Creating and Evaluating Talent Management Success

In order to set and evaluate talent management priorities, begin with how the organization hopes to describe its human performance capabilities and capacity in the future. These descriptions will usually be focused on organizational strengths and areas of distinction both current and developing.

1. Plan

• Numerically define strategic strengths and competencies needed to achieve organizational expectations.

 • Set goals that result in closing gaps in current competencies.

 • Set specific targets based on adaptive competencies that must be acquired.

 • Determine metrics that will demonstrate “bench” strength needed.

 • Provide measureable (cost benefit analysis) business plan proposals that demonstrate the value HR proposes

 as initiatives to supply and support the performance chain.

 • Clarify executive endorsement among the possible HR initiatives.

2. Set Goals

 • Identify specific, measurable goals that will predict success.

 • Demonstrate the line of sight established between needed organizational outcomes and HR initiatives.

3. Invest

 • Clarify how HR will realign generalists’ and specialists’ efforts to serve these initiatives.

 • Realign HR’s budget to serve talent management initiatives.

 • Take responsibility for growth by substitution and seek initiative-based funding.

4. Perform

 • Integrate HR’s initiatives and budget to achieve intended organizational performance.

 • Deliver on initiatives as planned, on time and within budget.

 • Report progress in annual HR reports and in the human capital plan.

5. Measure

 Compare outcomes to predictions, for instance:

 • Core skill areas are experiencing higher retention than the rest of the organization.

 • Core skill areas are compensated at or above the target relationship to market.

 • Performance in core skill areas excels.

 • High performers in core skill areas report higher than average employee commitment.

 • Internal promotion rates in key performance areas are higher than average.

 • Strong career communities have been established in core competency areas. (BARBARA BUTTERFIELD)