TALENT MANAGEMENT - TALENT PLANNING

Talent Planning is defined as “the process of establishing how many and what sort of talented people are needed now and in the future” (Armstrong & Taylor, 2014, p. 267). An organization must consider aspects such as the type of talent required for a position and the proficiencies that the position should improve along with the identification of a capable candidate since the organizational success depends on the number of objectives achieved (Hatum, 2010). Various questions with regard to the organization may arise at the time the organization objectives are being defined. Therefore, it is crucial to determine the targeted audience of the succession management program. Such programs can be based on factors such as specific key positions, particular people with the capability for progression or high-potential people capable of climbing up the career ladder within the organization (Berger & Berger, 2004). The objectives that an organization must cultivate for its stability and success can have a direct impact on the match between the position and the identified candidate’s skills (Hatum, 2010). 

However, apart from scrutinizing its organizational capabilities, an organization must take additional measures to attract the best talent. One such measure is an EVP. EVP stands for “Employee Value Proposition” (Hatum, 2010). An EVP can be defined as the “holistic sum of everything people experience and receive while they are part of a company – everything from the intrinsic satisfaction of the work to the environment, leadership, colleagues, compensation, and more. It’s about how well the company fulfils people’s needs, their expectations, and even their dreams” (Michaels et al, 2001, in Hatum, 2010, p. 38). EVP summarizes the effects employees expect and receive upon employee performance. In other words, an EVP comprises of aids that illustrate the characteristics of an organization. Thus, a good EVP boosts an organization’s status which results in talent attraction and retention (Hatum, 2010).

How an EVP assists an organization to compete against the competitors is explained using an example given below. 

The Royal Mail Group is the chief employer in the UK. The main aim of the Royal Mail organization was to promote divergent thinking within the organization since in their opinion divergent thinking gives rise to better performance rather than parallel or similar thinking. A diversity review was conducted to identify the organization’s market position and to attract the best candidates to achieve its diversity goal. The Royal Mail Group has introduced a graduate program in which more than 100 new recruits joins the organization. The main purpose of the program is to identify the aspects of Royal Mail which should be improved to attract a diverse set of graduates. Mentioned below are few identified aspects (Hatum, 2010).

1. Corporate social activities such as the energy reduction programs, health and well-being initiatives and charity events. 
2. Challenges and opportunities at the organization. 
3. Master of Posts concept (Hatum, 2010). 

Nevertheless, hiring top talent for an organization cannot be guaranteed by the use of an active EVP. In order to hire the correct employees, company staffing processes such as recruitment and selection processes are critical (Hatum, 2010). 

REFERENCES

Armstrong, M and Taylor, S. (2014) Armstrong's Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice. 13th ed. London, Kogan Page.

Berger, L. A and Berger, D. R. (2004) The Talent Management Handbook: Creating Organizational Excellence by Identifying, Developing & Promoting Your Best People. 1st ed. New York, McGraw-Hill.

Hatum, A. (2010) NEXT GENERATION TALENT MANAGEMENT - Talent Management to Survive Turmoil. New York, Palgrave Macmillan.