employee onboarding system
will let you standardise, streamline, track, and coordinate every step of the
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

process, all while making your company’s most recent hires feel valued and
supported. It has been proven that happy employees are more productive
employees. So, if you’re looking to drive bottom line results with state of the art
talent management tactics, it is time to get “onboard.”

Why is employment Onboarding a major task for managers? Does effective

Onboarding help in the improvement of talents in a company? What is the
problem linked with making the employee learn the hard way? Why is
familiarity important in Onboarding?

Source: Brian Platz, Silk Road Tech.com

Onboarding sits at a crossroad or crucible between talent acquisitions,

engagement, while providing an important touch point to influence performance.

Onboarding addresses culture, innovation and real engagement among its

millennial workers it will require significant customisation in its delivery and
approach.

Increasing speed to competence and productivity must be key features of any

Onboarding programme.

To practise On-Boarding, the company prepares the new employee to fit into his
company’s culture, beginning with a thorough review of his own assessment from
the hiring process.

The manager provides personal introductions to customers, vendors and key

contacts inside and outside of the organisation,

Senior Managers introduce themselves, provide organization history, state future

objectives, and share key information about customers, products and the
organisation’s competitive advantage.

The initial weeks and months on the job are a crucial time for new hires.

A best practice is not just for employers to offer orientation, but to take it to the
next level by providing a more substantial on-boarding programme.

On-boarding a new leader should be considered a strategic business imperative.

With the fast-paced nature of business, the pressure is great for newly hired
leaders to assimilate quickly into their new position.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

All eyes are on a new leader and if she/he is not on-boarded properly, the effects
are far-reaching - including lack of confidence in senior management decision-
making.

Item True False

Onboarding is a close term to orientation. ……………….. ………………

Older workers can also be an element of ……………….. ………………

onboarding.

Managers must leave employees alone during ……………….. ………………

onboarding as a test case.

Employees must be fully informed about their ……………….. ………………

company during onboarding.

Documentation is essential during ……………….. ………………

onboarding.

Onboarding needs not be personalised, it is ……………….. ………………

something of a broad nature.

Company books are useful during onboarding ……………….. ………………

exercises.

Employee expectations are easily highlighted ……………….. ………………

during Onboarding.

The case study on Empower thinking is from Empower Software solutions. All
technical-related software information has been removed for the case study
needs.

Tischler Karl 2012, The Onboarding Experience, HCI, Platz B; : Employee

Onboarding: One Chance for a Positive New Employee Experience Silk Road
Tech.com, OnBoarding Strategy in 2020Totalmanagement.com, Wheeler K
(2008) How the Best Onboarding Programs Work, ere.net, Hosking R (2010) Six
Steps to Enhance Your OnBoarding Programme.
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

In Chapter 8, the issue of performance management was covered with certain

linkages with reward. This book considers reward management a little separately
because reward is itself an important concept that can be linked to talent. It
means on the one hand that good performance leads to rewards and on the other
hand, rewards have to be valued. This is a view from the classical Vroom and
Lawler Expectancy theory.

In the Mauritian context, reward is given high consideration especially from the
tangible point of view. Year in year out, trade unions voice out the need to
provide additional rises in cash as a means of coping with the rise in the cost of
living and the precarious nature of employment becomes compelling to
providing and maintaining effective reward strategies.

Reward is also intangible and this is where most local people might not realise.
We do accept working for money but do we really feel the value of reward in
monetary terms only? It is seen that intrinsic rewards – a condition where the
employee is valued for the effort done at work by management and stakeholders -
are equally important in reward management.

To retain talent in the company is also a central issue to reward management.

For higher end jobs in the Mauritian public sector, both tangible and intangible
rewards remain attractive. The Pay Research Bureau (PRB) always makes it clear
that adequate and interesting pay packages for top cadres in the public service
make a condition that attracts people to such a sector and retain competences.
With regards to the Mauritian private sector, reward management is important
where local and foreign managers expect an attractive pay packet with fringe
benefits.

This course is also concerned with the majority of the workers that form of the
workforce in Mauritius. Reward management is important both in the
development and retention of local talents. There is a little risk that due to
unemployment and poorly designed and weakly structured reward schemes,
people might prefer ‘’greener pastures’’ abroad. It is imperative for management
to see how to develop reward schemes that develop or further talent and retain
the workers for long in the company. Forfeiting this might add to that
complexity of attrition and high levels of turnover.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

Many organisations have talent programmes and all have reward schemes, but so
many fail to get the best from either. Talent management is too often aimed at a
small group of people in the organisation: those believed to have high potential,
to be future leaders, or of particular worth. This has created egos and elites,
bidding up pay for this group that is often disconnected from genuine results. It
has created envy, disenchantment and disengagement among those excluded
from favour, as the elite fail to deliver, which further reinforces the performance
shortfall. Then organisations have to recruit externally because the process has
also failed to provide the capabilities needed, when and where they are needed.

Above all they have chased themselves around in circles trying to identify,
motivate, retain and develop pivotal talent that will make a real difference, when
they are pursuing a mirage. In fact, roles are too interconnected for anyone to be
a game-changer. Single individuals rarely make that extraordinary difference
without a team effort (although most incentive plans assume that they do) - even
the leader who is a strategist with insight needs marketing and financial support,
the contribution of technologists and logistics experts, and advice on managing
and motivating the team. Anyway, markets and technologies are moving so fast
that the pivotal role today may be obsolete tomorrow.

As for reward, we commonly find that people often do not truly understand the
value of their reward programmes — which can be a terrible waste of money. For
example, according to a 2007 employee survey, 76% of people did not understand
their benefits. Reward programmes carry significant messages about what is
important within an organisation. If you want to see what an organisation values,
look at what it pays for, not what it says!

Organisations need to align the reward systems with the talent messages. It can
easily go wrong. For example, many organisations have benefits that are service-
related, such as holidays or pension plans; they may have long-service awards.
But where is long service reflected in the talent agenda or values? It usually isn’t.
Or consider the following real example of the damage caused by delivering mixed
messages.

A professional services firm found that the behaviours encouraged by its pay and
promotion system focused line managers’ efforts exclusively on increasing
revenue and developing client relationships. However, senior management
recognised that, to remain competitive, the organisation had to improve internal
teamwork and communication and, above all, provide better support and
opportunity to junior staff to take on more demanding and productive roles. So
the talk was of development, mentoring and building successful teams.
Unfortunately, none of these was rewarded through pay, promotion or even
recognition.
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

In today’s business climate, the fear of missing opportunity, the need to manage
risk while, at the same time, encouraging innovation, and, of course as always,
the need to boost the bottom line, are the key boardroom preoccupations. If the
organisation is to meet these challenges effectively, it is essential to have people
with the right capabilities available when they are needed. In our fast-moving
world, there is no time to take stock, recruit or train. If you spot a bandwagon in
the distance, you are already too late.

Effective talent management must start with a focus on the future. This includes
engaging everyone with the business strategy, and business goals, so that people
discuss how to take advantage of future business challenges and opportunities. A
focus on the future must include identifying the capabilities that will be needed
to carry out the strategies, so that people also think about how they can develop
these capabilities. Talent management is all about making those capabilities
available when needed. It is important to emphasise that the goals and strategies
must, themselves, be coherent - it is easy during the negotiation between
different interests in a company to reach compromises that will eventually lead to
competing aims and mixed messages. Since the approach described here is about
reinforcing a coherent message those incompatibilities must be recognised and
resolved before they become a serious problem.

The goals and strategies must be expressed as a vision for the organisation that
matches its values and becomes a shared understanding. While management
helps to guide individual behaviour, it is a shared understanding of what the
organisation is trying to achieve that enables the individual to recognise the right
things to do without being told, and that equips the individual with the ability to
create, or spot opportunity and swiftly take advantage of it.

Reward practices must be aligned with these talent management aims of building
effective line management, encouraging people to constantly learn and develop,
and uphold organisational values. The first question this raises is can behaviours
and values be incorporated into performance management? The conventional
approach uses competency assessments, but competencies are often unwieldy and
inconsistently applied, and it is hard to objectively link them to pay, or appraisal
ratings. Other approaches are seeking to create a link between values and
appraisal ratings, or even pay awards, which are then dependent on evidence that
the individual through his or her actions has upheld organisational values. If this
evidence is lacking, then the rating or award is reduced, even if the person has hit
or exceeded the numbers.

For this approach to be successful, it is vital that values are clear to all and
consistently upheld by top management. So often, corporate values are just empty
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

words that mean all things to all people. Perhaps another approach is to link
appraisal ratings, and full pay awards to evidence that someone is constantly
striving to learn, and embrace change? This is, after all, one of the most
important of all organisational capabilities.

How can performance management be directly linked to pay? Linking pay and
performance can be complex. First, line managers must be able to differentiate
high performance from the satisfactory. Then you must resolve whether reward
and recognition are backward or forward-looking: for achieving short-term, local
aims, or to reflect someone’s value and future potential to the organisation?
While pay can be used to reflect performance to date as well as future potential,
recognition is about acknowledging the great things people do: catching someone
doing something right. You can certainly reinforce the efforts and results of
actions immediately; you do not need to wait for an appraisal meeting.

The line manager is the key player in reward, as well as talent. Pay and bonus
reviews are golden opportunities for managers to reinforce the performance and
potential message and so interpret, for example, the numbers in the pay
notification letter. We know that it is relative pay that is more important to most
people than absolute: how I feel about my bonus in relation to the bonus others
get based on my perception of their performance. However, a CIPD Reward
survey management found that most employers who give their line managers a
formal role in delivering messages around pay are not confident in their
capability to do so responsibly. Surprisingly, confidence in line managers’
capabilities is lowest for the largest organisations. This is despite larger
organisations being slightly more likely to provide coaching and development to
line managers.

Reward programmes should support the talent management programmes and

reflect the vision and values established without getting in the way. For example,
if a long-term team-oriented approach is desired, then reward should reflect this
rather than being short term and based on individual performance. Programmes
should, in their design and application, reinforce the role of line managers so that
they have meaningful conversations around reward and how it relates to the
talent agenda.

Concentrating on reward can mask other issues that are more important for an
individual. For example, in one organisation a divisional director saw that one of
his executives was not as committed as she had been. The divisional director
believed that she was unsettled and might be looking outside for more money.
She was important to the division as she brought in considerable revenue. So the
director asked the HR director to have a chat with the executive. The HR
director found that she wanted a conversation not about money, but how she was
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

to be developed, as she did not want to do that role for much longer. Her boss
could only see the revenues and the substantial bonuses the executive was getting
and thought she wanted more.

Another point where reward and talent management should come together is in
retention. In the example above, the executive might have moved because she
wanted to be developed rather than wanting more pay. But it is important to
consider some simple cash retention plans for key people. They will never work
on their own; the whole employee “deal” must be right. But if everything is
going well, they help get over any problems that might otherwise lead to
someone looking elsewhere. But financial retention plans must be simple and
worthwhile. The longer the retention period the higher the amount needs to be.
Three years is the sensible maximum, given the fast moving pace of change in
most organisations. A significant amount of cash in terms of a percentage of
salary (perhaps one to two times salary at the end of three years) will generally
reduce the likelihood of people actively looking, and maybe even resisting the
head hunter’s calls. But even if they go, and the competing organisation buys out
the retention bonus, you have at least made it more expensive for the opposition.

HR must ask the questions for individuals and the organisation as a whole; what
are the desired behaviours? Are the right behaviours being driven through the
reward scheme? There is no simple template for designing the appropriate
scheme. This comes from taking ideas and then thinking through the potential
unintended consequences that may follow. There is then a process of adjusting
the scheme here and there to end up with a result that minimises undesirable
outcomes while maximising desired behaviours.

What is key is that all HR practices are aligned around the organisation’s
business and cultural goals so that they drive the organisation in one direction,
rather than being separate initiatives pulling in different ways. People working in
reward and talent management functions need to continue to develop their deep
skills, but critically must work together to make this happen.

A few relatively small and simple changes in a total rewards programme can have
a major impact on employee motivation and productivity, which ultimately can
affect earnings. Every year, most companies spend a tremendous amount of time
and energy determining their business plans, setting the financial targets and
agreeing how they will get to these targets. With a strong commitment to
innovation and with no more effort than the planning process demands of most
business units, HR leaders can begin the process of transforming their
organisation’s approach to people at its most fundamental level.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

Start the conversation in the HR department, reinforcing the idea that everyone -
from benefits specialists to training to administration — is part of the same team
with the same goals. Discuss workforce segmentation and brainstorm how to get
inside the heads of the respective groups to develop a better understanding about
what motivates and engages them.

Develop a direct and real-time dialogue with the various employee segments
using a rigorous approach to surveys and focus groups to explore their motivation
levers regarding a variety of reward options — from cash and pension benefits to
vacation time and training and career opportunities, as well as some more
contemporary possibilities such as corporate social responsibility, day care or
community involvement.

Optimise the effect on your workforce, with particular emphasis on critical

workforce segments and be sure to spend your money on those programmes that
can help generate the highest ROI. It is likely you are already closely aligned to
people’s importance to your organisation’s performance and the belief you must
invest in people management to build sustainable performance.

Once you have identified your critical workforce segments and established a
targeted and differentiated rewards system, your company will be better
positioned to track the value its people generate and check that against the
investment made in the rewards.

How can you then measure the potential ROI and gain confidence that your total
rewards programme is actually contributing to business value? In broad terms,
this is accomplished by viewing rewards as an employer-employee total rewards
marketplace in which employees exchange their time and talent for the total
rewards offered, and employers develop total rewards products that will elicit the
desired results from their employees.

By understanding the dynamics of their own marketplace and consumers,

employers can better assess the impact of total rewards on business value and
focus their total rewards investment on those programmes that have a higher
likelihood of driving the desired return. If concern about costs of
implementation is an issue, consider that many contemporary HR administrative
systems are now capable of handling complex benefits arrangements very cost-
effectively. At the end of the day, you stand a very solid chance of having tipped
your company’s winning people strategy in ways that will add value at all levels.

Source: talentmgt.com
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

Why should managers open the dialogue with different parties prior to
establishing a reward strategy? Why does the case stress on optimising the effect
on the workforce, with particular emphasis on critical workforce segments for the
highest ROI? How can an understanding the dynamics of the marketplace and
consumers impact on employers’ rewards strategy?

Many organisations have talent programmes and all have reward schemes, but so
many fail to get the best from either.

Talent management is too often aimed at a small group of people in the

organisation: those believed to have high potential, to be future leaders, or of
particular worth.

Organisations need to align the reward systems with the talent messages.

Effective talent management must start with a focus on the future.

The goals and strategies must be expressed as a vision for the organisation that
matches its values and becomes a shared understanding.

Reward practices must be aligned with these talent management aims of building
effective line management, encouraging people to constantly learn and develop,
and uphold organisational values.

Reward programmes should support the talent management programmes and

reflect the vision and values established without getting in the way.

Item True False

There should be effective linkage between ……………….. ………………
talent and reward.

Line managers might not be useful in reward ……………….. ………………

management.

Reward programmes can be independent of ……………….. ………………

talent management programmes.

Open dialogue is essential prior to establishing ……………….. ………………

rewards.

Concentrating too much on rewards might be ……………….. ………………

misleading.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

This chapter covers issues that are addressed in the retention of talent in the
organisation. Human resource issues are relevant to the firm where they cover
aspects like empowerment, job enrichment or job enlargement. These areas
address mostly employees who are working since a long time in the company and
whose talent has to be retained. The central idea here is to retain talent and
expect employees to find out something new and different that they could pursue
in their firm up to the end of their career. Besides, these retention techniques
directly address talent management because they offer new opportunities for the
workers to further their talents.

Job enrichment is the term used to explain the improvement of the existing job
when management allows workers to do more things within their existing job.
This might be an opportunity to shoulder higher responsibilities lie supervision,
working in a unit within the firm, taking additional responsibility. These factors
are encouraging for the experienced employee who might perceive certain
recognition from management. Herzberg’s theory of motivation addresses the
issue of job enrichment to advancement. How does enrichment improve talent
in the firm? This could be explained by the fact that added responsibilities
address new talents from the employee like supervisory skills, accountability and
responsibility. Job enrichment must not be too demanding and should be
structured and guided.

Job enlargement is different from job enrichment where more tasks are added
within the same activity or grade. It is not necessary a vertical alignment of
competences; it is more horizontal in perspective. In job enlargement, the
employee has more to do because of new requirements of the job and the new
requirements that may prevail in the competitive environment. For example,
educators in Mauritius may have to write performance reports of students,
support them through personal coaching, etc. This approach is a little
cumbersome where the employee might be exposed to learn additionally, get
training in areas that were not addressed earlier or simply unlearn existing
competences. But there is talent development in this case because of new
learning opportunities that are also developed in job enlargement.

Empowerment has been discussed in different chapters of the book but remains
essential as a technique for the retention of talent in the firm. In line with job
enrichment or enlargement, empowerment offers the employee an opportunity to
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

take decisions on his own, develop his potentials or capabilities and learn
something new or different that will be relevant both to him and his firm.

The retention strategies indirectly help in the development of talent when

employees voluntarily accept to further their competences. They also come at a
turning point in the career of the employee and certain techniques that are
discussed contribute in the development of talent. As a means of caution, we
would rather say the consolidation or furthering of talent. When mature
employees develop their talent through continuous professional development,
there will be a positive impact on younger workers as well. They will in turn
perform better.

Deployment is an important aspect of talent management, and job rotation and

job enrichment are vital aspects of experiential learning in becoming a leader.
Failure to deploy talent effectively, both in respect to the individual and the
organisation, can lead to employee engagement and commitment problems later
on. From an organisational point of view talent should be deployed in the key
business areas that it is needed (CIMA). Multiplying talent and increasing
competitiveness are supported by an organisation’s capability to develop and
deploy talent. A talent-powered organisation must be a learning organisation that
values, enables, and measures learning as a vital aspect of how it does business
and how it defines itself. By investing in learning and development initiatives, a
talent-powered organisation can improve its knowledge management capabilities,
and use them to build skills and improve competitiveness (appitive.com).

Talent-powered organisations must assign and combine talent to give employees

opportunities in roles and experiences that will have a strategic impact. Effective
talent deployment involves matching the task and work requirements to the
available talent, so that eventually the organisation will always have the right
people doing the right tasks at the right time. In today’s business environment,
deployment is no longer structured along organisational roles–jobs and tasks can
be easily moved to different individuals as often as they switch positions. Work
tasks can be divided and distributed, or even sent to workers or vendors world-
wide in the pursuit of the required talent. Some organisations use this capability
to create 24-hour work teams, passing work output from team members in one
location to others in locations around the globe.

Job rotation is considered as an effective tool for successful implementation of

HR strategy. It is about settling employees at the right place where they can
deliver the maximum results (managementstudyguide.com). In today’s highly
competitive world, this can be proved as the best strategy to find the immediate
replacement of a high-worth employee from within the organisation. Finding
the most suitable people and shifting them to take on the responsibilities of a
higher level is a tough task. Job rotation helps HR managers determine who can
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

be replaced by whom and create a suitable and beneficial fit. A properly planned
and carried job rotation process plays an essential role in strengthening the
position of an organisation and helps it deal with uncertain and tentative outer
environment.

Helps Managers Explore the Hidden Talent

Job Rotation is designed to expose employees to a wider range of operations in
order to assist managers in exploring their hidden talent. In the process, they are
moved through a variety of assignments so that they can gain awareness about
the actual working style of the organisation and understand the problems that
crop up at every stage. Through this process, managers identify what a particular
employee is good at and accordingly he or she is assigned a specific task.

Identifies Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes

Job Rotation helps managers as well as individuals identify their KSA
(Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes). It can be used in determining who needs to
improve or upgrade his or skills in order to perform better. This helps in
analysing training and development needs of employees so that they can produce
more output.

Motivates Employees to Deal with New Challenges

When employees are exposed to different jobs or assigned new tasks, they try to
give their best while effectively dealing with the challenges coming their way. It
encourages them to perform better at every stage and prove that they are no less
than others. This gives rise to a healthy competition within the organization
where everyone wants to perform better than others.

Helps Align Talents with Requirements

Alignment of competencies with requirements means directing the resources
when and where they are required. It assesses the employees and places them at a
place where their skills, competencies and calibre are used to the highest possible
extent. Job rotation is an alternative to reduce the boredom caused due to
repetitiveness of tasks and revive their willingness to handle a job and challenges
involved in it with same excitement and zeal.

Organisations are increasingly facing the heat of attrition, which is not good to
health of the same. Lots of time, money and resources are spent into training an
individual for a particular job and when he leaves the return on that investment
equals null. Often it is not for the money that people leave; that may be the
reason with the frontline staff but as we move towards the upper levels of
organisational hierarchy, other reasons gain prominence. Many of those who
quit their jobs complain of their jobs as uninteresting! All this has compelled
organisations to think of ways to make the job they offer interesting. Lots of
efforts are made to keep monotony at bay; job enrichment is one of them. It is
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

the process of making a job more interesting, challenging and satisfying for the
employees. It can either be in the form of up gradation of responsibilities,
increase in the range of influence and the challenges.

Job enlargement is a job design technique wherein there is an increase in the

number of tasks associated with a certain job. In other words, it means
increasing the scope of one’s duties and responsibilities. The increase in scope is
quantitative in nature and not qualitative and at the same level.

Job enlargement is a horizontal restructuring method that aims at increase in the

workforce flexibility and at the same time reducing monotony that may creep up
over a period of time. It is also known as horizontal loading in that the
responsibilities increase at the same level and not vertically. Many believe that
since the enlargement is horizontal in nature there is not a great need for
training! Contrary to this, job enlargement requires appropriate training
especially on time and people management. Task related training is not required
much since the person is already aware of the same or doing it for some time.

Reduced Monotony
However, interesting the job may appear in the beginning, sooner or later people
complain of boredom and monotony. Job enlargement if planned carefully can
help reduce boredom and make it more satisfying and fulfilling for the
employees. It increases the activities but might be useful in helping the
employee learn more about tasks within the existing job.

Increased Work Flexibility

There is an addition to the number of tasks an individual performs. There is an
increased scope of carrying out tasks that are versatile and yet very similar in
certain aspects. In Mauritius, job enlargement is sometimes badly viewed
especially in times of change where there is the tendency of stating that no prior
consultation was reached before implementing new conditions which included
job enlargement.

No Skills Training Required

Since the individual has already been performing the task in the past, there is no
great requirement for imparting of new skills. However, people and time
management interventions may be required. This is the key concern here because
job enlargement cannot be imposed upon employees. The job gets more
motivational for the one performing it.

In the next page, there is a comparative table between Job Enrichment and
Enlargement.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

Job Enrichment Job Enlargement

Job enrichment means improvement in Whereas job enlargement means
the quality of job such that employees increasing the scope of job
are more satisfied and fulfilled. quantitatively by adding up more tasks.
Through job enrichment an employee Through job enlargement employee
finds satisfaction and contentment in feels more responsible and worthwhile
his job. in the organisation.
Job enrichment entails the functions of Job enlargement is essentially of
planning and organising and quantity.
enlargement involves execution of the
same.
Job enrichment empowers. Job enlargement executes.
Job enrichment means a vertical Job enlargement the expansion is
expansion in duties and responsibilities horizontal in nature.
and span of control.

Job enrichment has been found to have greater impact in terms of motivation
when compared to job enlargement. Since enrichment gives employee greater
insights in managerial functioning and a better work profile, it is looked upon as
an indicator of growth and development. The same is not true in case of job
enlargement which is seen as an employer tactic to increase the workload.

Whether the focus is on individual competence or organisational competence,

developing competence within the organisation is key to creating a talent
management system. Berger (2004) argues that an organisation should develop a
list of its core competencies and assessment tools for measuring them; develop
training and development solutions to support These core competencies; assess
everyone against them and forecast potential; and finally prepare action plans to
ensure that the core competencies are covered.

Redford (2005) believes the focus should be on the competencies rather than the
future leaders per se, in an effort to find people who can do the jobs brilliantly,
while Romans (2005) redesigned his entire organisation using the human capital
pipeline systems thinking model. This was based entirely on a system of role
competencies rather than individual competencies. A consequence of this could
be that it separates the competence from the individual and dehumanises the
workplace, such that employees (be they talented or not) are merely fulfilling
roles rather than engaging in their work. In order to be sustainable, rather than a
simple one hit activity, talent management needs an organisational commitment
to continuous professional development (Clarke, 2001).

This will be visible through the range of development experiences offered within
the organisation, moving away from the traditional classroom training based
model, to include stringing together a range of meaningful experiences to build
character.
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

These could include coaching, issue development meetings, job rotation, interim
and emergency assignments, task force assignments, extracurricular activities
and so forth (Krewson, 2004). Phillips & Phillips (2004) argue that corporate
universities can help by linking learning and strategy, and preparing employees
for future challenges.

Much of the talent management process is centred in the development of the

individuals concerned. In order for them to progress through the organisation to
fulfil their organisation’s ambitions, they need to have a range of learning and
development experiences to prepare them for their roles. The first issue here is
where the focus of the organisation’s development activities lies: is it on
addressing weaknesses that individuals and the organisation have, or is it on
building on the strengths that are demonstrated to enhance them further? In one
of our case study organisations, they tried to play to people’s strengths allowing
them to become experts in their job role and quite specialist. Another
organisation had three definitions of talented individuals: leadership talent,
expertise talent and entrepreneurial talent.

This again allows individuals to focus on their area of strength rather than
having to be a great leader or specialist. Most organisations, however, tend to set
development objectives that focus the individual on their ‘areas for improvement’
or weaknesses rather than playing to individual strengths in order to make
employees ‘better’ all-rounders.

Source: Ashridge Business School UK-Developing Future Leaders: The

contribution of Talent Management-Fifth International Annual Conference on
Leadership, Cranfield, December 14 –15 2006.

Aggressive development strategies often complement retention strategies in a big

way. Providing opportunities to the employee for both professional and career
growth and giving due priority to this important activity makes the company’s
image in the market for talent, attractive and compelling. However, on the whole,
the basic question remains, “Why would talented people want to work in your
organisation?” Organisations with superior employee value propositions have a
compelling answer to this question. A McKinsey study (1998) that analysed 77
companies from a variety of industries to investigate talent problems, suggests
that creating a winning value proposition means tailoring a company’s ‘‘brand’’
and ‘‘products’’- the jobs it has to offer - to appeal to the specific people it wants
to find and keep. It also means paying what it takes to attract and retain strong
performers - the ‘‘price’’. Reviewing the retention problems against the
perspective of enduring employee value propositions about these three
dimensions, namely brand, products and price helps to clarify the focus.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

All retention strategies must be built around a compelling, distinctive and

exciting employee value proposition. These strategies may be diversified into
three distinct domains, i.e. cultural, transformational and transactional.

Cultural dimensions as a tool to retain talent zeroes in on functional, technical

and control aspects, while simultaneously dealing with inspiration, emotion,
energy, enthusiasm, collaboration and camaraderie, openness and a sense of
belonging. A culture that is open, trusting, nurturing, authentic as well as
empowering tends to attract and retain top talent. Transformational strategies
that impact retention are mentoring, coaching, counselling, competency and
performance development programmes, retraining, re-skilling, redeployment and
job rotation, challenging assignments, job enrichment and above all, promoting
and propagating a knowledge-building and knowledge-sharing culture.

Transactional Strategies for effective retention include innovative, dynamic and

competitive compensation strategies, tailored welfare initiatives, social and
community activities, workload balancing, effective work-life integration, reward
and recognition, establishment of good communication and feedback network as
well as anti-poaching measures. However, in order to be able to meaningfully
orchestrate and implement effective retention strategies, the first step should be
to understand the scope of the retention problem that is unique to one’s
organisation. Companies need to identify their crucial target group, instrumental
in enhancing organisational success. It is a paradox that the companies which
invest heavily in recruitment and development and make a good job at that, are
prone to a greater risk of poaching. A sound sensing and tracking system to
assess the volume and causes of attrition by performance level is the key to
conquering this talent war. The ability to identify good performers, who tend to
leave for any job or management related issues and timely intervention to address
these issues, could be effective.

At the end of the day, creating and delivering a great employee value proposition
is clearly the best way to retain good people. Research shows that companies
which have recognised the need to give priority to its people management-driven
strategies are the winners. In the midst of this ‘war for talent’, most importantly,
it is only when an organisation is successfully able to convey the message that it
cares for employees that retention becomes a strategic advantage.

After all, business is a competitive endeavour and the employee lasts only as long
as he is satisfied. Nobody owes anybody else a living.

(This research based article is compiled by Rajlakshmi Saikia, IIPM Intelligence

Unit)

What does the following statement mean regarding retention strategy in a firm?
All retention strategies must be built around a compelling, distinctive and
exciting employee value proposition. Differentiate between transactional and
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

transformation strategies for employee retention. Which ones make more sense?
How can value propositions retain employees at work?

Deployment is an important aspect of talent management, and job rotation and

job enrichment are vital aspects of experiential learning in becoming a leader.

Failure to deploy talent effectively, both in respect to the individual and the
organisation, can lead to employee engagement and commitment problems later
on.

Effective talent deployment involves matching the task and work requirements
to the available talent, so that eventually the organization will always have the
right people doing the right tasks at the right time.

Job rotation helps HR managers determine who can be replaced by whom and
create a suitable and beneficial fit.

All retention strategies must be built around a compelling, distinctive and

exciting employee value proposition. These strategies may be diversified into
three distinct domains, i.e. cultural, transformational and transactional.

Transformational strategies that impact retention are mentoring, coaching,

counselling, competency and performance development programmes, retraining,
re-skilling, redeployment and job rotation, challenging assignments, job
enrichment and above all, promoting and propagating a knowledge-building and
knowledge-sharing culture.

Item True False

Job enlargement means providing more ……………….. ………………
challenge to a mature employee.

Job enrichment may be vital for an employee ……………….. ………………

in a future leadership position.

Job enrichment is a transactional strategy. ……………….. ………………

Employee retention can create strategic ……………….. ………………

advantage.

Refer to Page 100, CIMA is the acronym for the Chartered Institute of Management
Accountants, UK, a global organisation dealing with the training of Management
Accountants. It has a branch in Mauritius.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

Globalisation has been a much developed issue since the past decade after the
dismantling of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the
creation of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). It espoused the notion that all
nations would benefit from the Most Favoured Nation Status (MFN), a
paradoxical term, mentioning that all countries would benefit from equal
opportunities to trade without barriers. The effects of globalisation have been
mixed and countries like Mauritius that form part of the small island economies
have been put to severe test through globalisation.

The question that arises is whether globalisation contributes positively to talent

management or not. There might not be too much argument here because the
global workforce is generally considered as an asset and much lesser as a liability.
The global workforce is in a state of flux where people move from one country to
another one thereby bringing their talent to the new environments where they
live. Illustrations are numerous but could be summarised as follows. Labourers
and low-cost workers can move to greener pastures like developing areas in the
Arabian environments like Dubai, Qatar or Oman. Such countries need labour
and exploit them while at the same time use the different talents for their own
development. The other aspect is talented managers from the West who move to
developing countries and emerging economies to improve the management of
overseas business through their own acumen and experience.

Globalisation looks to be a mixed reward for different economies where the

question lies in whether talent is genuinely developed or not. Though it
advocates that workers benefit from the expertise of managers coming from
different environments with a mix of experience and expertise, local employees
might not really benefit from them if managers pursue their own goals to the
detriment of the workforce. Even workers within globalisation might not
essentially contribute to talent management if they are limited to a few skills that
they are “selling” to their new company in an overseas environment.

Globalisation must hence be viewed from a holistic perspective where there is a

need to relate individual skills or expertise to the firm’s objectives. For instance,
a hotel might look for talented managers from other countries who should also
have the desire to bring and manage the change in their new setting. They must
bear it in mind that they have the responsibility of bringing change through
training, skills development and culture while at the same time developing the
wealth of talent from the cultural diversity that the new environment offers.
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

Eventually there will be conflict in globalisation through cultural clashes and

resistance, but it might be broadly accepted that such a process could also add
wealth to the local people. The progress of certain African economies might
depend on the contribution of Chinese and Indian people who want to engage
themselves into the new process of globalisation. It is more a “South-South”
cooperation but this type of blending should certainly influence African nations
in search of progress and talent development. The argument once again
considers globalisation in a positive light.

Multinational corporations continue to move away from being organised around

self-contained or independent national entities, towards structures that integrate
their businesses across borders (Woollard, 2009). However, while companies have
conducted business internationally over many decades, there has only recently
been an emerging research focus on globalisation as it impacts on the
management of a firm’s global workforce. Consequently, there remains
significant potential to build greater understanding and to leverage competitive
advantage in this area.

As the process of globalisation plays out, there are many who claim that we live
and work in an increasingly borderless world. While this argument may have
some merit, frontiers matter. Societies imprint heavy character traits on the way
firms and employees behave and operate (Woollard, 2009). This, of course, has
significant implications for the way people are managed within international
organisations.

Firms often want convergence and standardisation to achieve a consistent best

practice across their business operations. This may be in the way they go to
market, deliver customer service or manage risk. It may also be in the way they
reward and manage the performance of employees. However, societal effects have
meant that the ‘‘DNA’’ of European, Japanese, Chinese or American firms is
often not easily compatible with a drive for consistency. Consequently, while
there are pressures to act globally, many managers act or want to act locally.

In this sense, what prevails in reality is likely to be different. Some argue that
firms actually operate in a state of persistent diversity, and will continue to do so,
with no one ‘‘best way’’ that can be made to work in all locations.

For HR professionals this is important. Organisations that do not understand the

nature of how international differences manifest themselves may see strategic
objectives fail or not realise their potential as envisaged. For example, managers
can often know the importance of local capabilities that can differentiate and
exploit local opportunities. Too many times however, they may have a
headquarters operation that wants to homogenise the way they operate and, in
doing so, undervalue their own subsidiaries’ capabilities.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

This creates windows of opportunity for those firms that can understand the
nature of globalisation and identify and effectively develop capabilities across
international operations. Organisational practice and policies geared with a
greater awareness of the impact of globalisation can be drivers in developing the
capabilities that make a difference.

In this context, key international HR management issues have long been

overlooked. For example, ever since multinationals have sent senior executives
overseas to build or run international operations, they have been likely to lose
most of these key staff at the end of their assignment. This waste of talent and the
huge costs incurred have not been addressed.

However, HR is now seeking to find solutions and drive change in important

areas like this. HR professionals want to develop greater understanding of
strategic international HR management challenges, ideally before they have to
engage with them as live issues.

They also want to obtain more formalised learning and development, something
not provided currently in any cohesive form. By developing knowledge and
expertise, they can move beyond their traditionally reactive and administrative
role and become key decision makers in the deployment and utilisation of human
resources across their global businesses (Personnel Today, 2009).

Economic and political reforms and globalisation in the developing world have
led to the emergence of companies that are expanding beyond their national
borders into the international arena (Alemibola, 2012). The transformation into
multinational corporations is generally not accompanied by a change in the way
they manage their talent. There is a disconnection between globalisation and
talent management. Yet the most effective and sustainable source of competitive
advantage is talent.

Talent Management in the developing world explores how the policies, systems
and procedures that have been successful within national boundaries are
inadequate to meet the value propositions of completely different and diverse
people working in different countries, cultures, legal and socio-economic
environments. In fact, they may be dysfunctional to talent management.

Aligning talent management with globalisation must begin with a change in the
paradigm of organisational leaders. First, they have to accept talent management
and retention as their responsibility. For too long many organisations have
abdicated this responsibility to the HR department. The role of the HR
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

department is to develop policies and systems and guide managers, but the actual
management of talent falls squarely on the shoulders of line managers. Second,
managers need to change their hedonistic philosophy about employees.
Alemobila (2012) states that developing countries may be poor (in Africa about
300 million people live on less than a dollar a day), yet not every employee is
necessarily an ‘economic man’. People are motivated by factors other than
pecuniary reward, and those factors should inform the way managers manage the
abilities, potential, aspirations, needs, wants and concerns of their talented
people.

Global executives have to perceive themselves differently – not just as managers

but rather as entrepreneurial leaders who have a stake in the business. Yet, it is
not enough to be leaders – they must be global leaders and have an
entrepreneur’s mindset that enables them to see how critical talent is to the
success of their firms, and also be able to manage talent with a passion and
integrity amidst socio-cultural pressures to adopt a nationalistic or parochial
approach which invariably vitiates diversity and creates a glass ceiling for certain
categories of talent. Next, the approach to attracting and hiring talent has
changed from being a mere transaction to being a marketing enterprise.

Managers must flow with the tide. Recruitment brand has become a pre-eminent
feature, and information technology an incredibly useful instrument in the war
or competition for talent. Hiring talent should be not only for the job, but also
for a global career – not only for today, but also for tomorrow.

As a result of increasing globalisation, talents are now spread over business units
and departments in different locations and countries. The identification of talent
gets harder. Companies claim that high potentials from Asia, South America and
Eastern Europe lack the team work attitude, educational qualifications and
cultural sensitivity needed to work internationally. However, in the not too
distant future, organisations will need to be able to draw on the skills of
managers from those regions which makes it all the more important for them to
know how to identify the potential managers and leaders of the future
(Cubiks.Com).

Executives have already realised that their talent strategies cannot focus solely on
the top performers. The effects of the long term demographic trends and the
effects of globalisation have already forced companies to re-think their target
group for talent management. Organisations and their managers need to identify
good performers early on in their careers and start paying real attention to them.

How the current downturn becomes a change opportunity for talent

management? We are now all experiencing the effects of the global economic
downturn. Organisations are inevitably under pressure to generate cost savings:
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

reducing manpower, introducing salary freezes and cutting budgets for training,
coaching and entertainment. CEOs everywhere are having to confront these
issues and make announcements that keep analysts, shareholders and investors
happy.

Costs saving measures are often used as window-dressing in harsh times.

However, the quick announcement and implementation of cost-cutting measures
can cause valuable talent to leave a company. It is not unknown for entire
departments, management layers or business units to disappear through
restructuring operations. For the remaining talents in the business units which
were not affected by the measures, everything becomes less attractive; they
believe they will receive little personal attention and less personal development.

Insight: Talent Management is Risk Management in India

It’s basic economics that when resources are plentiful they are cheaper than those
that are scarce, and resources that are cheaper carry less relative value. So it has
been with labour in India and consequently we have seen jobs go there, and to
other emerging nations with similar labour market characteristics. But that is
steadily changing.

It certainly pays to be skilled in India. That of course is true everywhere, but the
difference between skilled and unskilled labour in India is particularly striking.
Minimum wages for unskilled workers are still very low by western standards –
in April the Delhi government announced a 5.5% increase to the basic wage, but
this only takes it from US$1,400 to $1,478 per annum. Having skills and tertiary
qualifications, especially in the IT industry, is a ticket into the middle class of
the Indian workforce. The large contrast between skilled and unskilled workers
in India is driving a new inequality – the fortunes of the few that are able to
attain acceptable education and qualifications are considerably more promising.

Where you live and whom you work for can also have a significant bearing on
your financial prosperity. BPO hot spots like Bangalore and Pune pay more on
average than cities such as Delhi and Chennai. And if a top salary is your goal,
head for the multinationals – they certainly compete for talent with wallets open.

As more labour-intensive jobs are being automated, value-adding labour in the

knowledge sector is in demand, and this variety is becoming increasingly scarce,
expensive and a human capital risk.

Money attracts but it does not retain. The job-hopping fury in the Indian
workforce, particularly among ambitious, talented millennial is enough to prove
that point. A recent Mercer survey backs it up: 54% of Indians are seriously
considering leaving their current employer, and in the 16-24 year age bracket,
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

that increases to 66%. Two-thirds of a call centre could potentially be gone by the
end of the year. Some will no doubt be chasing a hike in salary, but as is the case
elsewhere, when it comes to knowledge workers, more knowledge is also what
they are after.

Perhaps it is not surprising then that career progression and training

opportunities rank with pay as the top three factors motivating Indian employees
to stay. And that means investments in talent management become a critical and
strategic success factor in ensuring that Indian businesses can deliver. Salary
increases are low-hanging fruit. Every employer can do that and there is no
differentiation. However well designed and implemented talent management
strategies, including performance recognition, learning and development, career
and succession management and appealing work environments, are stronger and
enduring approaches.

Talent management in India should be seen for what it is: a risk management
strategy against the business impact of having inadequate or insufficient human
resources to fulfil organisational objectives. If that is the case, both local Indian
companies and multinationals operating in India have much work to do.

Source: Vorhauser-Smith, S. Forbes Magazine, July 2012

Mobile phone manufacturer, Nokia has reduced its HR costs by between 20% to
30% after rolling out a web-based HR portal to its 60,000 employees. The portal,
part of a major re-think of the way Nokia manages its HR, has given the company
a clear view of the capabilities of its worldwide workforce for the first time.

Single HR system covering 60,000 employees

In human resources, at least, Nokia had a lot of the pieces in place to make the
restructuring possible, says Andrew Winnemore, director of global HR services.

Clarity in process

“Unless you get clarity behind that, you end up having workflows and approval
flows which are very difficult to customise, build and maintain.”

Nokia took these lessons on board when revisited the project in 2008. The project
team took time to study and understand the day-to-day tasks and problems facing
HR. It became clear that Nokia’s HR data was not as consistent as it should be.
HR managers in each country were entering data into the SAP system in
different ways.

“We found that moving people from one country to another country was just a
horrific nightmare,” he said. Winnemore and his team developed a detailed
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

change plan before rolling out the portal. At its core was a proposal to create
consistent records by centralising HR data entry in one place.

“Part of that was driven by costs, so we could allow our HR consultants in each
country to focus on what’s important. But the other underlying factor was to
simplify and streamline the approach,” he said.

Nokia created a processing centre in Chennai, India, and a series of regional HR

centres to provide HR expertise to managers and employees. The process took
two years. The second plank of the strategy was a complete re-evaluation of the
work flows and policies in HR. At its heart was a fundamental change in the role
of HR, away from policing to providing a support and consulting service to the
rest of the business.

“We looked at each transaction and asked questions like’’, “can you change your
job title yourself, or not?’’; “When you do recruitment, who is involved in
recruitment?’’; “When you do a promotion, how do you do a promotion, who is
signing off the promotion?” he said. “We looked at everything linked to every
HR transaction that we have.”

Complaints

“There were lots of problems at the beginning, lots of complaints, and we just
went through it systematically step by step, fixing-improving, fixing-improving.”
Nokia slowly began to encourage staff and managers to use the portal, rather than
taking their queries to HR.

Making the portal understandable for non-HR specialists and eliminating HR

jargon form the portal was a priority, says Winnemore. At the same Nokia
worked to change the way its HR staff work. “Rather than saying to a manager,’’
‘’Yes, let me do it,’’ it was a matter of the HR person saying, ‘‘Let me walk you
through what you need to do, then do screen sharing’ and coaching them to go
in,” he said.

‘‘Technically, the challenge is integrating SAP HR system to Nokia’s country-

based payroll systems,’’ says Winnemore. The company has been working to
create a single model for payroll across its geographies over the last year. It is
rationalising the number of systems it uses to make integration easier

“We do feel that there is a lot more we can do there. And it's one area we are
looking at more consciously,” he said. For example, data analytics could be used
identify managers who were particularly skilled at hiring high-performing
recruits.

“If a manager ends up being really talented at picking out the right people, we
should be able to use this information in the future to say, if we have the manager
focusing more on this role, we can generate value,” he said.
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

Why is restructuring important for a company like Nokia? What were the
problems that the company faced in India? What are the implications of product
customisation in India? What does the case study tell about globalisation and
talent management? What are its key challenges here?

Organisations that do not understand the nature of how international differences

manifest themselves may see strategic objectives fail or not realise their potential
as envisaged.

Economic and political reforms and globalisation in the developing world have
led to the emergence of companies that are expanding beyond their national
borders into the international arena.

Talent Management in the developing world explores how the policies, systems
and procedures that have been successful within national boundaries are
inadequate to meet the value propositions of completely different and diverse
people working in different countries, cultures, legal and socio-economic
environments.

Aligning talent management with globalisation must begin with a change in the
paradigm of organisational leaders. As a result of increasing globalisation, talents
are now spread over business units and departments in different locations and
countries.

Item True False

Globalisation means success to all companies ……………….. ………………
that go international.

Companies must align their objectives with the ……………….. ………………

global environment.

Adaptation to the global market depends upon ……………….. ………………

workers only.

Restructuring may be critical to globalisation. ……………….. ………………

Cross-functional teams bring talent to the ……………….. ………………

globalisation process.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

Management of diversity has its relevance when it concerns talent management.

A diverse workforce comprises the following key elements namely gender, age,
social background, foreign employees, physically disabled employees, part-time
workers including LGBT-acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
workers who are also part of the family of diversity. This diversity is present in
most societies but may be tolerated in open ones and less acceptable in
conservative societies.

Studies and research have shown that diversity impacts positively on the
workforce and is supposed to create wealth in the organisation, hence it is a
direct contributor to the development of talent in the firm. The acceptance of
diversity is welcome in multi-racial societies and a country like Mauritius will
not suffer from diversity management given that it already espouses such a
concept.

The development of talent within diversity is a reality because all such elements
of diversity mentioned in the initial paragraph have a positive contribution to
talent development. In terms of gender, both men and women contribute to
talent since both genders have their own approach to work and productivity.
Regarding age, older workers might have better experience than the young ones
but the young workers bring new blood to the firm. Regarding social
background, workers from different classes might bring along their culture and
abilities which can be mixed up but also be aligned with the firm’s culture.
Foreign employees may bring their expertise to industries and the economy.
Think of the Chinese workers who came to work in the textile sector in the
eighties (of the last century) and who contributed to the advancement of the
Mauritian economy. Part-time workers also have their contribution to diversity
and talent management where firms can outsource such talent and use it for back
up or support activities. The Mauritian economy is also opening up to workers
with physical disabilities and encouraging them to work alongside the existing
workers. If disabled employees are well trained and have their talents unleashed,
they can also positively contribute to their firm’s success.

Next consider the new forms of diversity namely the LGBT category including
lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender types of workers. Despised since a long
time by the traditional society and suffering intensely from stigmatisation, this
“new” category of employees has a contribution to diversity and talent
management provided that all negative thoughts and discrimination are
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

overcome and that they are considered as equal as the “normal” employees.
Workers suffering from HIV-AIDS also form part of the diversity background
and need the same support to participate in diversity and develop talent.

Having said all this, it is imperative for companies to embrace diversity with the
belief that the more varied and differentiated the worker’s background, the grater
is the possible of wealth creation and the development of talent in the firm.
In recent years, talent management has become a priority for organisations
worldwide due to a shortage in skilled staff, particularly managers. Talent
management strategies facilitate the development of both individuals and
organisations by identifying employees with talent and ensuring that they receive
the support they require.

Many argue that the effective management of diversity can lead to improved
talent management as it is easier to attract and retain talent able to benefit
businesses. However, organisations that have approaches to talent management
and diversity often find that they are not integrated to ensure that employers are
accessing or developing the widest possible pool of talent.

While many employers recognise the value and potential benefits of identifying
and developing talent - they can face challenges when integrating talent
management with existing equality and diversity policies.

The main challenges facing employers are ensuring all employees are given an
equal opportunity to reach their full potential and getting line managers to
embrace diversity and accept cultural differences (both cited by 4 per cent of
employers) (CIPD, 2010).

Although talent management and diversity traditionally operate in separate

functions, we are seeing a shift in this construct as a result, it would seem, of
companies’ experience operating in a global environment (Mercer, 2012). The
strategic re-alignment of the two functions empowers an organisation to
maximise its recruiting, development, and retention efforts in new and emerging
markets where cultures and means of operating are very different to those in
headquarters.

‘‘Bridging the Gap between Diversity and Talent Management’’ highlights the
increasing importance of hiring for diversity in light of changing demographics
and offers actionable insight on how to prepare for impending talent shortages.
There must be useful strategies organizations can adopt to ensure the success and
added value of their diversity programs, from creating an effective diversity
statement and understanding the barriers to inclusion, to identifying best
practices and strategies to improve diversity and ensure compliance (Ranstad,
2013).

Diversity should be threaded through all talent management activities and

strategies so organisations can reap the benefits of accessing and developing
talent from the widest possible pool. This is the main finding of a new Chartered
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) research report, Opening up

Talent for Business Success: Integrating Talent Management and Diversity,
launched to coincide with International Women’s Day. The research suggests
that organisations, however, are not yet up to speed. Those that are dragging
their feet are encouraged to catch up with the best in the field to ensure that they
fully utilise the skills of all their employees in ways that are aligned to business
objectives.

As such, organisations are advised to recruit and develop a whole wealth of

diverse groups to nurture the unique perspectives they can bring. The research
explores what is going on in UK-based organisations – through a series of
structured focus groups of over 100 people, with a variety of HR directors,
diversity and talent professionals – and contributes to an increasing body of
knowledge.

Diversity is a very important component of talent management. It helps to

provide the broadest possible intellectual and cultural capital through
management’s attempts to hire the most diverse set of qualified employees. There
are many ways to achieve organisational objectives. One way is to cull candidates
from different backgrounds, cultures, and viewpoints to create a rich tapestry
from which to draw intelligent plans of action. When one thinks of diversity it is
usually about race, religion, or other divergences. But be advised that diversity of
thought and opinion is every bit as important as diversity of anything else. One
can have the most racially, religiously, and gender diverse workforce on earth.

Consider the following in the diversity part of the talent management cycle:

One cannot achieve diversity unless you understand the value it brings to the
organization. Diversity is not a numbers game or saying that the company are an
Equal Opportunity Employer. Diversity only comes when there is a real
commitment to go the extra mile to make it happen as opposed to going through
the motions of making it happen. HR people that talk about diversity but really
do not seem to understand, on a guttural level, the true value it brings to the
organisation. Because of this poor insight, their organisation is at a real
disadvantage.

Employee relations is serious business. It is hard to get the job done if no one is
getting along. Employees should value diversity of thought, respect individual
differences, and try to work together in an effective manner. Sadly, reality is not
always in alignment with this model. Understand this: employee relations is not
the belief that everyone should be happy all of the time. Employee relations is all
about dealing with interpersonal issues and doing what you can to fix them for
the sake of organisational productivity. The idea is to remove the rough spots
that slow down the machine and create inefficiency.
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

Consider the following:

How you handle employee relations demonstrates your ability and business
judgment. Time is money. Some employees are high maintenance. How much
time should you put into these employees and workplace situations? It is a
judgment call. Once again, be advised it is a business decision, and you are a
businessperson who is running a business unit. No one is irreplaceable, and
sadly, some employees might be happier at another organisation.

Work with people to help solve their problems, but do not solve their problems
for them. They will never learn anything if you do. Your best bet is to coach high
maintenance employees in first avoiding problems, solving them only when they
get stuck.

In every organisation there is a necessity to work closely with certain individuals

in order to retain them (on the other end of the scale, there are employees who
desperately need to be fired). Retention is the art and science of keeping those
employees who are most valuable in supporting the organisation’s business
objectives engaged, growing, developing professionally and happily employed.
This is not as easy as it sounds, but the following is worth thinking about:

Employee retention costs money, but the cost of losing the people within your
organisation you wish to keep is far more expensive. Lack of retention will lead
to entropy. Nothing good can come of that plan.

Poor retention has a corrosive effect on every aspect of your organisation. It

affects employee morale, customer/client relations, productivity, and cost per
hire. It impacts the very culture of your company.

As you can see talent management, is a huge undertaking and requires a

commitment from senior management in order to become and remain effective.
But the future of the organisations we work for will require nothing less than a
full commitment to talent management in order to meet the rigors of competing
globally. We owe it to this country to try to get back on track and do all we can to
dominate in all possible marketplaces. Such commitment will help us to do so.

Diversity management is about business strategy, brand management, product

development, creating leaders, recruiting talent, and discovering active thought-
leaders whose voices can educate and inspire business growth and opportunity
within industries. As such, diversity management can no longer be a
departmental and/or functional responsibility led by a few people in the human
resources department with limited budgets. Diversity management must be a
profit centre that is measureable and directly connected to revenue generation,
research & development activities and new ventures; it no longer can be just a
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

cost centre valued only as a line item first to be cut from the budget when
revenue projections are not met.

Diversity management is not something that can be turned-on and then turned-
off like this – in an instant. Because this has historically been the case, it has
been impossible to build any type of continuity, impact or momentum when it
comes to recruiting and retaining top talent (Llopis, 2013).

Diversity management is a responsibility that every corporate C-level executive

and department head must embrace as part of their job description, and make
part of their business plan and budget. It must be ingrained in how they think,
act and innovate. In fact, diversity management certification should be required
across all management and leadership roles. This is such an important issue that
my organisation launched – Hispanic Training Centre – a diversity management
certification program five years in the making – in September 2012.

Diversity management must move beyond the favoured nation “check box”
mentality – where different groups are favoured at different times instead of all
groups at all times – and become an everyday responsibility inherent within the
organization’s culture that everyone embraces. According to Lopis, one must
view diversity though a lens that is less about managing the political dynamics of
a melting pot and filling pot holes–and more about the endless opportunities of
leading a cultural mosaic fuelled by untapped intelligence and know-how. Until
then, diversity will not be taken seriously because people remain uninformed
about what it really means to business and their careers.

During a time when budgets are being scrutinized and ROI is carefully
measured, corporations will not invest in advocacy and this is what diversity is
perceived as being. This is how diversity has been historically managed and
how decisions have been made – not just by corporations but by the countless
non-profit professional organisations that advocate and support their specific
constituencies. These organisations are important and they serve a role; but
they too must reinvent themselves to leverage their valuable resources in ways
that directly impact the totality of a corporation’s supply chain – focused on
driving business results and easily measured ROI.

Diversity management has a brand image problem that must be corrected

quickly. Many believe that the word “diversity” itself carries with it a negative
connotation that makes people feel uncomfortable – and that has become more of
a disrupter rather than an enabler for key influencers whose attention is focused
on business specific / bottom-line results. In fact, many executives believe that
diversity stands in their way when asked to participate in key initiatives.

It is time for organisations to invest wisely in diversity management – in ways

that enable positive experiences and education, and where active participation
promotes growth and opportunity; not just for the business but equally for the
individuals who are courageous enough to help change paradigms.
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

Diversity leaders would do well to start thinking more like Talent Managers,
integrating initiatives and meeting with their Talent Management partners. For
diversity to finally and fully achieve its objectives, it needs a range of champions,
but not just HR or Diversity Directors (Morton, 2004). It needs the full support
of the organisation, which Talent Management is already getting.

There is a great deal to be learned from how Talent Management is doing that,
and a lot of potential benefit from making sure that diversity is closely aligned to
this rapidly emerging and significant new area. Many of those organisations that
employ Talent Management are already embedding the thinking and behaviour
that embodies diversity throughout their organisations. Perhaps that’s where our
next group of best practices will come!

Insight: The Diversity Perspective of Human Capital and

Leadership Support
The Diversity Perspective of Human Capital and Leadership Support
Most systems of expectation in Western-Oriented cultures are Eurocentric. That
is, they are dominantly individually and task-oriented. Whereas, the U.S. workforce
is fast approaching one third non-Eurocentric, people of colour who are naturally
group and relationship-oriented. The population of people of colour has already
exceeded one-third of the U.S. population and will probably approach 40% by the
year 2015.

The result is that it is not possible to fully tap the potential of people of colour as
well as a majority of women with a historically one-dimensional Eurocentric
system of operation. In fact, until the early 2000’s, Eurocentrism was a way of
operating that systematically excluded most of these populations from any
significant advancement. At present, what has emerged is “inclusive
participation” under the guise of cultural inclusion.

Inclusive participation is allowing the significant participation of people of

colour and women into the mainstream business activities—without changing
the dominantly Eurocentric culture. The predictable result is limited success in
proportion to a demographic cultural fit (more majority women culturally
available than people of colour); and an inconsistency in cultural leadership style
and the dominant cultural values of an organisation. The result is greater
attrition of both persons of colour and women at the higher levels of leadership
and management as compared with majority males.

The solution is both a concerted effort of producing diverse human capital

(Diverse Talent Management) as well as the creation of an expanded, integrated
culture of Eurocentric and non-Eurocentric values for success.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

Insight: Bayer’s Job Description of Talent Manager embracing

Diversity
The primary responsibility of this position is to be a Talent Management expert
within a specific division, as well as, drive Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives and
Process across the entire United States.

Bayer recognises that science plays an integral part in everyday life and
encourages all employees to make a difference through daily contributions to our
organisation’s mission. Careers with Bayer allow for the experience of working in
a global environment with an on-going focused effort and sustainable approach
to improving lives of humans and animals. Related to this position, Bayer offers
the opportunity to:

-Effectively collaborate in the development and implementation of diversity

awareness, leadership training and other development programmes;

-Build close alliances with colleagues within the Human Resources community
through coaching and consulting while providing a diversity perspective
embedded in the business to leverage and accomplish US and business unit
diversity plans;

-Cultivate outreach and relationship building with key diverse professionals and
community-based organisations for the purposes of recruitment, brand equity
and improved corporate citizenship;

- Lead all efforts for diversity training across the US in partnership with global
Diversity and Inclusion groups and local learning teams;

- Help provide subject matter expertise and direction on industry best practices
relating to diverse hiring;

- Be responsible for managing and reporting all key diversity metrics on regular
basis;

-Implement and execute talent development strategy aimed at strengthening the

leadership bench for a specific division in alignment with the diversity strategy;

-Manage, coordinate and implement processes for talent management, coach and
partner with Human Resources and communicate how to successfully execute
these processes and initiatives to ensure long term impact;

-Assure the alignment and integration of initiatives with business and Human
Resources strategies

-Work with Human Resources to ensure developmental plans and experiences

are in place and executed to prepare leaders for future assignments;
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

-Facilitate briefings for leaders on topics that pertain to Diversity and Inclusion,
leadership and developing bench strength;

-Maintain external visibility to development and trends, engage in external

networks and access state-of-the-art external expertise where necessary to be able
to provide state-of-the-art support and advice within the Talent Management and
Diversity and Inclusion field of the organisation.

LinkedIn: Manager, Talent Management and Diversity-Bayer, New Jersey, USA.

‘‘The best way to do that is by recruiting a diverse workforce that mirrors your
customer base,’’ says John Brock, chief operating officer of Cadbury Schweppes,
the U.K. food and drinks company. ‘‘By managing this diversity effectively, we
get a better understanding of our customers. And that is a significant competitive
advantage.’’

Organisations that have invested in diversity initiatives have reaped the benefits.
Take Union Bank of California, which was voted ‘‘Best Company for Minorities’’
by Fortune magazine in 1999. Its stock has appreciated at a 34% compound rate
for the past five years. In fact, Fortune’s top 50 best companies for minorities as a
whole outperformed the S&P 500. No wonder other organisations are following
suit.

But it is not just about the bottom line any more. The real reason organisations
are pursuing diverse talent is that they will not have a labour force if they're
considered exclusive. According to Geoff Unwin, chief executive officer of
management and IT consulting firm Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, demographics
in the West are working against the needs of global corporations.

Talent Spotting

‘‘The rising demand for talent, combined with falling birth rates, is resulting in
fierce competitions for the best recruits,’’ says Mr. Unwin, who now dedicates
60% of his time to talent spotting. ‘‘And, given that tomorrow's work force will
come from the developing parts of the world, a diverse make-up now is crucial to
attract that talent in coming years. After all, without them we do not have a
business.’’

Cap Gemini Ernst & Young is not the only organisation that's putting the battle
for talent at the top of its boardroom agenda. According to the Society of Human
Resource Management's (SHRM) 1998 survey on diversity programs, nine out of
10 respondents from Fortune 500 organisations are actively recruiting women,
African-Americans and Hispanics. They're also taking steps to bring more
Asians, Native Americans and people with disabilities into their organisations.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

But because this minority talent is so much in demand, traditional recruiting

methods don’t always work. And, more often than not, because of the shrinking
talent pool, organisations are having to look outside their own borders. Silicon
Valley is a case in point, where many high-tech companies and dot-coms have
resorted to bringing in skilled Web programmers from Asia.

That said, recruiting the most skilled women and people of colour takes more
than the standard employment agency or classified-ad approach, wherever the
potential recruits are based. Although the Web is successful at generating a good
response from all corners of the globe, it does not always produce the right
response. And, although a somewhat better response tends to be generated by
posting job notices at community centres where target groups congregate, or by
advertising with specialised employment agencies, it is just not enough.

For this reason, many businesses have started to use more proactive and creative
strategies to win these diverse groups over. For example, Cadbury Schweppes
supports several initiatives like the Hispanic Heritage Awards, which are given to
Hispanic people such as Gloria Estefan for major contributions to the arts and
business. But Cadbury Schweppes also gets actively involved in initiatives of the
International Association of Students in Economics and Management, which
goes by the French acronym AIESEC and is the world's largest such
organisation, facilitating thousands of business exchanges a year.

Niche Networking

Companies like Ford, however, are concentrating on targeted efforts through

specific communities. ‘‘To reach diverse communities, we're doing things like
targeting universities with a higher percentage of women and minority groups, as
well as getting involved with disability groups and local communities,’’ says
Surinder Sharma, European diversity director at Ford. ‘‘By making these links,
we're expanding the pool that we can fish in for our future talent.’’

Surprisingly, the most effective route that corporations are using to attract a
diverse following is through their existing employees. According to SHRM, 71%
of companies surveyed reported that employee referrals resulted in the most
minority hires.

To really win minority recruits over, organisations are having to offer more than
a generous financial package. That's why some companies are going that extra
mile to accommodate several faiths and lifestyles. And we're not talking about
days off, flexible hours or offering concierge services, but incentives like a
muezzin's call programmed into a computer so that Muslim employees know
when to roll out their prayer rug, and providing menus comprising halal and
kosher meals in company canteens.

Article by IMDiversity, Inc., publisher of IMDiversity.com Career Center &

Multicultural Villages Network.
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

Identify the conditions that have called for the use of talent from employee
diversity in the firms stated in this case. What is the measurable outcome of the
diversity? Are there challenges and concerns from employers regarding
recruiting workers other than local ones? Does diversity promote talent
management? Could you find out examples in this case?

Many leaders argue that the effective management of diversity can lead to
improved talent management as it is easier to attract and retain talent able to
benefit businesses.

There must be useful strategies organisations can adopt to ensure the success and
added value of their diversity programmes, from creating an effective diversity
statement and understanding the barriers to inclusion, to identifying best
practices and strategies to improve diversity and ensure compliance.

Diversity should be threaded through all talent management activities and

strategies so organisations can reap the benefits of accessing and developing
talent from the widest possible pool.

Diversity is a very important component of talent management. It helps to

provide the broadest possible intellectual and cultural capital through
management’s attempts to hire the most diverse set of qualified employees.

Item True False

US companies generally focus the diversity ……………….. ………………
issue on minorities.

Diversity brings better revenue to ……………….. ………………

organisations worldwide.

Diversity may not have direct link with talent ……………….. ………………
management.

In Mauritius, valuing diversity is not essential ……………….. ………………

at work.

Diversity can bring talent if it focuses ……………….. ………………

organisation-wide.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

In 1997, McKinsey & Co. coined the term “War for Talent” after a yearlong
study which concluded that the most important corporate resource over the next
two decades would be talent. The study concluded that the demand for smart,
technologically savvy and globally astute businesspeople would outstrip the
supply. The search for the best and brightest was predicted to become an ongoing
battle and not only would organisations need to become better equipped to
recruit skilled talent; they had also be challenged to be able to retain them. How
does the outlook compare almost a decade and a half later? Businesses compete
today in a global environment, and traditional differentiators such as technology,
physical resources and innovation are accessible and easily replicated.

This course broadly aimed to uncover the concept of talent management so far
tied to human resource management in Mauritius and vaguely addressed. By
going through the chapters, the prospective student gets a clearer of picture of
talent management, how it is included in human resource management and
development and, particularly, how talent management aims at bringing better
results to the organisation. This final chapter summarises the key points to
effective talent management and it is hoped that it impacts the Mauritian
context.

Talent has emerged as a key source of competitive advantage, and the imminent
shortage of skilled businesspeople remains acute – and if anything has gotten
worse. An aging population of Baby Boomers and the tendency for Generations
X & Y to frequently change jobs has made it increasingly difficult to attract and
retain leaders and skilled knowledge workers. Reorganisations and downsizing
that occurred as a result of the recession have served to further damage
leadership pipelines.

How have organisations responded to these challenges and trends? Research

conducted by Bersin & Associates shows that talent management is a top concern
among HR professionals, and yet only 5% of organisations are confident that they
have a clear talent management strategy and operational procedures in place. The
reality is, a strong commitment to human capital management will separate
winning companies from the rest, and organisations that excel at implementing
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

talent management strategies will yield a competitive strategic advantage.

So, what does it take to create an effective Talent Management Strategy? First of
all, it requires executive level sponsorship and support. Senior leadership needs
to communicate the importance of talent management as an organisational
priority, and must be actively involved in the process. It also requires a clear
understanding of the corporate vision and direction, because to be effective,
Human Resource Strategy needs to be grounded in Business Strategy. To be
respected as partners, HR practitioners must fully understand and support the
requirements of the business they serve.

By understanding the needs of the business – now and into the future, HR
leaders can identify competency requirements that reflect the knowledge, skills
and abilities that will be necessary to support strategic objectives. The
competencies must also reflect the corporation’s values and culture. Otherwise,
skilled individuals are hired who simply are not a good fit for the organization.
Once defined, these competencies need to be embedded in all of the HR
processes; including recruitment, selection, development, and evaluation.

The next step is to segment the workforce to identify critical roles. These are key
positions that exert an important influence on operational activities or the
strategic objectives of the organisation. Without these roles, the organisation
would be unable to effectively meet its business objectives. Critical roles are not
confined to senior levels, and extend to include key positions throughout the
organisation.

Once critical roles are identified, it is necessary to conduct a talent review. How
are staff members currently performing? What is their potential? Keep in mind
that current and past performance is a strong indicator of potential, but the two
are not synonymous. In fact, according to the Human Capital Institute, more
than 70% of today’s top performers lack the critical attributes essential to success
in future roles. People who perform well in their current roles can fail miserably
if they are promoted beyond their level of competence. When determining
potential, it is important to avoid manager evaluation bias. The use of objective
assessment data can be helpful in this regard. Many organisations make use of
the traditional methodology to visually represent where individuals fall relative
to performance and potential. This can be helpful to support leadership
roundtable discussions where performance and potential are openly discussed
and calibrated.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

Then, there is the question of transparency. Should people be told whether or not
they have been identified as “high potential”? Doing so allows high potential
talent to be recognised and valued. It increases retention and creates a heightened
accountability for development. It also provides people with an opportunity to
“opt out”, since not everyone will be willing to invest the time and energy
required to develop their potential. However, if the communication is not
handled effectively, it can lead to false expectations and the “crown
prince/princess” syndrome. It can also create unwanted stress and pressure for
those who are identified as “high potential”. And what about people who are not
identified? What can be done to ensure they feel valued and not discounted?
These are all important factors to consider. Ultimately, the decision of whether
or not to communicate this information openly needs to relate back to the
organisational culture. Does the organisation value and espouse open
communication and transparency? If so, the approach taken to talent
management needs to align. If the choice is made to communicate transparently,
it is imperative to equip managers with the training and tools necessary to
support them in communicating these messages effectively.

Once the talent review has taken place, it’s necessary to conduct a gap analysis.
Are there any critical roles that are currently unfilled? What about future
requirements? What are the organisation’s plans for growth? Where do you
anticipate attrition and who is eligible for retirement over the next five to ten
years? This is where succession planning comes into consideration. Are there
capable people available to backfill critical roles immediately? If not, are there
any who could step into the role on a temporary basis until a suitable
replacement can be found? Are there people who have the potential to take on the
role in the future? Where do gaps exist? To fill these positions, the possible
options are to buy, build, or borrow. In other words, talent to fill key roles can be
acquired, it can be developed from within the current workforce, or the roles can
be outsourced or filled through the use of a contingent workforce.

In situations where there are no staff identified as having the necessary potential
for the roles in question, or where the time required for development is too long
to fill the identified gaps, then “buying” talent is an appropriate strategy. To be
effective at recruiting desired talent in a competitive environment, it’s important
to consider employer brand image. What is the value proposition for employees,
and how does it get communicated? Some smart and savvy organisations have
started to customise their employer brand to meet the needs of different
demographic segments. Recruiting material and language can be differentiated to
market to multiple generations and cultures. It’s also important to consider
various recruitment strategies, depending on the desired target market. These
may include internal referrals, on-campus recruitment, web-site advertisements,
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

recruiting firms or the use of social media. When making selection decisions, it is
critical to assess candidates against the competency requirements, using best
practice methodology, including standardised behavioural interviews and
psychometric assessment tools.

In situations where it is possible to “build” or develop staff from within to fill

key roles, the critical questions are what knowledge, skills or abilities are
missing, and what is the most effective way to develop them? Managers and
executive assessment data can provide insight into development requirements,
but 360 Degree Feedback is also a useful tool, because the people who interact
regularly with high potential employees are often in the best position to identify
their areas of strength and opportunities for improvement.

To engage and retain desirable talent, staff need to feel they are making a valued
contribution that the organisation recognises and rewards. This is why it is
important for people to understand where they fit within the corporate strategy,
and how they are contributing to it. Adequate compensation and rewards are
valuable too, but there are other factors to consider in order to maximize
retention. Career development is a key driver of employee engagement,
particularly for Generations X and Y. If people don’t feel they are being
developed and given opportunities to grow, they are likely to leave. Strong
leaders understand the importance of having regular career conversations with
staff members to understand what they are interested in, what areas they want to
develop, and how they can be of support. Career development doesn’t necessarily
imply vertical progression, as many staff will be motivated by lateral moves that
offer an opportunity to develop skills and be exposed to different areas of the
business.

Finally, to be effective and respected, HR needs to be able to measure and

evaluate the results of the investment in talent management. There are many
measures that can be used to track and monitor progress. These include
considering the length of time required to fill vacancies, the ratio of key positions
for which no internal replacement is available relative to the total number of key
positions, the percentage of key roles that are filled internally, external hires as a
percentage of total hires, average performance ratings for new employees in
critical positions, and turnover statistics within key roles.

Keep in mind that it is useful to know how the organisation is performing on

these measures before new strategies and approaches are implemented, so that
you can compare results and measure the return on investment. By taking this
approach, HR will be in a position to build credibility and demonstrate value as a
strong strategic partner in the business. If career development is a missed out
point in the company, talent will not find out openings for development.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

To gain competitive advantage, the demand for human capital drives talent
management. Talent management strategies focus on five primary areas:
attracting, selecting, engaging, developing and retaining employees.

Although pay and benefits initially attract employees, top-tier leadership

organisations focus on retaining and developing talent, talent management is also
driven by the anticipated skills shortage in the coming years. While not all
organisations, industries and professions will experience a lack of skills,
organisations are already competing for talent. For example, customer service,
health care, computer support and technology repair are areas where there is an
anticipated acute talent shortage.

In addition, as noted in SHRM’s 2005 Future of the U.S. Labour Pool Survey
Report, the anticipated loss of talent in the next decade will vary by organisation
size, sector and industry. For example, large organisations—as compared with
small and medium companies—are more concerned about loss of talent from the
retirement of the baby boom generation, and public and government
organisations are more concerned about the loss of potential talent than private
companies.

Further, it is important that HR educate top management on the link between

the talent management cycle and the cost of turnover. For example, an
employee’s decision to stay or leave is related to career possibilities in the
company as well as how he or she can become better prepared to move to other
opportunities. To keep a valued employee, the easy answer is not merely
compensation. Employee loyalty tends to be more directed to his or her
professional skills rather than to the organisation. Thus, to best attract, engage,
develop and retain talent, those who have responsibilities.

As a primary owner of talent management, HR has many roles—one of the most

important is that of facilitator of the talent mind-set. HR leads the way for the
organisation to own, as an entity, the role of talent management for
organisational success. In the role of business partner, HR works closely with the
board, the CEO and senior management to ensure that they are committed to
talent management work. As talent management facilitator, HR also pays close
attention to how the organisation’s culture supports talent. Broadly speaking,
HR’s role encompasses communicating the talent management philosophy
companywide and knowing the industry competition. In addition, HR needs to
develop an integrated and proactive strategic approach to talent management—
the big picture—as well as managing critical information, such as tracking
turnover and knowing what factors contribute to retention
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

To integrate talent management into all areas of the company, HR also plays a
role of change management agent. To drive this change, HR addresses four
diverse talent management activities: recruitment, performance management,
leadership development and organisational strategy.

Finally, proactive HR leaders take a holistic approach to talent management. It is

important to establish clear expectations and communicate openly about the
talent management process. By HR explaining to management and employees
why talent management is important, how it works and what the benefits are to
the organisation and participants, talent management strategies are more likely
to be seen as a fair process.

Effective talent management policies and practices that demonstrate

commitment to human capital result in more engaged employees and lower
turnover. Consequently, employee engagement has a substantial impact on
employee productivity and talent retention. Employee engagement, in fact, can
make or break the bottom line. Employees who are most committed perform 20%
better and are 87% less likely to resign. In addition, the foundation for an
engaged workforce is established by the quality, depth and authenticity of
communication by HR and senior management to employees, as well as the
quality of supervision. The role of the manager as the most important enabler of
employee commitment to the job, organisation and teams cannot be
overemphasized. Furthermore, when done well, practices that support talent
management also support employee engagement (e.g., work-life balance
programs—flexitime, telecommuting, compressed workweeks, reward
programmes, performance management systems)

Beyond compensation and benefits, employee engagement is best fostered

through a meaningful and emotionally enriching work experience. Effective
employee engagement—a mixture of tangible and intangible factors—fosters an
environment of stimulation, development, learning, support, contribution and
recognition. However, a recent study found that less than one-fifth of employees
were highly engaged, one-fifth of the workforce was disengaged and about two-
thirds were moderately engaged. The impact of employee dissatisfaction varies,
depending on work experience (e.g. overwhelming workloads, distant and no
communicative senior leadership, few develop intellectual opportunities). The
risk is that moderately engaged employees may move toward being disengaged.

The opportunity and challenge for HR, working with senior management, is to
increase the strength of employee engagement. Focus on engagement demands
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

strong leadership, a sense of shared destiny, autonomy, accountability and

opportunities for development and advancement. To better engage workers,
companies must work harder to inspire people and provide a sense of passion,
pride and mission. Ultimately, it is organisational culture that determines
employee engagement and retention of talent.

Talent has emerged as a key source of competitive advantage, and the imminent
shortage of skilled businesspeople remains acute.

Senior leadership needs to communicate the importance of talent management as

an organisational priority, and must be actively involved in the process.

People who perform well in their current roles can fail miserably if they are
promoted beyond their level of competence.

To engage and retain desirable talent, staff need to feel they are making a valued
contribution that the organisation recognises and rewards.

Finally, to be effective and respected, HR needs to be able to measure and

evaluate the results of the investment in talent management.

To gain competitive advantage, the demand for human capital drives talent
management. Talent management strategies focus on five primary areas:
attracting, selecting, engaging, developing and retaining employees.

Item True False

Talent is essential to bringing competitive ……………….. ………………
advantage.

It is predictable for a manager to succeed at a ……………….. ………………

higher level.

There must be linkage between talent and ……………….. ………………

rewards.

In Mauritius, talent management is a fully ……………….. ………………

developed concept in industry.

Human capital regarding talent can ……………….. ………………

overcome the engagement of the employee.
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

2 questions are presented per chapter covered

1. A talent marketplace is

A. an employee training and development strategy that is set in place

outside an organisation.
B. an employee training and development strategy that is set in place
within an organisation.
C. an employee training and recruitment strategy that is set in place
within an organisation.
D. an employee recruitment and selection strategy that is set in place
outside an organisation.

2. Talent management decisions are often driven by

A. a set of organisational core competencies only.

B. a set of organisational core competencies as well as position-
specific competencies only.
C. a set of organisational core competencies as well as position-
specific competencies.
D. a set of organisational individual competencies.

3. Talent is an increasingly scarce resource,

A. so it must be managed to the fullest effect.

B. so it must be managed to some effect.
C. so it must be acquired to the fullest effect.
D. so it must be delivered to some effect.

4. The four steps in talent management are

A. entry, development, retention, and performance.

B. development, entry, retention and performance.
C. performance, entry, retention and development.
D. entry, retention, development and performance.

5. The interview aims to gain insight into

A. past proven knowledge, skills, experience and behaviour of new

employees.
B. only past proven knowledge of potential new employees.
C. past proven skills of potential new employees.
D. past proven knowledge, skills, experience of older employees.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

6. Selection is deciding ‘‘best possible fit’’

A. between people and roles.

B. between people and income.
C. between people and managers.
D. between people and machines.

7. A product manager will need to decide how to counter a competitor’s

price reduction. This refers to an employee’s

A. communicationl skills.
B. analytical skills.
C. business skills.
D. thinking skills.

8. Corporate soft skills training programmes will focus on

A. behavioural competencies that improve decisional skills.

B. behavioural competencies that improve analytical skills.
C. behavioural competencies that improve corporate planning skills.
D. behavioural competencies that improve interpersonal skills.

9. Organisations and in developing nations are looking to expand

the capability and capacity of their operations by

A. looking within their home country.

B. looking towards the Western world.
C. looking outside the borders of their home country.
D. looking towards Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, etc.

10. Capacity building from the talent management perspective is about

A. balancing the load of labour needed by an organisation with

the minimal mix of resources’ available.
B. exceeding the load of labour needed by an organisation with
the optimal mix of resources available.
C. balancing the load of labour needed by an organisation with
the optimal mix of resources available.
D. over supplying the load of labour needed by an organisation with
the scarce ‘‘resources’’ available.

Keys 1B2C3A4D5A6A7B8D9C10C
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

11. A “good manager” is one who will help

A. all people find satisfaction in their work.

B. less talented people find satisfaction in their work.
C. talented people find satisfaction in their work.
D. close friends find satisfaction in their work.

12. In motivation for talent,

A. extrinsic rewards are more important than intrinsic rewards.

B. intrinsic rewards are more important than extrinsic rewards.
C. extrinsic rewards are only needed.
D. intrinsic rewards are only needed.

13. Executive Coaching fosters the development of

A. strategic leadership competencies.

B. operational leadership competencies.
C. tactical leadership competencies.
D. democratic leadership competencies.

14. Organisations develop leaders

A. who realise part of their potential for strategic growth.

B. who transform clarity into complexity.
C. who have an unconvincing vision of the future.
D. who can meet uncertainty with understanding.

15. In Mc Kinsey’s ‘‘War for Talent’’ regarding performance, the new reality
is that

A. better talent makes a huge difference.

B. talented people are common.
C. people need companies.
D. people lack mobility.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

16. In reward management, the line manager is the key player in

A. reward as well as talent.

B. reward as well as handling problems.
C. reward as well as supervision.
D. reward as well as compensation.

17. In motivation for talent,

A. extrinsic rewards are more important than intrinsic rewards.

B. intrinsic rewards are more important than extrinsic rewards.
C. extrinsic rewards are only needed.
D. intrinsic rewards are only needed.

18. And as communicating in the workforce grows more complex,

A. talent management must pay less attention to the skill.

B. talent management must pay no attention to the skill.
C. talent management must pay enough attention to the skill.
D. talent management must pay extra attention to the skill.

19. To practise Onboarding, the company prepares the new employee

A. to become a future manager soon.

B. to learn from the scratch.
C. to fit into his company’s culture.
D. to become an executive in some time.

20. During onboarding newcomers must meet

A. with their direct managers later on to learn the expectations of their

position.
B. with their direct managers early on to learn the expectations of their
position.
C. with their subordinates early on to learn the expectations of their
position.
D. with their stakeholders early on to learn the expectations of their
position.

Keys 11C12B13A14D15A16A17B18D19C20B
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

21. Job enlargement is a job design technique wherein there

A. is an increase in the number of tasks associated with a certain job.

B. is an increase in the number of roles associated with a certain job.
C. is a decrease in the number of tasks associated with a certain job.
D. is a increase in the number of responsibilities associated with
a certain job.

22. Multiplying talent and increasing competitiveness are supported by

A. an organisation’s capability to develop and transfer talent.

B. an organisation’s capability to develop and deploy talent.
C. an organisation’s capability to dispirit talent.
D. an organisation’s capability to recycle talent.

23. Job enrichment means

A. a deliberate increase in duties and responsibilities and span

of control.
B. a lateral expansion in duties and responsibilities and span of control.
C. improvement in the quality of job such that employees are
more satisfied and fulfilled.
D. improvement in the quantity of job such that employees face
more challenges at work.

24. Retention strategies may be diversified into three distinct domains

namely

A. cultural, emotional and transactional.

B. social, transformational and transactional.
C. cultural, environmental and transactional.
D. cultural, transformational and transactional.

25. Organisations that do not understand the nature of how

international differences manifest

A. may see strategic objectives fail or not realise their potential

as envisaged.
B. may see strategies applicable and successful worldwide.
C. may operate without difficulty in international markets.
D. may be always driven by profits and success.
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

26. As a result of increasing globalisation, talents are now spread over

business units and departments in different locations and countries.

A. talents are now spread over business units and departments

in different locations and countries.
B. talents are now spread over business units and departments in
rich countries
C. talents are now spread over business units and departments in
poor countries
D. skills are now spread over business units and departments in
poor countries

27. “Inclusive participation” under the guise of cultural inclusion is

A. the past approach to managing talent diversity.

B. the current approach to managing talent diversity.
C. the future approach to managing talent diversity.
D. the contingency approach to managing talent diversity.

28. Diversity is a very important component of talent management because

A. it helps to provide the least possible intellectual and cultural

capital.
B. it helps to provide the broadest possible intellectual and cultural
capital.
C. it helps to provide the broadest possible financial and cultural
capital.
D. it helps to provide the broadest possible social capital.

29. In the Mc Kinsey’s study “War for Talent”, the study concluded that

A. the supply for globally astute people would outstrip the demand.
B. the demand for globally astute people would be less than the supply.
C. the demand for globally astute people would outstrip the supply.
D. the demand for locally astute people would outstrip the supply.

30. Career development is a key driver of employee engagement, particularly

A. for the Millennial.

B. for the baby Boomer Generations.
C. for Generations X and Y.
D. for all Generations.

Keys 21A22B23C24D25A26A27B28B29C30C
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

Why has talent management developed as a discipline on its own following Mc

Kinsey’s publication ‘‘The War for Talent’’? How would you define the concept
talent management? What are the key considerations regarding talent
management as a new discipline in Mauritius?

Briefly identify and explain the four key steps in talent management. Why is
retention an important component of talent management? Why do companies
need to develop talent within the firm?

What should effective recruitment represent in talent management? What does

resourcing mean in this context? How should a firm align its recruitment
strategy with its own corporate goals?

Explain the importance of communication skills in talent management. What

forms of communication might be needed in a multicultural context? What is
the relevance of analytical skills at work? Where are such skills applicable?
Provide examples.

Why is capacity building a key factor concerned with talent management? How
does the capacity mindset model explain the need to build or improve on
existing capabilities? Provide illustrations of capacity building in relation to
talent in Mauritian companies.

What linkages can be developed between motivational rewards and talent

management? How do advancement and growth help in the development and
retention of talent at work? Why do managers value more intrinsic than
extrinsic rewards in talent management?

Why should a leadership development programme be valued in talent

management? How might coaching and executive development address the
issue of talent management fort leaders? What is the relevance of reinforcement
coaching to leaders in talent management?

What are the key considerations of a Performance Management System

regarding talent management? What are the concerns for staff or the employees
of the firm regarding performance managagement? What relationship can exist
in Mauritius between a performance-driven culture and the development of
competitive talent?

Briefly explain certain communication techniques that can be linked with talent
management. Mc Luhan stated that the ‘‘medium is the message’’. How might
leaders improve their communication strategy by selecting modern modes of
message transmission? How might clear, concise and direct messages address
talent management in Mauritius?
 | People and Talent Management-A concise approach

How can human resource managers or senior managers develop Onboarding in

their organisation? Why is effective Onboarding a talent strategy that should be
extended to more than a month? What is the benefit of Onboarding talent from
the inside? How could this apply to a Mauritian company?

What is the relevance of valuing talent with rewards? Why is the role of the line
manager valued in reward management? A statement suggests that just focusing
on rewards might defy the importance of rewarding talent. Where might the
problem arise and what adjustment can management make in this context?

Why is deployment an important aspect of employee retention in talent

management? Why is job enrichment a major determinant for retention in
talent management? What effort/s can managers take to ensure that job
enlargement in more a retention strategy than a deterrent regarding talent
management?

Why are emerging markets like the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, China, India and
South Africa) considered as useful backdrops for global talent management?
Why is language learning useful in these contexts regarding talent management?
What are the advantages and drawbacks of managing talent from a broad
international market environment?

Why should diversity be threaded through all talent management activities and
strategies? Does diversity management provide a wealth of talents to
organisations? Provide examples. How may an ethnocentric approach to
diversity management hinder the development of talent in an organisation?

Why does succession planning form an essential part of talent management?

How may talent management constitute an important component of competitive
advantage? ‘‘Career development is a key driver of employee engagement,
particularly for Generations X and Y.’’ Provide examples to confirm this
statement.

How does the transition from personnel to human resource management and
eventually to talent management constitute a development in the thought of
people and talent management? Is talent management merely a buzzword? How
could it be developed within an organisation seeking to improve its Continuous
Professional Development?

Differentiate between transactional and transformational leaders. Why might

transformational leaders be better sought than transactional ones regarding
talent management? Why should leaders empower their subordinates in seeking
better talent within their organisations?

Prepare a document that addresses talent management in contemporary

workplace management using these issues: the emergence of talent management,
the process of talent management, the alignment of talent management to the
firm’s corporate goals and the practice of talent management within the firm.
 People and Talent Management-A concise approach |

Job rotation-105, 106, 110

0
360 feedback-54, 133 Leadership-35, 60
Analytical skills-33,78 Leadership development-62
Apple-37 LGBT acronym-120
Bayer-126 Line manager-100
British Broadcasting corporation-20 Management of diversity-120
Buzzwords-36 McKinsey & Co-2, 69, 71, 130
Cadbury Schweppes-127 Most Favoured Nation Status-
Capacity building-41,69 112, 113
Career development-133 Motivation-50
CIPD-121, 122 Niche Networking-128
Coaching-64, 65 Nokia-118,119
Communication skills-33 Old and new reality-71
Communication techniques-80 Onboarding-10, 15, 84, 87, 88, 89
Communication-34, 78, 81 Organisational skills-32
Competencies-17,26 Pay Research Bureau-69, 97
Competitive advantage-70,71, 130 Performance Management
Computer skills-33 System-73
Core competencies-108 Performance Management-69
Cultural dimensions-110 Performance management-13
Deployment-105 PMS cycle-74
Diversity-121,122 Proactive HR-135
Diversity management-125 Productivity-83
Downsizing-66, 131 Recruitment-23
Emerging Markets-115 Resourcing-27
Employee engagement-81,135 Reward management-97
Employee retention-123 Reward programmes-100
Employer brand image-132 ROI-102
Empowerment-18, 104 Self-motivate-56
Equal Opportunity Employer-121 SHRM-128,134
Eurocentrism-125 Siemens-11
Gallup Management Group-58 Sitting by Nellie-92
Gap analysis-132 Soft skills-35
Generations X & Y-130, 133 Steps in Talent Management-16
Globalisation-112, 113 Strategic HRM-24
Headhunting-23 Succession planning-10, 132
Herzberg-50 Talent management-5, 9, 12, 42
HIV-AIDS-121 Talent resource planning-44, 45
Holistic fit approach-26, 135 Talent review-131
Human Capital-125 Talent-powered organisations-105
ICT skills-33 Technology-82
Inclusion-126 The Capacity Building Mindset-
India-46, 116 46
Intrinsic rewards-53 The War for Talent- 7, 132
Job description-126 Transactional Strategies-110
Job enlargement-104, 107, 108 University of Chicago-74
Job enrichment-1049, 106, 108 World Trade Organisation-111
 People &
| People and Talent Management-A concise approach

People and Talent Management

–A Concise Approach-is the
guide to managing talent in
today’s organisation based from
the fact that leaders are now
shifting from strategic human
resource management to talent
management – a buzzword
coined since Mc Kinsey’s 1997
publication “The War for
Talent”.
The book has been written
concisely with a view to bringing
a clear understanding of the
topic but essentially as a means
to getting a clearer picture of
what talent management is and
how it impacts organisations
today.

panart publication

e-book on ResearchGate

View publication stats