Talent Powered Org Brochure

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The Talent Powered Organization

2 | Accenture Institute for High Performance Business

The task of finding and managingtalent in a new economic world hasbecome more complex, turbulent andcontradictory than ever before. Today

talent is harder to find and nurture,and easier to waste and lose. Seniorleadership must cope with a worldof change and contrast:

• Global abundance of talent butlocal scarcity

• Fewer young workers and moreolder workers

• Rising demand for new skills andgrowing deficits in basic skills

• New work arrangements andcareer expectations

• More diverse and distributedworkforces

• Shifts in the nature of work

When it comes to talent managementstrategies, some organizations may viewthe endgame as a matter of adding theright individuals. But simply securingthe best or the most talent no longerensures competitive success. Competitionfor the best talent is so intense thatfew companies can rely solely on starperformers to meet their talent needs.Adding individuals, even the mosttalented individuals, can only increasean organization’s performance in directproportion to the number and qualityof individuals added.

The key to talent power is multiplica-tion, not addition. Organizations needto maximize the performance of their

critical functions and businesses byinvesting in, developing and multiplyingall of their talent. When companiesbuild a talent multiplication capability,they will generate the superior efforts,creativity and results associated withthe talent-powered organization.


That’s the core idea of a new bookthat details the emergence of a uniqueparadigm for talent management.CalledThe Talent Powered Organization:

Strategies for Globalization, TalentManagement and High Performance ,the book shows that the developmentof a distinctive capability in multiplyingtalent can create extraordinary valueand become an important and lastingsource of competitive advantagethat powers an organization to highperformance.

The book is written by Peter Cheese,managing director of Accenture’sHuman Performance practice; RobertJ. Thomas, executive director of theAccenture Institute for High PerformanceBusiness; and Elizabeth Craig, researchfellow at the Institute. It will be avail-able from Kogan Page Publishers inNovember 2007.

The book draws on a rich varietyof case studies and examples fromAccenture’s client work to illustratenot just why talent management needsto be handled strategically but howto do so in an integrated way acrossthe wide range of possible interventionsand investments. For example, oneof the seven chapters shows how theAccenture Human Capital DevelopmentFramework can be used to view talentmanagement strategically as well asmeasure and align activities to createand sustain a virtuous cycle of talentmultiplication. The framework, developed

collaboratively by the AccentureInstitute for High Performance Businessand the Accenture Human Performancepractice, measures returns on invest-ments in intangible assets like humancapital to demonstrate how they cansupport business strategy.

The book also builds on otherAccenture research, notably the HighPerformance Workforce Study 2006,

a survey of more than 250 senior exec-utives in the United States, Europeand Australia. That study revealed thatcompanies deemed “human performance

leaders” are much more likely than“laggard” companies to have functionalleaders deeply engaged in talentmanagement issues and initiatives.They are able to cultivate a talent-multiplier mindset throughout theorganization—a mindset that fuelsthe talent-multiplication engine.

Why this book is important

The Talent Powered Organization isthe only book to present a strategicand holistic view of talent. It expandsthe talent management agenda—froma narrow and tactical focus on humanresources (HR) activities around theemployee life cycle, to a broad andstrategic focus on highly integratedsystems of capabilities fundamentalto business strategies and operations.

The book provides a direct link betweentalent management and high perfor-mance by incorporating two of thethree basic building blocks of highperformance. Talent multiplication isone of the winning mindsets that makeup a performance anatomy . But whentalent-powered organizations embedthe multiplier mindset and practicesinto their strategies, processes andoperations, talent multiplicationmoves from a key competitive mindset

to an important and distinctivesource of competitive advantage—acritical element in a top performer’sdistinctive capability .

The book identifies a holistic system of talent multiplication based on four keycapabilities:





Public Service

Developing talent potential —TheTennessee Valley Authority leverages

its learning investments by developingcompetency where it is most critical—not an easy task considering that itsworkforce ranges from the agency’sown law enforcement personnel tocustodians. The most important jobfamilies are classified in four ways: itstrades and labor employee population,engineers, clerical administration andmanagement. Each group has its ownprofession-specific learning team thatguides the needs assessment and cur-riculum design for its job classification.

Products

Deploying talent in the right place,at the right time —UPS has createda distinctive capability in cultivatinglong-term careers as a foundation of high performance. Managers are routinelyassigned to new projects within unfa-miliar functional areas to develop theirskills or deepen their knowledge of thecompany’s operations. Some job assign-ments also have the aim of creatingbusiness opportunities. UPS oftendeploys star performers to start strategicinitiatives that become significant newlines of business. Because of the varietyin job assignments and career experiences,UPS employees do not think of them-selves as being on a particular careertrack but rather on a “UPS track.”

Financial Services

Measuring and aligning —Royal Bankof Scotland is a leader in measuringpeople and their relationship to busi-ness performance. The bank has linkedimprovements in engagement andemployee satisfaction to improvementsin sales and customer service. The bank

Defining talent needs based on a clearunderstanding of mission critical jobsand key workforce skills and competen-cies, and in light of current and future

strategic goals.

Discovering new sources of talentby seeking out diverse talent pools,considering novel options for accessingneeded talent, and offering customizedvalue propositions to current andprospective employees.

Developing talent’s potential by buildingindividual skills, knowledge and compe-tencies in ways that expand theorganization’s collective capabilities.

Deploying the right talent in theright place at the right time to alignemployees’ strengths and aspirationswith the organization’s goals.

Talent-powered organizationsin action

When talent management capabilitiesare highly integrated, aligned with theorganization’s business strategy andembedded in operations, they constitutea distinctive organizational capabilityand a source of lasting competitiveadvantage. Talent-powered organizationsnurture this capability in talent multi-plication alongside the other distinctivecapabilities that underpin the organiza-tion’s formula for success, allowingtalent power to propel the organization

to high performance.

The following examples illustratehow organizations in Accenture’s fiveOperating Groups leverage the capabili-ties required to build a talent-poweredorganization:

Communications & High Tech

Defining talent needs —Google definesits talent needs in terms of the most

strategically pivotal segments of theworkforce and mission-critical skills andcompetencies. For instance, Google seeswinning the talent war in China as criticalto achieving its strategic objective of becoming the country’s leading searchengine (China’s own Baidu.com is thecurrent market leader). To that end, thecompany lured away a former MicrosoftCorp. executive, Kai-Fu Lee, to becomepresident of Google Greater China. Acharismatic visionary with great appealamong young Chinese, Lee’s mandate isto build a research and developmentcenter that will serve as a “talent mag-net” to fuel Google’s growth in China.

Resources

Discovering sources of talent —ValeroEnergy developed one of the first talentsupply chains to rapidly adapt sourcingchannels and targeted talent pools tonew strategic objectives and changingbusiness conditions. Beginning in 2002,

Valero used the chain to reduce the timerequired to fill an open position from120 days to 40 days, and to reduce thecost per hire from US$12,000 to US$2,300.This improvement occurred while thecompany was growing phenomenally,from 2,000 employees in 2000 to 22,000by 2006. The most significant results,however, were strategic. The talent supplychain enables Valero Energy to forecast

demand for talent three years out, at thedivision and title level, to meet specificfuture talent needs. Projections allowthe company to make strategic decisionsabout whether to hire new employees,enlist contractors or outsource the work.





aims to further develop ideas from avariety of non-bank companies, such asSears, believing that if it invests in tal-ent, business performance will improve.

5 talent imperatives

Importantly, the book also describesfive talent imperatives that can helpprivate- and public-sector organiza-tions navigate their way to successand become true talent-poweredorganizations:

• Talent is a strategic issue, anda human capital strategy is anintrinsic part of any businessstrategy. This means understandingthe value of talent and recognizingthe critical components of businessstrategy that require companies andgovernments to think through theirtalent and organizational implica-tions and options.

• Diversity is an organization’s biggestasset. The ability to attract and workwith diverse talent is a criticalcompetitive advantage.

• Learning and skills developmentis now one of the most importantcapabilities for the talent-poweredorganization. Development shouldbe focused and built around a clearunderstanding of the specific skillsand competencies an organizationneeds to succeed.

• Engagement is the mystery ingredientthat can transform business perfor-

mance. Aligning and motivatingpeople will enable organizations tomultiply talent and improve theirperformance.

• Nurturing and developing talent iseveryone’s concern in the organiza-tion. The HR function is a key enabler,but consistent practices and a talentmindset and culture must beembedded and sustained throughoutthe business.

About the Authors

Peter Cheese is the managing directorof Accenture’s Human Performancepractice. He has more than 25 years of experience in management consulting,and consults with clients around theworld on talent management issues.

Robert J. Thomas is executive directorof the Accenture Institute for HighPerformance. Specializing in leadershipand organizational strategy, he is apublished author with several booksin this field.

Elizabeth Craig is a research fellowat the Accenture Institute for High

Performance, and specializes in organi-zational behavior and human resourcemanagement.

About Human Performance

The Accenture Human Performancegroup helps its clients address theirmost critical people issues to achievehigh performance through innovativeapproaches in the areas of organization

and change management, humanresources, learning, knowledge manage-ment, performance management andtalent management. This global group

also has a unique practice of deeplyskilled professionals specializing inHuman Capital Management technologystrategy and implementation. Withmore than 8,000 skilled human perfor-mance professionals, Accenture offers afull range of consulting and outsourcingsolutions to help clients improve theperformance of their workforce andthe business overall.

About the Accenture Institutefor High Performance Business

The Accenture Institute for HighPerformance Business creates strategicinsights into key management issuesthrough original research and analysis.Its management researchers combineworld-class reputations with Accenture’sextensive consulting, technology andoutsourcing experience to conductinnovative research and analysis intohow organizations become and remainhigh-performance businesses.

About Accenture

Accenture is a global managementconsulting, technology services andoutsourcing company. Committed todelivering innovation, Accenture collab-orates with its clients to help thembecome high-performance businessesand governments. With deep industryand business process expertise, broadglobal resources and a proven trackrecord, Accenture can mobilize the rightpeople, skills and technologies to helpclients improve their performance. Withapproximately 158,000 people in 49countries, the company generated netrevenues of US$16.65 billion for thefiscal year ended August 31, 2006.Its home page is www.accenture.com.







Strategies for Globalization, TalentManagement and High Performance

THETALENT

POWEREDORGANIZATION

Peter Cheese, Robert J. Thomas, Elizabeth Craig

For more information on this book, pleasecontact Eileen Moynihan at (617) 488-7789or [email protected]

What’s inside the book

The book encompasses seven chapters:

Chapter 1: Talent Imperatives fora New Economic WorldThe strategic importance of talent,the need to embrace diversity, theimportance of learning and skillsdevelopment, the challenge of engagement, and talent managementthroughout the organization

Chapter 2: A Strategic Approachto TalentThe key drivers of high performance,how to multiply talent, establishinga human capital strategy, definingtalent needs, discovering talent sources,developing talent’s potential, deployingtalent strategically, HR as an enablerof talent management

Chapter 3: The Discovery of TalentIdentifying talent needs, competencymodeling and assessment, assessingcompetencies and proficiency levels,recruitment, an employer’s brand, thepower of word of mouth, tailoring theemployee value proposition to theworkforce of one, recruitment channels,the recruitment process, outsourcingrecruitment

Chapter 4: From Talent Developmentto DeploymentCreating a high-performance learningorganization, seven key principles for

learning faster and better, measuringlearning effectiveness, learning tech-niques and approaches, the roleof coaches, building and capturingcorporate knowledge, the application

of technology to learning, distributingwork globally, scheduling and rostering,24-hour work teams

Chapter 5: EngagementWhy engagement matters, whatengagement means, measuringengagement, interpreting engagementmeasures, drivers of engagement(including job content, support,compensation, community, alignment,work-life balance), workforce segmen-tation, line managers as the keyingredient of engagement

Chapter 6: Embedding and SustainingTalent PowerMeasuring talent’s contribution to busi-ness performance, top-level perfor-mance measures, measuring the returnon investment in talent development,a framework for prioritizing andmeasuring human capital investments,the key pillars of efficient and effectiveHR capability, harmonization of processesand policies, integrated and commonHR systems, HR shared services, theimportance of visible leadership, creatinga talent mindset, measuring andrewarding what matters, teaching

and developing line managers to bebetter people managers, failures of communication

Chapter 7: Next Steps and the NewImperativesFive principles for becoming a talent-powered organization and critical tasksfor key stakeholders





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Accenture, its logo, andHigh Performance Deliveredare trademarks of Accenture.

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