2/10/11: Top Talent Development Posts this Week

Every week, I review blogs that cover talent development to find the very best talent development posts. This week, you’ll find pointers to pieces about mapping out the best places to invest your human capital development resources, talent mobility strategy, retention practices of large firms, Tata’s HR strategy, and why not just any metrics will do.

From the DNA of Human Capital: Core, Common, Critical – Understanding Where to Invest Human Capital Development Resources

“Whether you are human capital development resource heavy or light…knowing where to apply resources to have the biggest impact on organizational performance is a critical business skill for Human Capital Management (HCM) leaders. One approach to take is the defining of Core, Common, and Critical skills.”

Wally’s Comment: Keith Dunbar offers a simple (though not necessarily easy) way to map out which skills are most common and most strategically important so you can make informed decisions about where to invest your resources. When you’re done reading this one, read Sean Conrad’s post below.

From Bersin: Social Networks Move Over or Move Up – a talent mobility strategy is critical for succession management success

“With the war for talent again heating up – and likely to continue for a number of years – organizations need to return their focus to developing employees who can be ready to take on the challenges of the future and meet their organization’s business goals.  To ensure a ‘move ready’ pool of talented employees and managers, organizations need to know where their talent resides today and from where it will come in the future.   Without such a succession strategy, organizations will be at risk.  Furthermore, organizations experience continual challenges in keeping employees engaged.  Companies that commit to developing and mobilizing individual contributors and leaders will have the steady supply of highly-skilled and engaged 21st century talent that is requisite to keeping their businesses viable and thriving.  How are successful organizations today preparing themselves for their future talent needs?”

Wally’s Comment: Barb Arth outlines the advantages of thinking about talent mobility in addition to succession planning. It’s for everyone, not just a favored few, and it includes movements in directions other than up.

From Human Resource Executive Online: Keeping the Keepers

“Holding onto high performers is a top-of-mind concern at the nation’s largest companies as the economy rebounds.”

Wally’s Comment: A review of what some of the largest employers have done to retain good people.

From Singapore Management University: Tata’s HR strategy: Think far, wide and smart

“The war for talent has no geographical boundaries. In a world where countries and organizations look to developing beyond their own human capabilities, this war is as much about power as it is about survival. For the leaders, a foremost issue is to plug gaps in talent management – to attract and develop the best, keep them productive, and then hang onto them for as long as possible.”

Wally’s Comment: You know that the world is bigger than the US, right? So you already know about Tata. Now read this article for a review of what this big, successful company does for an HR strategy.

From Sean Conrad: Talent Management: Does What Get Measured Really Get Done?

“Suffice it to say that without the ability to centralize performance and talent management data in some type of system, the question is moot, because it’s nearly impossible to get meaningful insight from paper. But for the many who have taken the step of centralizing their talent management processes and data online the task of accessing the data is much easier. But now that you know you have access to metrics, it’s important to determine which ones you and your business care about. “

Wally’s Comment: HR metrics are important, but it’s easy to slip into the trap of measuring all kinds of things that simply aren’t important for your company. Sean Conrad, a senior product analyst at Halogen Software, suggests some questions to ask to help you get the most from your investment in metrics.

Wally Bock

Wally Bock is a coach, a writer and President of Three Star Leadership.