Talent Management - December 2008 - (Page 22)

recruitment & retention assessment & evaluation compensation & beneﬁts performance management learning & development succession planning may be especially talented in some activities or job roles and less talented elsewhere. Talent can be elusive, which makes it difﬁcult to quantify. Measurement is the process of assigning numbers to attributes or competencies and skills. Talent managers have to prove the numbers using tools and evidence to substantiate the numbers they produce and the claims they make about employees’ potential and performance. This competency information fuels improved decisions across several areas: • Hiring and promotion: Making the right hiring and placement decisions can have tremendous impact on individual and organizational performance. Use of valid pre-employment tests, combined with struc- nal talent pools used for succession planning. Further, when normative or benchmarking data is available, competency and skill levels also can be compared to performance in other companies to better inform talent strategy. Innovation Through Technology Today’s talent measurement processes combine the best of a century of behavioral science with modern information and communication technology to provide data and insight more quickly and easily. The use of computers and the Internet for administration results in instantaneous, automated scoring and report generation, make it easier than ever to administer multiple types of talent measures, such as skills testing and multisource performance appraisals such as 360s. The ready availability of computer- and Internet-based tools is driving the proliferation of talent measurement programs, as well as further innovation. For example, unproctored Internet testing (UIT) allows candidates or employees to take assessments from the comfort of their homes or anywhere they can get online. UIT increases the convenience for candidates to participate in the recruiting process and enables organizations to use testing earlier in the hiring process, when it can deliver more powerful prediction and larger efﬁciency gains. To make performance ratings as objective as possible, focus on work behaviors: “What have I seen this person do on the job?” tured behavioral interviews focused on important competencies and success factors, improves quality of hire and predicts key business metrics. It is also increasingly common to incorporate simulations into the candidate evaluation process for many roles, including leadership positions. • Training and development: Understanding what people already do well and where they need help allows for targeted, impactful training and development programs. Assessing employees’ skills using objective tools such as tests, technical interviews and performance ratings can provide the insight talent managers need to decide who has certain skills versus who needs additional training. Talent measurement also can be used diagnostically to plan training and development investments or as an outcome measure to verify whether learning has occurred. • Workforce planning: Reliable, objective information about competencies and skills of the individuals that comprise teams, departments or other business units can be useful in workforce planning decisions. For example, bench strength analyses can be conducted to examine the performance and potential of inter- Computer-adaptive testing also takes advantage of the power and speed of modern computers to deliver unique assessments tailored to each individual’s ability level, making for a more accurate, more efﬁcient and more secure testing process. This potent combination of science and technology is being used by leading organizations to supercharge talent management processes. Talent managers make important decisions about employees and candidates every day that affect their lives, as well as their organizations’ success: who to hire, who to promote and what resources they need to develop and be successful. If managers rely only on assumptions, impressions, incomplete or inaccurate data, decision quality suffers. But if talent managers consistently measure people’s competencies and skills using objective information about employees’ performance and potential, they have the power to radically improve talent management. Dr. Ken Lahti is director of product strategy and innovation at PreVisor, an assessment solutions provider. He can be reached at editor@talentmgt.com. 22 December 2008 talent management magazine www.talentmgt.com http://www.talentmgt.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Talent Management - December 2008

Talent Management - December 2008 Editor's Letter Contents Human Performance Leading Edge Foundations Recruitment & Retention Assessment & Evaluation Compensation & Benefits Performance Management Learning & Development Succession Planning Insight Dashboard Application Advertiser's Index Editorial Resources Full Potential

Talent Management - December 2008

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