Talent Management

ASTD 2008 Copyright

Talent management: what is it, who owns it, and why should you care?
T+D, v62 n5 p40-44 (2008 May)
Talent management is on the minds of business world leaders yet it is undefined and varies from organization to organization. This article describes the current state of talent management and why the learning profession should create a high-stake hold on how talent is developed and managed. The research and experience of senior learning executives are presented.

Talent management up for grabs?
T+D, v62 n3 p48-54 (2008 Mar)
Who owns talent management? is the question being bandied about in large organizations. This article presents the viewpoints of four learning executives from Verint, Allstate, Krempl International, and Orkin at a recent Sharing@LearnShare conference that covered a range of topics. These learning leaders concur that linking training to the business is as critical for success as is choosing the metrics that make sense.

Doing good while doing well
T+D, v62 n6 p32-34 (2008 Jun)
At C Level. Indra Nooyi, CEO, PepsiCo, speaks often about the key role that employees play in
operationalizing its vision “Performance with Purpose.” Because of its business, PepsiCo, ranked 59 in the 2008 Fortune 500, must be highly adaptable in numerous ways—product, health and safety, environment, and customer and public opinion. Nooyi is outspoken about the quality of PepsiCo’s associates describing them as smart and highly motivated and equally outspoken about PepsiCo’s commitments to continued investment in it staff, human sustainability, and environmental sustainability despite the current economic conditions.

Accelerating executive leadership development
T+D, v61 n9  p58-61 (2007 Sep)
This article discusses the wisdom of creating a leadership infrastructure to ensure organizational success and responsiveness to change. A leadership infrastructure model is introduced which begins with an organizational strategic vision, moves to performance management, individual development, hiring and recruiting plans to leadership development plans and concludes with succession planning. It is a talent management tool that can be used to keep organizations focused and in synch with strategic goals.

Ignoring the obvious
T+D, v61 n5 p58-62 (2007 May)
This article reports on an IBM and ASTD study which reveals that 43 percent of respondents believe maintaining a talent pipeline will have significant impact on their organizations within the next three to five years. Thirty-eight percent feel that the impact of changing workforce demographics on their organizations will be moderate.  Workplace learning and performance professionals indicate that only 42 percent of  their organizations were addressing skills and capability needs for the next five years. Despite the recognized importance of this topic, there appears to be a notable disconnect between recognition and action within the surveyed organizations.

What does your hiring process say about you?
T+D, v61 n5 p66-70 (2007 May)
This article presents the results of a recent Development Dimensions International (DDI) and Monster
survey of 4,000 job seekers, 1,250 hiring managers, and 628 staffing directors. The purpose of the survey is to understand how an organization’s hiring process influences a candidate’s decision to accept a job and to remain with the organization. The study, Slugging Through the War for Talent: Selection Forecast 2006-2007, examined four important aspects of the hiring process: recruiting, selecting, landing the candidates you want, and retaining valuable talent. The survey results conclude that many companies are doing a bad job of creating a good impression for prospective and actual new hires.

Talent retention
INFOLINE, 16p (2007 Mar)
This Infoline offers an in-depth look at talent retention issues that companies are facing with the retirement of one generation and the demands of new workers. The topics covered include aligning your organization,  establishing career development strategies, and effective practices for success as well as what makes an outstanding leader and characteristics of a good mentor. The Job Aid is a worksheet "Calculating Replacement Costs."

The growth of succession management
T+D, v61 n6 p22-24 (2007 Jun)
The benefits of extending succession planning and management beyond the executive level are illustrated by brief case studies on Capital One and Education Management Corporation. Research conducted in 2006 by the Institute for Corporate Productivity indicates that only 56 percent of the respondents had a formal succession planning process in place. Seven out of 10 plan to update their processes in the next few years. The 2006 study also noted that almost 49 percent of the respondents included managerial and other staff in their succession program.

Building a talent pipeline
T+D, v61 n6 p56-60 (2007 Jun)
This article describes how Northrop Grumman is meeting the challenge of recruiting, staffing, and retaining talent in the face of a shrinking qualified labor pool. One significant problem this company confronts is the requirement of national (US) security clearances for its scientists and engineers.

Growing talent and sales at McCormick
T+D, v61 n7 p30-34 (2007 Jul)
At C Level. Learning is linked integrally to McCormick's leadership development program known as multiple management boards (MMB). According to CEO, Bob Lawless, the company "invests every penny we can" in learning because it is linked to corporate strategy. McCormick rebounded from post-Katrina related spice market issues under Lawless' leadership. This interview explains his commitment to leadership development, succession planning, and learning for this growing global company.

Finding the right talent for critical jobs
T+D, v61 n2 p30-36 (2007 Feb)
At C Level. Leaders, Michael Mussallem and Rob Reindl, Edwards Lifesciences, believe their company needs to  focus on driving more innovation and applying new technology to the unmet patient needs of heart patients. Edwards, a California-based company,  is the number one heart valve manufacturer in the world in sales and a leader in products for the treatment of advanced heart disease.

Growing talent at Edwards Lifesciences
T+D, v61 n2 p38-41 (2007 Feb)
This article describes how Edwards Lifesciences, formerly the cardiovascular division of Baxter Healthcare, applied lessons learned to create a culture that prized innovation, risk taking, and development.
Key company strategy and philosophy are covered. At the heart of the new strategy was the identification of the most critical jobs in the corporation.
 

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