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Management Services Spring 2012


potential high achievers are held back by procedures and processes that do not incorporate identifi ed critical success factors and winning approaches. Company-wide training and standardisation programmes often force the adoption of corporate practices by certain people whose own approaches would have been more successful.


In large organisations, it is often the case that someone has a better way of operating than the approach suggested in the corporate manual.


Extent of the opportunity A survey by Hewitt Consulting of 240 organisations (Warren, 2008) found that “most of the companies surveyed are failing to see an adequate return on their investment in talent management” and “many HR functions have yet to demonstrate the true value of the talent management processes and programmes that have been developed over the past decade”. A third of the participating companies reported revenues in excess of $10 billion and almost two thirds had operations outside of the UK.


Many under-achievers are unaware of what could be done differently to obtain better results. Despite warning signs, the scale of the upside potential is encouraging for those who would like to raise their game. Critical success factors for important areas, such as winning new and repeat business, have been identifi ed, and because they are mainly behavioural there are cost-effective ways of enabling their adoption (Coulson-Thomas, 2007 and 2012). It is possible to liberate and build both ordinary and exceptional talents and help people to emulate superior approaches.


The recommended approach can benefi t the public sector, knowledge networks and the


professions, as well as companies (Coulson-Thomas, 2007 and 2012). In all these arenas, people and organisations can benefi t from capturing and sharing what high performers do differently and making it easier for average people to excel 24/7 at diffi cult jobs wherever they may be. High returns on investment have been quickly obtained by early adopters and multiple objectives simultaneously achieved.


Lessons and Implications Investigations undertaken for the new report suggest some key messages for those concerned with talent management. Bringing in exceptional people – even if affordable – can create a host of problems if they are not properly managed, which is often the case. Paying for talented people may make little sense for organisations that cannot harness or capture and share what they do differently. Talent needs to be relevant to what an organisation is seeking to do and critical success factors for excelling in key roles. There is a proven and cost-effective route to the creation of a fl exible high performance organisation in which average people can understand complex areas and excel at diffi cult job and, with appropriate support, talent can be built as and when required (Coulson-Thomas, 2012). One can avoid general, expensive, time-consuming and disruptive corporate programmes and adopt quick, focused, cost-effective alternatives that generate large returns on investment and quickly deliver multiple benefi ts for people and organisations. Critical success factors for key corporate activities – and what high performers do differently – have been identifi ed and enable 24/7 support to be provided to average performers, wherever they may be, to enable them to excel at diffi cult jobs.


Key questions for corporate leaders


Directors, corporate executives and organisational leaders should assess whether their current approaches to talent management are affordable, delivering or not delivering and missing opportunities. They should also consider whether talent management and other initiatives are contributing to reducing cost and/or stress, boosting performance, increasing understanding, ensuring compliance, speeding up responses and learning. What are the main problems with talent management and how can they best be avoided? Are gaps between promise and delivery inevitable or is there an approach to building the talent required and transforming performance that is both affordable and relatively quick? Is there a way of achieving a high performance organisation and multiple objectives with existing people and a current corporate culture?


Many organisations fail to reap the benefi ts of having access to people who excel in certain areas. Is the talent being acquired or developed relevant to corporate aspirations and critical success


ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Prof Colin Coulson-Thomas FMS, an international adviser on transforming performance and process vision holder of major transformation projects, was the world’s fi rst Professor of Corporate Transformation. He has helped more than 100 organisations to improve director, board and corporate performance; reviewed the processes and practices for winning business of over 100 companies; and spoken at over 200 national and international events in over 40 countries. Colin’s 40 books and reports include Talent Management 2, The Knowledge Entrepreneur, Developing Directors and Winning Companies; Winning People. Colin has held professorial appointments in Europe, North and South America, the Middle East, India and China and a variety of private and public sector directorships. He is a member of the business school team at the University of Greenwich and an Adjunct Visiting Professor at Manipal University. Colin can be contacted via www. coulson-thomas.com and his latest publications obtained from www.policypublications.com.


Talent management


factors for succeeding in key roles? Is it recognised? Are training and development helping people to build upon natural strengths and become even better at what they excel in? Are exceptional people engaged or bored?


Conclusions


Applications examined demonstrate more practical and cost-effective approaches can boost performance, cut costs, speed up responses, reduce stress and ensure compliance (Coulson-Thomas, 2012). Both people and organisations can benefi t and exceptional people can have a global impact. They can be helped to become even better and to secure the recognition they deserve. Public services, like healthcare, which impact upon all our lives, can also be transformed (Coulson-Thomas, 2010). Challenges like global warming can be addressed, for example, by the use of performance support tools that help people to take more informed and responsible decisions (Coulson- Thomas, 2011).


Overall, many organisations are missing a massive


opportunity to achieve multiple objectives.


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