TM - December 2007 - (Page 40)

“Working from Within” — Five Enabling Structural and Behavioral Attributes AT&T’s internal structure is such that the talentfocused organization mirrors the client structure and sits at smaller tables, where critical short-term decisions are made in a very fast-paced business and tend to significantly move the needle on organizational performance and business outcomes. Five key attributes that have contributed to the ability of the talent management team to support the business include: Talent Management Structure. In 2001, human resources leadership saw the value of creating an organizational structure that pulled together all talent management assets under one senior HR leader. Tight coordination of these roles (learning, staffing and leadership development) eliminated siloed approaches to policy and program development and promoted strategy execution. Technology Platform/Infrastructure. The forward-thinking talent management technology tools put in place in 2001 were significant enablers of AT&T’s success in supporting the business from within. Strong partnerships with development suppliers for the LMS, distance learning tools, applicant tracking system and HRIS put the company in a position to deploy and leverage a common talent management strategy across the enterprise and adapt quickly to organizational change. Business Unit Relationships. In order to ensure alignment with business unit needs — to mange their resources and meet their objectives — governance structures emerged within each business unit to provide direction to talent management partners. For example, training councils meet regularly to review and amend curriculum, provide guidance to the learning team, and drive strategy and planning. Further, talent management team members regularly meet with generalists and unit-level business leaders to do the same. Being Quick Change Artists. Given the change inherent in the evolution of the company, no attribute is more critical than being nimble. The ability of the talent management team to quickly deploy new learning, support new leadership strategies and meet ever-changing talent needs were key to AT&T’s success during tumultuous times of change. Participating in business-unit-level councils afforded the opportunity for talent managers to work from within early on in the birth and evolution of change initiatives. Results Orientation. To maintain credibility and to continue to receive resources allocated by the business units, accountability is always key and requires discipline around reporting results and proving value. With talent differentiation high on the business agenda, understanding the impact of sourcing strategies, selection methodologies and learning outcomes remains top of mind with business leaders working with the talent management team. While providing reliable data is important, having skill sets on the team to effectively decode the data is equally important. In order to create meaning from reliable data, the talent management team must be able to see its impact across the broader system and then help the business craft an appropriate, measurable response. Opportunity of a Lifetime! As the Cingular brand is retired, and all who are associated with talent management focus their energy on making compelling and lasting contributions to the new AT&T, the company and those who have been part of it will be well served by the lessons of the past seven years. Having an established learning organization, with talent, tools and support on which to draw, clearly contributed to Cingular achieving its goals and created capabilities the new company will be able to leverage going forward. With the new AT&T, the opportunity to “work from within” to rapidly and constructively integrate the newly merged entities and to rally the organization around the reconstituted brand and vision has certainly created yet another “opportunity of a lifetime” for those associated with all aspects of talent management. December 2007 Jim Bowles is vice president of human resources for AT&T Mobility. He can be reached at editor@TalentMgt.com. talent management magazine www.TalentMgt.com 39 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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