Talent Management in Practice

This section is presented with the most recent literature first, as the findings are more relevant and transferrable to the NHS and other public services today and are more likely to inform any TM interventions moving forward.

Bolander et al (2017) carried out pertinent and highly relevant research which found that organisations involved in their study with ‘humanistic TM’ approaches had a ‘firm belief that talent can be developed throughout a person’s lifetime and that the organisation can become an important arena for that development by offering opportunities for learning’ (p1530). This view supports the vast opportunities we have available to individuals working within the NHS and could attract and encourage them to stay and develop within the organisation for their whole working life, if presented with a variety of attractive opportunities. They also proposed that ‘ability is a part of talent, but more important are the individual’s interests and desires’. They described that those organisations taking a humanistic TM approach, rather than focusing on how well their employees had performed in the past, paid more attention to what they would enjoy working with or doing and how they wanted to develop (p1530). Interestingly, talent was also viewed as ‘context-dependent’ (p1530), where an individual who is not performing well in one area of the organisation may be seen as talent in another. To identify talent, talent reviews were mostly performed annually, in order to highlight employees’ strengths and find the best ideal place for them in the organisation whilst also identifying those who wished to grow beyond their present role. Performance was discussed in these reviews; however the main focus of these conversations was on factors which were ‘input-related’ (p1531), including their personal interests. In order to focus full attention on the person, there was open communication regarding plans to be taken forward from the review, and the process of assessment was informal and based on talent being understood holistically, instead of using overtly defined criteria.  This approach could work really well within health and care organisations and the wider system, and is a potential area of TM for exploration and development.

A study by Holton and Dent (2016) investigated key barriers and facilitators to women’s career development, which also addressed TM processes within organisations and how they might be used to create better working environments. A practical framework was proposed and presented that aimed to recognise key factors which promoted effective career development for women. It was highlighted that women still faced challenges reaching top leadership posts within organisations, despite the increasing number of women joining at professional or junior levels or as graduates. Data was collected for the study through questionnaires and interviews with women identified through a UK business school, in addition to alumni through conferences, professional network groups, associations, social media and personal networks (City Women’s Network and Women in Banking). The participants were also encouraged to invite friends and other colleagues to take part in order to reach a broader group of working women.

There were a total of 1,402 responses from a vast range of sectors and backgrounds including private, public and voluntary sectors from the UK (73%), Europe (18%) and internationally (9%), of which 39% were senior managers; 30% directors or chief executives and 6% junior managers. Most participants were from large companies including the NHS, with over 1000 staff. 45% were in the 41-50 age group; 4% were under 30; 1% over 60; 29% 31 – 40 and 20% were 51 – 60 years old. The study found that there were various ways that women could take more control of their personal careers including the following:

• ·       A good supportive and inspiring relationship with their line manager and colleagues, with TM and career development being provided mostly on an informal basis.

• ·       Mentoring or coaching (internal or external) at any stage of their career, but particularly early on due to uncertainty of personal leadership capabilities, and also at senior levels to promote visibility within the organisation. Reverse mentoring, for example, women mentoring senior men at Board level and the chief executive officer attending network events and meetings to gain a fuller understanding of the challenges women faced.

• ·       Sponsors or more experienced individuals to help the development of expertise and skills and the navigation of opportunities to promote career development within an organisation.

• ·       Role models, particularly for younger women as many were the first to be in a newly created role. Providing support to access special projects, learning and development opportunities and succession planning.

• ·       Building self-confidence, self-belief and self-awareness of talents, strengths and areas for development. Access to stretch assignments.

• ·       Gaining feedback from others to help build self-awareness, self-belief and self-confidence to help drive forward in a career.

• ·       Developing a career plan with areas for development based on transparent promotion criteria and career structures to help the recognition of subsequent career steps.

• ·       Creating better working environments including networking opportunities and conducting a ‘female friendly’ organisational culture where mothers who are working can still achieve careers in senior roles.

It was also proposed that talent pipelines specifically for women were considered, as data suggested that organisations often lose some of their most talented staff based on data that thousands of women leave the workforce between the ages of 30 and 40 each year. This was identified as being largely due to discrimination by employers, such as not being able to return to their existing role on a part time basis following maternity leave (Hall 2013). As a consequence, there are generally fewer women in middle management roles, and therefore fewer to select from for senior executive roles and Board positions (Holton and Dent 2016). The study concluded that women must take responsibility for their personal career development, and that cultural changes within organisations need to happen to allow opportunities where women can reach their full potential and also contribute fully to business achievement.

A noteworthy article by Swailes et al (2014) proposed a new approach to TM which they termed ‘fully inclusive talent management’ (FITM). A definition of FITM was offered as ‘the recognition and acceptance that all employees have talent together with the on-going evaluation and deployment of employees in positions that give the best fit and opportunity (via participation) for employees to use those talents’ (p533) and fits well with the NHS.

FITM is described as aligning closely with the Kantian idealistic philosophy (Philosopher Emmanuel Kant) of ‘treating others as one would wish to be treated’ and of ‘seeing workers as ends not means’ (p541). NHS staff are proudly renowned for delivering high quality and personalised care to our patients, and always strive to treat them as they would expect and want to be treated themselves if they were in their shoes. We should be taking this same personalised approach with all of our employees to help them feel truly valued. Further explanation is given that FITM is ‘primarily motivated by welfare, not wages and profits’ (p538) and that each person is considered to have talent of some kind, and therefore should have access to programmes that identify and use their talent/s to enhance the meaningfulness of their work. It was proposed that rather than providing opportunities for individuals to meet a predefined threshold that reflects a vision of talent, a range of opportunities to develop internal and basic capabilities through participation should be provided. However, warning was given of the potential organisational challenges in trying to match all staff into roles which would enable them to use their talents to the maximum. They also recommended that in the case of an employee’s talents being mutually deemed to fall below reasonable thresholds that the organisation has legitimately, not randomly set and embraced, the organisation should support them to utilise their talents elsewhere. It was emphasised that it is only if an attempt is made with the second stage described to deploy the person effectively, could the scheme be considered to be fully inclusive in its approach. They further stressed that ‘inclusive has to mean everyone: no one can be ignored’ (p533), and that systems are put in place to identify the entire range of talent in the organisation and talent is deployed according to ‘job fit’ (p534), which could mean helping some individuals to benefit from a different role. This TM approach fits well with the values of the NHS and social care, as we view all individuals employed by the organisations as being talented.

A pertinent study by Powell et al (2013) sought to explore the introduction of TM to the NHS in Britain and examined issues related to TM principles, goals and measures using focus groups with managers in 2009/2010 to gather data. Interviews were conducted with those responsible for TM at Strategic Health Authority (SHA) and National levels and managers from various high performing NHS organisations. Additionally, NHS staff surveys were explored, along with interviews being conducted with two NHS Trusts in 2010/2011 to gain further data on TM. Findings showed that it was unclear if there was evidence of a TM ‘system’ in the NHS, and if so, if it was a collaborative or competitive system. Attitudes included staff being considered as ‘property’ and being ‘poached’, with one manager commenting that ‘hoarding your best staff is absolutely what you should do as a leader of an NHS organisation’ (Powell et al 2013 p 297). This sadly still reflects the attitudes of some managers who are reluctant to enable free movement of employees to enable them to use their talents effectively in the right place, at the right time within individual NHS organisations and the NHS as a whole system. In the study, Foundation Trusts were considered to have more autonomy to make decisions related to TM, with no direct control from SHAs. Therefore, some were seen as driving forward TM and others were considered as lacking willingness to invest.

Overall it was felt that although TM had progressed over time to more of a joined up and systematic approach, these approaches were considered to be variable and ad hoc. However, it was clear that there were concerns regarding the future of TM due to past initiatives failing to be maintained. Inclusive approaches to TM which focused on the whole workforce were favoured in contrast to previous more exclusive approaches targeted at senior management and ‘top talent’ (p 299). The Top Leaders Programme was significantly criticised due to a lack of transparency in the selection of participants, fostering resentment and low morale of staff not chosen. Black and minority ethnic (BME) staff in existing talent pipelines and senior management roles were recognised as not being representative of the community or workforce by the SHAs, and concerns were raised that the NHS was not fast enough in the uptake of the inclusion agenda, whilst also lacking data, infrastructure and transparent processes to identify talent. A few comments suggested more focus was needed on promoting an inclusive approach: ‘it still relies quite a bit more than it should on individual spotting’; ‘judgements a little bit subjective and parochial and runs the risk of missing some good people’ (p 303).

There was also a clear lack of consistency of views of ‘talent’ within and between organisations, with some talented individuals not coming forward or were not noticed, whereas others were seen as optimistic about their talents and pushed themselves forward. This inconsistency was partially linked to a lack of a shared database or system, along with a robust flow from appraisals or a Personal Development Plan (PDP), which is clearly still a common issue today in 2019. Appraisals were also broadly considered as negative and sometimes tokenistic and empty. Although the 360 degree assessment was considered as ‘good’, and it was suggested that informal, regular appraisals were better than just formal annual appraisals. In conclusion, the study found that there was no clear shortage of activity, investment or vision for TM, although based on past ‘false starts’, they stressed the importance of not allowing further NHS reorganisations to derail TM initiatives and suggested the need for urgent review of vigorous evidence of TM. 

Another interesting study conducted by Tansley and Tietze (2013), built on research carried out by Tansley et al (2007) which was discussed earlier in this literature review. This paper expanded on their findings from a specific large global accountancy firm with over 140,000 employees. They focused on the development of an individual’s self-identity as they travelled through the different stages of the TM process and talent pools or what they described as ‘rites of passage’. This term was derived from a study of rituals by Van Gennep in 1960, which described ways that people move social group from one to another. This is related to the process of employees moving from one stage in their career to another, with advancement/promotion through the talent pipeline. The study concluded that identity work would be highly valuable within organisations with a focus on developing a ‘strong sense of self; a self which is able to cope with, indeed celebrate, perpetually shifting assignments, relationships and locations’ (Tansley and Tietze 2013 p1813). They further accentuated that although invisible, this identity work is fundamental to the flourishing and continuous integration of the talented individual into their new environments/teams/roles, whilst aligning with the overall purpose of the organisation. This would be a useful area of self-development which could be offered within health and care organisations through eLearning or other methods of education highlighted in the studies below.  

Due to the recent expansion of organisations developing skills and talent by using remote learning systems, e-learning has grown to be an essential tool for companies to react to the modern day leadership and recruitment challenges. It is also considered cost-effective as employees can undertake learning in bite sized chunks or in their own time around their day to day responsibilities (Stewart and Rigg 2011), which is ideal with busy organisations such as the NHS.

Related to this area of TM development, a significant case study by Mulin and Reen (2010) explored the use of remote e-learning solutions within the global TM context and also within their organisation Arkadin, an international supplier of integrated web and audio conferencing services with offices in over twenty-two countries and six hundred employees. They highlighted the challenges faced to deliver training to staff in geographically dispersed workplaces, which were often globally spread. The company found that e-learning solutions facilitated cost-effective discussion and the sharing of information with ease, connecting people almost anywhere in the world.

With the growth of their global presence, the company needed to form development plans to recruit one hundred individuals per year, integrate new employees easily and rapidly, support several departments in retaining talent and to offer standardised training to employees which focused on its ability to continuously develop and maximise people’s talents and work-based skills, product knowledge, project management and people management skills. In order to do this effectively, they created a number of training academies and adopted the Charles Jennings Model of Learning as its strategy of delivery. This model focuses 70% on work-based learning through secondments, projects and assignments for example, 20% training time on coaching/feedback and 10% on formal learning methods such as instructor-led training and e-learning modules. Managers were recognised as key to successful TM and the sustainment of growth, along with successful implementation of their TM strategy. To minimise staff turnover and connect employees who were dispersed geographically, the organisation focused on key objectives including training recruitment staff in efficiently conducting the recruitment process, providing specifically targeted training to team leaders to help them effectively manage daily challenges, delivering training aimed at the strategic managers with a focus on social responsibility and values; improving inductions to ensure a standardised level of content and quality to all new staff. They also created a new development training programme to retain talent, whilst offering incentives for personal and professional growth and career advancement.

As staff were busy, it was identified that learning modules needed to have learning material that was both flexible and easily accessible to staff anytime and anywhere, with learning that was easy to implement immediately, and not too theory heavy. Three hundred and fifty modules were created, which could be accessed immediately as and when needed. Some examples were given of modules covering various subject areas, including preparing for a meeting or interview, project planning and skills for new team leaders. A campus was created with seven different academies which offered e-learning, mentoring, distance training solutions, face to face training and other training activities. Due to turnover, it was critical to implement a strategy which would help to retain existing talent by offering a clear development pathway and career progression to staff. The seven academies consisted of a talent development academy, induction academy, sales academy, sustainability and values academy, manager’s academy and a team leader academy was also created to ensure a consistent competency criterion for specific levels of management. This design strategy would fit well within the NHS and allow staff to have instant access to tailored development opportunities in their own time.

The main challenge faced was the varying skill levels of its learners, therefore self-assessments that prescribed personalised training paths were used to ensure only relevant subjects were studied, where staff required further training instead of focusing on areas where they were already skilled. To help communicate and advertise this resource, training tips of the month/week were developed which focused on specific modules. For example; ‘improve your efficiency’ and ‘visit your campus and see how you can enhance your time management skills’ (p15). Designated project leaders and the HR team had project meetings and steering support committees provided to offer support in implementation and all staff in the organisation had access to the same training, reflecting a fully inclusive approach to TM.

A major and highly relevant in depth study of TM which was commissioned in 2007 by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD), and was conducted by Tansley et al (2007). This research involved 9 different public and private organisations covering a broad range of sectors. Despite being dated, this study is considered valuable due to the inclusion of a case study with an NHS organisation which was clearly an early adopter of TM, based on the paucity of public sector literature available. Various challenges for TM were identified including increased numbers of individuals working part time and the challenges faced utilising their talents when working less hours than full time employees; continuous growth of the female workforce and their decreased presence in leadership roles; work-life balance being given higher priority with more flexible ways of working; increasing access to career opportunities and legislative changes which can lead employees to be less loyal to the organisation; demographic trends in the UK with a decreasing workforce of 20 – 40 year olds and an increased workforce of those aged 45 – 65, and organisational changes influenced by increased diversity of the workforce and the global labour market. The need to establish ‘talent potential’ was emphasised along with the importance of this being based on observed behaviours, individual performance and the possession of fundamental characteristics including high levels of initiative, expertise, leadership behaviours and creativity (p8). A further critical success factor in any TM process was highlighted as the ‘effective deployment of talent’ (p9), which aligns with equality of career development and job opportunities to fill key roles within the organisation, whilst promoting initiatives to identify certain groups being fully represented such as black, minority ethnic individuals (BME) and people with disabilities.

Some essential steps to forming a TM strategy were proposed (see below) which are still applicable for the NHS and other public services today (Tansley et al 2007 p13):

• ·       Strategic analysis – identifying those corporate strategies that have implications on the demand for talent whether these are qualitative or quantitative and analysing external market supply potential.

• ·       Ensuring that the evolution of the corporate strategy has ‘talent’ inputs – HR to participate in corporate or business unit planning (input and output); matching internal people capability with the external business opportunity.

• ·       Preparing an HR forecast based on this iteration – translating the outputs from the corporate or business unit strategy with a demand forecast; identifying potential sources of supply.

• ·       Identifying where interventions for talent management will be needed and at what level – quantitative requirements, what numbers are needed to satisfy the needs of the corporate or business unit plan? And qualitative, does the organisation have the people with the skills to deliver to the corporate or business unit strategy?

• ·       Designing talent management programmes to support the strategic analysis.

• ·       Building tools for the measurement of the success of the programmes over time.

To conclude, the study highlighted some valuable key findings that will aid the implementation of TM within the NHS and public services (Tansley et al 2007 pxii):

• ·       A successful approach is based on an agreed, organisation-wide definition of talent management. Such definitions form the springboard from which both talent strategy and talent management processes can be launched.

• ·       In addition, a language for talent management activities that is understood by all parties in the employment relationship is a strong requirement.

• ·       A proactive, strategic approach to talent management offers considerable organisational benefits in terms of developing a pool of talent as a resource to meet identified needs.

• ·       Support for talent management must flow from those at the very top of an organisation and cascade throughout.

• ·       Engaging line managers from an early stage is critical to ensure they are committed to organisational approaches to talent management.

• ·       Talent management can be used to enhance an organisation’s image and supports employer branding in the labour market as well as providing a means of enhancing employee engagement to improve retention.

• ·       Talent management activities should be developed and aligned with other HR/organisational policies/strategies and practices for a joined up approach.

• ·       Developing talent management may be based on a blend of informal and formal methods.

• ·       HR specialists have an important role to play in providing support and guidance in the design and development of approaches to talent management that will fit the needs of the organisation.

• ·       Processes must be developed to track the performance and progress of those identified as talent.

• ·       Talent management is a dynamic process that has to be continuously reviewed to ensure that organisational requirements are still being met in the light of changing business priorities. Ultimately, organisational success is the most effective evaluation of talent management.

References

Bolander, P., Werr, A., and Asplund, K., 2017. The practice of talent management: a framework and typology. Personnel Review. 46, (8), 1523 – 1551.

Hall, M., 2013. Up to 50,000 women a year can’t return to jobs after maternity leave, study finds. The Telegraph. [Online].

Available from:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/10267223/Up-to-50000-women-a-year-cant-return-to-jobs-after-maternity-leave-study-finds.html

[Accessed on 16^th September 2019].

Holton, V., and Dent, F.E., 2015. A better career environment for women: developing a blueprint for individuals and organisations. Gender in Management: An International Journal. 31, (8), 542 – 561.

Mulin, C., and Reen, H., 2010. Arkadin develops employee talent through e-learning. Strategic HR Review. 9, (16), 11 – 16.

Powell, M., 2013. The snakes and ladders of National Health Service management in England. The International Journal of Health Planning and Management. 29, 260 – 279.

Stewart, J., and Rigg, C., 2011. Learning and Talent Development. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Swailes, S., Downs, Y., and Orr, K., 2014. Conceptualising inclusive talent management: potential, possibilities and practicalities. Human Resource Development International. 17, (5), 529 – 544.

Tansley, C., Turner, P., Foster, C., Harris, L., Sempik, A., Stewart, J., and Williams, H., 2007. Talent: Strategy, Management, Measurement. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel Development.

Tansley, C., and Tietze, S., 2013. Rites of passage through talent management progression stages: an identity work perspective. The International Journal of Human Resource Management. 24, (9), 1799 – 1815.