TM - December 2007 - (Page 39)

recruitment & retention assessment & evaluation compensation & benefits performance management learning & development succession planning [learning & development]by Jim Bowles T alent Management Drives Organizational Change The Cingular Wireless evolution began in 2000, with the company’s birth from a wireless joint venture between BellSouth and Southwestern Bell. During the seven years of its existence, Cingular Wireless became the dominant wireless provider in the United States, a memorable brand known for its innovative products, and it assumed the role of industry leader on multiple fronts. In 2007, Cingular formally adopted the AT&T brand. The challenges created throughout this organizational evolution, with expected cultural undulations, were significant. But, there also were many opportunities for the talent management team, especially from an organizational learning perspective: • Cultural, policy and process differences existed between the contributing parties. How could the company create best-in-class systems and processes from scratch to support future human resources and learning and development agendas across the new organization? • Early on, the joint venture failed to gain the expected momentum. As a result, the owners not only appointed new leadership (Stan Sigman, appointed CEO in 2002) but also drove a significant change in how the culture and climate operated. How could the company support a shift from a quick-start, new company culture to one that emphasized disciplined execution and performance, where employees could actively experience and participate in “growing the business” and winning in the marketplace? • The company doubled in size via an aggressive acquisition of AT&T Wireless in 2004, barely three years into the company’s life cycle. How could the company quickly align all its customer-facing employees around a newly conceived, common customer service experience, and realize expected growth and customer retention? The experience and talent lessons learned from this organizational rocket ride were substantial. Talent management, with a strong emphasis on learning and development capability, played a key role along the way. At times the role was that of leadership. More often, talent management facilitated talent flexibility and movement with the gyrations of the business, ensuring rapid alignment with the requirements set forth by business leaders as the company evolved. Having a seat at the table was not nearly as important as being intimately involved at the business-unit level — absorbing, deflecting and working within these organizational entities to drive the change that contributed to the growth of the business. Greasing the Skids: Managing Change, Amping up Performance and F acilitating Growth In 2004, Cingular Wireless launched a new tagline, “Raising the Bar.” The tagline expressed a challenge through its new vision — to become the most highly regarded wireless company in the world, with a driving focus around best-in-class sales and service. The opportunities to contribute, through involvement both at the enterprise and business-unit level, resulted in initiatives that helped the company move quickly through the growth curve of merger integration and drive record results and performance in the process. These initiatives: • Quickly aligned business leaders around postmerger business goals and CEO expectations around an aggressive three-year performance plan; designed and delivered a leadership workshop/business simulation. • Minimized customer confusion from newly acquired AT&T Wireless employees post-merger; delivered post-close training to quickly align the sales force around a new, common customer experience. • Built data sales capability for retail sellers to coincide with the increased proliferation of data devices and data-friendly networks. • Ensured pipeline of retail sellers was ful, and stores were fully staffed to take advantage of new product sales opportunities such as the iPhone. 38 December 2007 talent management magazine www.TalentMgt.com http://www.TalentMgt.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of TM - December 2007

Talent Management - December 2007 Editor's Letter Contents Letters to the Editor Human Performance Leading Edge Capabilities The Engaged Difference: What People Want Analytics in Talent Management: The Sports View The Use of Merchandise for Employee Recognition Taking Aim at Performance Appraisals Talent Management Drives Organizational Change Generational Diversity: Mastering the Boomer-X-Y Divide Dashboard: Security-Savvy Workforce: Designing a Security Awareness Program That Works Application: Hilton Hotels Corporation:Checking Out the Merits of Paperless Efficiency Insight: Unlimited Engagement: Innovative Corporate Communication at Deloitte & Touche USA Advertisers' Index Editorial Resources Foundations

TM - December 2007

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