Building Blocks to Construct an Integrated Talent Management System

The vast majority of businesses will concur that talent management is an essential component of a profitable business strategy. However, if pressed, they would have a difficult time providing a concise explanation that adheres to a generally accepted standard of what constitutes an effective strategy. Is the management of talent really such a difficult and complicated task? We at Let’s Talk Talent don’t believe that to be the case. To put it another way, talent management is the process of attracting and retaining exceptional individuals. Because it is impossible to realize your professional ambitions if you do not have the support of the appropriate team. Why, then, do companies have such a hard time developing, putting into action, and realizing good talent management initiatives when they have such a crystal clear picture of the end result?

It is essential to have an understanding that this HR subfield encompasses the entirety of the employee lifecycle. Despite the fact that this appears to be self-evident and much simpler to handle when viewed as a whole, it may still be overwhelming for those who have fewer resources available to them. It’s one thing to focus on organizing and managing just one subset of the talent management system at a time. It is somewhat more challenging to try to create and uphold policies for the career development of staff members, as well as onboarding and inducting, performance coaching, succession planning, and executive assessment, all at the same time, and in a manner that is consistent with one another.

Where do you even begin when it comes to talent management?

Before you even begin, and in the same way that you would with any other business priority, the most important thing to do is to take a step back and make certain that you have a genuine understanding of the most important problem that you need to solve. Because of the low rates of employee retention at your company, are you thinking about putting in place a talent management strategy? Or do you believe that the future leaders of your organization are not being provided with the tools they need to succeed? Could it be that the members of your workforce believe a greater emphasis should be placed on diversity and inclusion? Your first forays into the field of people management will unquestionably be shaped by the overarching query for which you are searching for a solution.

Find out who your audience is

An investigation may be necessary for those individuals who are unable to articulate the central question in a way that is free of any ambiguity. Finding out who your primary stakeholders are and conducting a survey with them is the first step in developing a solid grasp of the problem, as it is with any other plan. The Said Business School accomplished just that, and it began by classifying its most important stakeholders into six distinct groups, each of which has a unique set of capabilities, requirements, and goals:

• The chief executive officer.
• The executive board or team.
• Those in charge of the staff.
• The many brilliant people.
• Those with promise for the future.

The larger community as a whole

It is not hard to see how they may have different, and even occasionally contradictory, sets of criteria. But how exactly do you go about determining what it is that each of those categories of employees needs and desires from their employer? The Said Business School used a staff poll that was company-wide, which enabled the organization to genuinely concentrate on bringing to life the workers’ idea of what defines a wonderful place to work. This helped the organization to better serve its people.

Set up your KPIs

One of the first things you need to do is create the groundwork for how you will evaluate the effectiveness of your strategy for managing people. Therefore, before you get started, you should think to yourself, “How will we know it worked?” Are you seeking a faster service at a reduced cost? Or improved retention amongst new starters? How can you evaluate the mental health of your employees? Because writing out quantifiable objectives needs to be one of the first actions you take when contemplating a reorganization of your efforts to manage talent, and because of this, you should: Even while it may seem apparent, it’s not always easy to look at your efforts in the face when they finally pay off. Even if it means you got it wrong from the beginning, frequent review points and tweaks along the road are necessary for any people management approach to be successful. The most essential thing is to simply keep moving forward and make adjustments as necessary depending on the new information and understanding that you gain along the road.

Put in place your communication methods.

A good policy is never kept tucked away in a drawer. It is necessary to put it into action, put it through its paces in real-world conditions, make adjustments to it, and sometimes conduct a comprehensive assessment of it. After all, your company’s business plan and management strategy are modified on a regular basis, so why shouldn’t your HR initiatives be? Therefore, before implementing any new procedures, you should first do an audit of the communication channels that are accessible to employees, as well as the methods that are the most effective for providing feedback on any modifications to talent management initiatives and bringing them to life.

The abundance of options for talent management models

You should be in a good position to get started on your trip now that the foundations have been laid; you should have a defined starting point, an established end line, and many checkpoints along the route. The main effort, which is planning out the path to get to your destination, starts here. And this is your cue to be creative and discover new methods to attract and maintain outstanding individuals in your life. Because there isn’t enough time in the day to settle with the status quo when it comes to managing talent.

The Internet is rife with useful frameworks and models that organizations can use to assist them in planning their approach to talent management. The HR Agile technique, as well as the more conventional 9-box architecture, both have their merits. Models, despite their use, are nothing more than models, despite their value. They serve as invaluable guides to the structure.

the operation of the mind. But the actual thinking needs to be something that only you can do. Given that no two organizations are the same, it is difficult to imagine how a single successful framework could be applied universally. In all likelihood, it is impossible. Because of this, we believe that the best framework to follow is the one that begins with your organization at its center and then moves outward from there. Because no two people in the talent management system will leave from the same starting point, follow the same route, have the same goal, or line up in the same order as the other runners. Individualization is essential.

The Fundamental Components Necessary to Realize Your Objectives

It’s not like you’re completely on your own here. For those who are looking for direction, the Let’s Talk Talent framework has established building blocks that are designed to help you customize your strategy for impactful results in each of the areas that fall under the umbrella of talent management. These areas include, but are not limited to the following:

The fundamental components that must be present for a talent management system to be successful

• Employer value proposition.
• Talent Acquisition.
• The onboarding process and the orientation.
• Structures for internal operations.
• Talent and succession management.
• Career development.

While the aforementioned aspects are pretty typical throughout the sector, what sets our building blocks apart is how they are constructed. The Let’s Talk Talent approach emphasizes the need of being creative in the process of formulating organizational policies as well as in the manner in which those policies are subsequently carried out.

People’s obvious next step laid forth

Although it is difficult to achieve perfection, the companies that are successful in attracting and retaining exceptional people have one thing in common: they are open and honest with their workers about what they can expect from the company. Be specific about what it is that you can provide, don’t make any false promises, and focus your conversation on the things that are really important to the firm.

Bringing folks up to speed or speeding them up

Making sure that new employees are familiar with the culture, purpose, and vision of the organization they are joining is, of course, an important step in ensuring that their transition into the organization will go well. However, this idea also applies to the workforce that is already in place. Do not hesitate to include them in your plans, and check to see if they are on board and able to contribute to the execution of your talent strategy.

Explicit modes of operation and organizational structure

Again, this may begin during the onboarding process, when employees’ expectations of one another, their jobs, and those of their coworkers are clearly established. But it shouldn’t be the end of it. It is important that employees understand the organizational structure, the support system they have available to them, and the possibilities they have for professional advancement.

Managers who are both inspired and knowledgeable

Managers are on the front lines, and they will play a critical role in assisting you in achieving your objectives. When it comes to attracting and retaining the right talent, one of the most important things you can do is make sure you have the right people in the right positions to cultivate a culture of transparency, encourage honest feedback and discussions, and draw out key staff’s skill gaps and coaching requirements.

Feedback on the progress that is consistent

It should come as no surprise that providing frequent feedback will aid in the development of your organization’s talent pool. We at Let’s Talk Potential believe that every person has some level of it, and that talent must be developed. However, input on development may also be used in your HR activities. It is not appropriate to develop policies from written works, models, or ideas. They should be live, breathing entities that demand inputs from employees in order to help establish the proper culture for the organization.

However, there is no need that it to be flawless

Despite the fact that the preceding outlines a clear recipe for the effective execution of a talent management system, it is obvious that this recipe will need to be adapted for each individual company. But in general, the following actions should be followed: In order to become a wonderful place to work, it is necessary to do an audit of your talent pool, determine your most pressing question, establish key performance indicators (KPIs), and put up the necessary building blocks. Just keep in mind that it is not about strictly adhering to a framework; rather, it is about modifying the framework so that it fits your particular company’s culture and talent pool. And it’s all about starting the ball rolling. Somewhere. Anywhere. Because if you wait for everything to be perfect, you will end up losing the opportunity altogether. Therefore, aim on making your organization a desirable place to work. Beginning tomorrow One footstep at a time throughout the marathon. Just get stuff done.

The administration of conventional HR subfunctions is what’s referred to as integrated talent management, or ITM for short.

• The processes of recruitment and selection.
• Planning for human resources.
• The management of performance.
• The process of learning and growing.
• Reward and appreciation are both provided.
• Planning for the next generation.

Regardless matter how strong the strategy is, it will not be able to bring any value to the company if the integrated people management strategy is not connected with the business plan of the organization. A comprehensive competence model that acts as a guide for talent management strategy and tactics is the essential component of an Integrated Talent Management System.

An ITM system is made up of five different components: the Philosophy of Talent Management, the Talent Management Processes, the Integrated Talent Management System, and the Governance Structure. Talent Management Metrics are the fifth component.

1. Talent Management Philosophy

The term “talent management philosophy” is shorthand for both the management team’s consensus view of what constitutes “talent management,” as well as the school of thought (about talent management) that it has chosen to follow. Organizational psychology teaches us that in order for a change initiative involving an organization to be effective, it is essential to have the backing of the company’s highest level of management. Because of this, it is vital that the organization’s policy statement include an acknowledgment of the issues the organization faces from the point of view of talent, as well as an explanation of how the organization plans to react to these challenges. To effectively manage talent inside the organization, the leadership of the organization has to come to an agreement on the guiding principles that will be used.

2. Talent Management Processes

The transformation of anything from one form into another often takes place through some kind of process. The silo-based mentality of managing HR sub-functions should be replaced by the mindset of using these functions as a vehicle to build an organization’s capability to attract, engage, and retain competently and committed employees. HR practitioners should shift their mindsets to use these functions as a vehicle to build this capability. Each procedure serves, not as a goal in and of itself, but rather as a means to an end. In order to fully realize the benefits of an integrated talent management system, the owners of each individual process need to have a solid understanding of the results produced by the collective processes. A short overview of how each step helps to create this organizational competence is included in the following paragraphs (strategically leveraging talent).

2.1 Talent acquisition

The Talent Acquisition Process acts as a lever to draw talent from both the internal and the external talent pool, but it does not lose sight of the overarching goals that the collective processes are trying to accomplish (talent acquisition, talent engagement, talent development, and talent retention). To begin, the Talent Acquisition Specialist (TAS) is responsible for comprehending the company strategy and converting it into talent outcomes (the quality and quantity of talent) for both the near term (one year) and the long term (more than one year) (3-5 years). The next stage will consist of determining whether or not the requisite talent will be accessible (inside the company or from outside sources) when it is required. It will be decided which talents should be bought (attracted and sourced from the outside) and which ones should be developed in-house (develop). The TAS will not be able to make these choices (buy or build) if he or she does not comprehend the depth and breadth of the organization’s innate talent as well as the talent that is accessible on the open market.

If the company has the luxury of time and has identified potential talent that needs to be developed, then the Training and Development Lever will be engaged to begin the process of preparing the identified talent for future roles. If the company does not have the luxury of time, then the Training and Development Lever will not be engaged. In the event that it is decided to buy talent for current and future roles, the TAS will launch a recruitment drive to fill currently vacant positions and identify talent that will be earmarked for future roles in the organization. This will occur in the event that a decision is made to buy talent for current and future roles. It has been decided to create a talent bank in which the names of possible applicants from the outside to fill these future posts may be logged.

If the TAS does not have a “Workforce Plan” and does not understand what the Employee Value Proposition (EVP) of the organization is, then they will not be able to fulfill their responsibilities. These two papers will serve as the foundation for the Talent Acquisition Plan as well as the techniques that will be used to put the strategy into action. The outcomes of this procedure (Talent Acquisition) will feed into the subsequent processes of talent onboarding, learning and development, and talent engagement. It is the responsibility of the TAS, along with other role players such as HR Business Partners, HR administrators, Line Management, Learning and Development Practitioners, and Compensation and Benefits Practitioners, to make this proposition a reality. Since the EVP commits to the organization on what value employees will gain from working for the organization, it is imperative that the TAS fulfills this responsibility.

2.2 Talent engagement

The degree to which workers commit to something or someone inside their organization, as well as the amount of effort they put in and the length of time they remain as a consequence of that commitment, is referred to as talent engagement (Corporate Executive Board, 2005). The onboarding process is considered to be the beginning of an employee’s involvement with their organization. When a new employee joins a company, it is not enough for them to simply be familiar with the company’s regulations and have their workstations set up before they start. This is what is known as the “onboarding” process. The objective of the onboarding procedure is to make it possible for the new employee to begin contributing to the success of the organization within a short period of time by providing them with the training and resources necessary to help them feel appreciated and involved in their work.

It is the duty of the Talent Acquisition Specialists to make sure that they recruit the most qualified candidate for each open position. The talent engagement activities will not have a positive effect on the recruit’s level of engagement if the recruit does not suit the job description and the culture of the organization. Learning and Development as a function have to have an understanding of the competence gaps that are detected from the recruits throughout the selection process. This is necessary in order to quickly establish chances for competency development and to take action on those possibilities. Employee engagement may also be increased by the use of other levers, such as performance management, succession planning, recognition and reward, and the quality of leadership.

2.3 Talent development

The plan for the development of talent has to be coordinated with the overall corporate strategy. It is the responsibility of the Training and Development Practitioner, also known as TDP, to transform the company strategy into results for Talent Development. In order for the organization to be able to carry out its strategy, the TDP has to have an understanding of what organizational capacities linked to competencies (knowledge, skills, and behavior) need to be created. This does not imply that workers who have skill gaps relevant to their existing employees are neglected; rather, it means that they need to be developed along with everyone else. The career development requirements of workers are another source that feeds into the talent development area, and these needs must also be included in the training and development plan in order to be successful. The long-term ambitions of the organization should be represented in the career pathways and organizational structures of the organization. Employees’ career goals should be connected with these plans so that they may advance in a manner that is consistent with the organization’s goals. You would not want to invest resources into training personnel in a certain direction if you knew that in the medium to long term, the organization will not have a need for such abilities.

What are the several steps that make up this process, and what are the results?

Performance management, succession planning, and workforce planning are the three HR responsibilities that feed into the Talent Development Process. These three inputs are what are referred to as “feeders.” After the performance review period has come to a conclusion, the competence gaps of the relevant personnel are compiled and input into the Learning and Development platform. The Learning and Development platform also takes on the responsibility of meeting the development requirements of possible successors. The Leadership Development Program (LDP) is an essential actor in the production of skilled individuals for future jobs. It should go without saying that the LDP should have a solid understanding of the organization’s personnel plan. This will allow him or her, in concert with line management, to devise a method for cultivating future talent.

2.4 Talent retention

A leading indicator for employee retention is the employee engagement index, which is a measurement of the levels of employee engagement. It would seem that there is a negative correlation between employee engagement and the amount of labor turnover. If no action is made to boost employee engagement ratings, the labor turnover rate will rise as employee engagement scores decline. You need to make sure that the programs you have in place to engage your workers are focusing on the things that are most important to the people you want to keep. All of the workers in important jobs as well as High Potential Individuals need to participate in a retention risk assessment. This includes the employees you wish to maintain (HIPO). If you are aware of the likelihood of their departure, you may design a plan to prevent their departure and a contingency strategy to implement in the event that you are unable to prevent their departure. This will ensure that you are protected in the event that they do leave. The practice of retaining talent is not a one-time activity but rather a continuous process with the goal of influencing how people feel about their employment, their supervisors, their colleagues, and the organization as a whole. As a result of the fact that the standard of leadership has the greatest impact on the amount of dedication shown by workers in an organization, businesses are obligated to make investments in order to maintain and enhance the caliber of their managerial staff.

In order for an organization to be successful in retaining talent, they need to have an understanding of what it is that their workers value and match their practices with that EVP. A culture of “Employee Value” in which every member of the organization, from the person on the shop floor (the quality of team members) all the way up to the Chief Executive Officer, understands and contributes to an atmosphere in which the organization’s EVP becomes a reality.

3. Integrated Information and Talent Management System

In the many processes of talent management, several HR sub-functions, such as recruitment and selection, performance management, succession planning, training and development, and reward and recognition, are implemented. Additionally, each HR sub-function creates data that is utilized for managing talent. Users of an integrated Talent Management System are able to gather all of this information together (from various HR sub-functions), which assists decision-makers in comprehending the depth and breadth of talent at their disposal as well as talent hazards that they should manage. On the market today, one may choose from a number of different information talent management systems. Some of them are included in the Enterprise Resource Planning package, while others are stand-alone computer programs.

4. Committees for the Evaluation of Talent

Line management is responsible for talent management, and HR provides assistance to line management by making the necessary tools accessible to them and also by providing them with training and direction on how to use those tools. Meetings of the Board and the Executive Committee (EXCO) need to routinely include a discussion on talent management as an agenda item. The objective of the Talent Review Committee (TRC) is to maintain an active emphasis on talent management, as well as to get an understanding of the talent risks the organization is now experiencing in order to devise and carry out a plan for mitigating such risks. The size and complexity of an organization both influence the structure of the organization’s governance, which may take many various forms. As an example, a worldwide organization will have a TRC at the corporate level that focuses on the senior executive bench strength, many TRCs per division, and yet another TRC that contains divisional representatives that focuses across divisions and functional TRCs. These committees will concentrate their efforts on identifying distinct levels and categories of talent pools for essential roles.

5. Talent Management Metrics

The classic management proverb “you can’t manage what you don’t measure,” which was popularised by Professor Deming and argues that “you can’t manage what you don’t measure,” also applies to the management of talent in organizations. Before deciding on which measures to use, you need to establish from your clients (line management) which measures matter the most for them. There are a plethora of measures that one can use to measure the impact of talent management initiatives, but before deciding which measures to use, one must first determine which measures are available. You will also need to monitor the outputs of each process internally in order to establish whether or not all of the processes are contributing value to the final conclusion (business performance). When evaluating the success of talent management activities, it is necessary to use both lagging and leading indicators, since these are the two kinds of indicators available. Scores on leading indicators, such as employee engagement, may be used to make predictions about the result while lagging indicators focus on the past (e.g. labor turnover rate). When it comes to the management of talent, the measures you take ought to be able to assist you in answering the following questions:

• How deep is our talent pool (in terms of both bench strength and the ability to replace key players)?
• What is the breadth and depth of our talent (Readiness levels/percentage of workers who are ready now, ready in the next year, and ready between one and three years)?
• What are the risks associated with employee retention (the percentage of people in essential roles who may leave the company during the next year, two years, or three years; the labor turnover rate of critical talent; employee engagement ratings; the quality of leadership)?
• Do we bring in the proper talent (number of possible applicants for each open position)?
• Are we growing our own talent pool (number of workers with growth plans, number of employees who have moved across departments)?

There are many distinct role players involved in the process of managing talent (from talent acquisition to talent retention), and in order to guarantee that they all work together toward the same goals, it is essential that they all be evaluated based on the same criteria.

Conclusion

This article provides a guide on how to implement an integrated strategy for talent management by presenting a framework for doing so. The accessible body of research has a large number of frameworks, each of which has its own unique level of complexity. The manner in which you customize these frameworks to your own situation is what really matters.