TM - January 2008 - (Page 34)

recruitment & retention assessment & evaluation compensation & benefits performance management learning & development succession planning [performance management]by Sanjay Dholakia The Intersection of Web 2.0 and T alent Management Wikis, blogs, social networking — there are seemingly 101 ways for employees to find information, collaborate and execute work. But what can organizations do to establish processes to fully leverage the benefits of Web 2.0-enabled technology on a consistent basis? nfortunately, most companies struggle not only when assessing employee performance but when attempting to use employee reviews and other performancerelated information to actually improve workforce productivity. For many managers and employees, taking part in appraisals and executing other pieces in a regular performance management system can seem an almost Sisyphean task, but savvy employers can facilitate the process by taking an interactive approach to this piece of talent management. In some cases, this requires employers to adopt a laissez-faire attitude about the correct mix of technology for performance management. Whatever the mix of technologies used, two-way communication, collaboration and knowledge sharing are necessary if an employer wants to maximize technology use. Web 2.0 tools, such as wikis, blogs, social networks like LinkedIn and MySpace, and RSS (really simple syndication) — which knits together content found on blogs and wikis and serves up the results in an easy-to-find format — can encourage employee communication and offer a structure within which workers can better collaborate and employers can better manage talent. All of the aforementioned tools are interactive and fairly new to the talent management space. January 2008 U Companies of all kinds are still trying to understand which of these tools work best for performance management and how best to deploy them. Early in 2008, a McKinsey & Co. research project tapping 2,800 top-ranked executives from many countries found roughly 30 percent were planning to deploy Web 2.0 tools in some fashion. In particular, wikis — collaborative Web sites that can be edited by anyone with access — were seen as a way to document and share what talented managers do to be successful. This is key, because a big part of managing performance is tapping into what’s going on in people’s heads. If talent managers can unlock what employees know and make that information accessible, they can spur collaboration and also creativity. Next-generation workers, or “next geners,” want interaction with one another as well as with their employers and colleagues. With their mobile devices at the ready and an array of social networking sites marked as favorites on their browser toolbars, next geners learn, work and relax by collaborating. Generation Y and the millennials, in particular, are consistently plugged into a variety of Web 2.0 technology, and as they enter the workforce, they expect and demand this sort of access. Savvy companies understand this and use specific technologies to help workers break down collaboration barriers that can hamper performance. 34 talent management magazine www.TalentMgt.com http://www.TalentMgt.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of TM - January 2008

TM - January 2008 Editor's Letter Contents Learning Connections: Working With Those People Leading Edge: Hub Caps for a Buggy Human Performance: Hawthorne Effect Revisited Beyond Affirmative Action: The Changing Face of Recruitment Assessment Centers in Talent Management: Strategies, Use and Value Nontraditional Benefits- How to Hook the Best Talent Intersection of Web 2.0 and Talent Management Cross-Training for Workforce Agility Mapping Talent Among Younger Workers Dashboard: Using Personality Data to Identify and Develop High-Potential Leaders Application: Shaffer Title Uses Myers-Briggs to Develop Common Corporate Language, Jump-Start Growth Insight: Dreier, Stein & Kahan LLP: Using Strategy to Bring Back the Law Profession Advertisers' Index Editorial Resources Full Potential: Stop in the Name of Leadership

TM - January 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.