Table of Contents
What’s the Big idea
We’re taking a one-week hiatus from HRExaminer’s normal weekly format.
While I was away in San Diego attending the spring ERE Expo I thought it would make sense to feature a selection of the Blank Slate Challenge entries we received. We’ll be selecting the winners soon and making the announcement right here on HRExaminer.com. If you haven’t had a chance to read through the submissions we featured please do so now (they’re right below this intro!). We tried to pick examples that represented a broad section of styles and ideas. I’m sure you’ll find one or two nuggets that you can integrate in your own HR and Recruiting organization.
Jonathan Hilley TAG | Blank Slate Challenge
Jonathan Hilley TAG | Blank Slate Challenge
Last modified on 2010-03-18 01:32:06 GMT. 1 comment. Top.
The submissions for our Blank Slate Challenge are in and this week we’ll be featuring some of your submissions from around the world of HR. You may recall that we challenged HRExaminer.com readers to create an HR led strategy that could produce results in your organization like the iPhone and iPad have for Apple. How would you change the way you recruit, hire, develop and retain your employees so they could reach their full potential while keeping them engaged? After we post these select submissions our Editorial Advisory Board will be voting on the top three entries with the grand prize winner taking home an Apple iPad. – John Sumser
Today’s submission is from Jonathan Hilley of The Ascendance Group (TAG).
The Catastrophic Failure of the Talent Management Industry
Today, Dr. Sullivan shared some frightening statistics about the efficacy of the talent management industry on ERE. To put it simply: it appears that the talent management industry is a catastrophic failure.
- 70% dissatisfied — 70% of the external customers (applicants) and 28% of the internal customers (hiring managers) indicate they are dissatisfied with the hiring process (Source: Staffing.org).
- 50% customer regret — 50% of the processes users (both managers and new hires) later regret their “buying” decision (Source: The Recruiting Roundtable). In addition, 25% of new hires later regret taking their new job within one year(Source: Challenger, Gray)
- 46% turnover — 46% of new hires leave their jobs within the first year(Source: eBullpen, LLC) and 50% of current employees are actively seeking or are planning to seek a new job (Source: Deloitte).
- 46% failure rate — 46% of U.S. new hires must be classified as failures within their first 18 months (fired, pressured to quit, required disciplinary action, etc.) (Source: Leadership IQ). In addition, 58% of the highest-priority hires, new executives hired from the outside, fail in their new position within 18 months (Source: Michael Watkins).
- Only a 19% success rate — only one out of five of the process output can be classified as unequivocal successes (Source: Leadership IQ).
- 66% regret hiring decisions — Nearly two-thirds of hiring managers come to regret their interview-based hiring decisions (Source: DDI)
With my hedge fund background, if these statistics represented a publicly traded entity, I’d short the be-jesus out of it. As it stands today, it’s fair to say that the time has come to rethink most talent management processes.
How? What’s the new model? First a bit of background…
My first job was at Goldman Sachs. They are arguably one of the best in the industry in terms of hiring processes. And still their way of doing things is flawed. The hiring process at Goldman goes like this: 1 “super day” of interviews, 10 different people interview you for an hour each = 10 hours of interviews. After that, the employees collectively come together and make a hiring decision that costs the firm $500k over 3 years (that’s training, resources, benefits, salary and more). To me, that process is not the best approach to learn if a candidate is worthy of a job offer.
What if it were like this?
Goldman turns its fast-track employees (note: not HR staff) into mentors. They get matched with a student interested in their line of work and establish relationships with him / her over the course of 6 months or more. Not only will they build a great relationship, but the student will gain industry insight (beneficial to the student) and the company will become really smart about who they are hiring (beneficial to the company).
This new model requires employees to become the first (and best) talent filter.

What value does this add to the company?
Cheaper sourcing of candidates (employees mentor during off hours)
Better employee engagement / knowledge transfer (students, if hired, could immediately “hit the ground running”)
Less frequent hiring mistakes (mis-hiring is costly)
This is TAG’s approach to solving the talent management conundrum. What’s yours?
Here’s the second part of Jonathan Hilley’s submission. – John Sumser
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How Could New Ideas Change Education?
Posted by Jonathan Hilley · Topics: Disruptive Ideas, Insights, TAG · 0 Comments

Chris Brogan recently asked a brilliant question. Actually, he asked 5 brilliant questions:
- How could new ideas change education?
- How can younger generations learn from the body of work of their successors?
- How can we marry up all the great resources of people who know something great to those of us who could stand to learn more?
- How can I help those of us who lived in the cubicle farms, and what can I do to share that information in a way that will empower others?
- How can we equip our youth and/or our students and/or our business professionals?
Each of these questions dances around a singular issue: Today’s learning models are inadequate.
This message is similar to one Charlie O’Donnell has been spreading: “Structures for industry specific learning, particularly when it comes from learning from the accumulated wisdom of successful and experienced professionals, is horribly inefficient.”
So, we’ve got two really smart guys highlighting the exact same issue. Could this spell business opportunity? Methinks so…
Note: What you are about to read is a radically different idea. This idea serves as the backbone for my company, a provider of real world education services.
You see, a new model for education is quietly emerging. One fully endorsed – and championed – by my company. This new model definitively solves Chris Brogan’s riddles and answers Charlie O’Donnell’s call by establishing an efficient structure for industry specific learning.
A new idea that will change education
Before unveiling this new education model, we must first review its foundational principles. If these assumptions were to prove false, then the model would fall apart:
- Individual, customized learning is better than a generic, one size fits all approach.
- Adults learn best when they are involved in the diagnosing, planning, implementing, and evaluating of their own learning.
- Life’s reservoir of “experience” is a primary learning resource; the life experiences of others enrich the learning process.
- Distributed learning (learning which occurs over time) is a more efficient learning method than massed learning because it allows for absorption and understanding (note: massed learning is also known as cramming).
- If provided the right tools, anyone can be an educator.
- Note: This is the most critical principle of this new education model. The current model has built invisible barriers of entry around the teaching profession – barriers like certification and credential requirements. This new model assumes no barriers to becoming an educator. This assumption is borne from Malcolm Gladwell’s mismatch hypothesis. He explains:
There is no difference between the performance of credentialed teachers and non-credentialed teachers when it comes to increasing student performance. Whether you have a Master’s Degree or not, whether you scored 1400 on your SAT or 1200 on your SAT, it makes absolutely no difference in how you perform at the task of relating to and teaching kids.
…
In the name of trying to make a better decision, we’re spending all this money and spending all this time and none of it is having any effect. In fact, we are doing the very thing that actually defeats the cause of finding better teachers. We’re narrowing – what we should be doing is broadening the pool as much as possible – to find as many of these people with this ineffable, elusive gift called “being a good teacher” but instead what we do is narrow the pool.
Founded on the above tenants, the centerpiece for this new education model is the idea of mentorship. Not traditional Boys & Girls Club mentorship, but a radically new kind of mentorship. One that requires accountability, elicits insightful knowledge sharing and helps build deep relationships.
This new education model re-envisions mentorship and calls for real world professionals to become the new class of educators.
How does this model work?
This new model is brilliant in its simplicity. Professionals are given a curriculum – one that facilitates real conversation and real-world knowledge transfer. Students are matched to a professional in their chosen career field (each professional is screened on multiple levels). The pair meets (either in person or via phone) and builds a relationship around the given curriculum. Each side records his / her thoughts following every meeting, and reports relationship progress intermittently. In the event of negative feedback, Mentors are replaced, ensuring only the best “teachers” remain.

Now, for this model to work, an incentive structure must exist. Why? To ensure engagement from both the student and the professional. In this model, students pay the curriculum provider and the curriculum provider pays its Mentors (Professionals) for their time.
Over time, the curriculum provider becomes much smarter about each professional on its platform. And it tests and molds its curriculum based on community feedback. As time passes, the system gets better!
What is required to make this model successful?
For this model to be successful, three things are required:
- A renowned curriculum that guides each relationship.
- Students that understand the importance of professional relationships in the context of their career (and are willing to pay for these relationships).
- Industry professionals that are willing to offer insight and perspective in exchange for monetary compensation.
Why will this model work so well?
This model recognizes the biggest flaw of our current resource constrained model: the number of educators for each student (the student:teacher ratio is one of the keys to delivering quality education). This new education model leverages industry professionals as its force multiplier to dramatically increase the effectiveness and delivery of education. This market-based approach is unlike anything that exists today.
Will this new model work? It already does.
P.S. Thoughts? Please join the conversation!
Thaddeus Figlock, PHR | Blank Slate Challenge
Thaddeus Figlock, PHR | Blank Slate Challenge
Last modified on 2010-03-18 01:30:50 GMT. 3 comments. Top.
The submissions for our Blank Slate Challenge are in and this week we’ll be featuring some of your submissions from around the world of HR. You may recall that we challenged HRExaminer.com readers to create an HR led strategy that could produce results in your organization like the iPhone and iPad have for Apple. How would you change the way you recruit, hire, develop and retain your employees so they could reach their full potential while keeping them engaged? After we post these select submissions our Editorial Advisory Board will be voting on the top three entries with the grand prize winner taking home an Apple iPad. – John Sumser
Today’s submission is from Thaddeus Figlock, PHR and outlines a new HR idea for a big box home improvement company.
“Driving Performance” at The Big Box Improvement Store; Putting Associates in the Driver’s Seat
Reaching for new levels of customer service and retail employee productivity, Big Box Home Improvement’s HR team has been challenged to turbo charge employee performance. Their response is to implement an across the board use of innovation to crash through barriers of communication and engagement to make performance management a very personal focus for each and every employee.
Starting Quarter 2, The Big Box Home Improvement store (BBHI) will come out onto the competitive track with a new way to connect performance to recruiting, orienting, and onboarding employees, measuring customer service, performance management processes and developing leaders: “Driving Performance.” Two Driving Performance modules are arriving in every store, replacing the self-service hiring kiosk and one employee training computer with a state of the art computer, video exchange and training/feedback interface. “Driving Performance Booths” may remind people of a souped up racing game console found in video arcades. Don’t be fooled; this is not a game, but a game changer.
Decorated with the bold colors of our racing team, the Driving Performance booth commands attention. The Driving Performance booth is a hybrid of the cockpit of a racing car and a jet fighter, complete with an extensive dashboard/video windshield, steering wheel, gear shift input device, keyboard, web cam and super sound system. The seat swings out to allow a wheelchair and the software can operate from remote computers to accommodate any ADA-qualified consideration. This is designed to provide each and every associate an exciting way to engage into their own race to greater performance.
A total redesign of many major functions, the DP booth incorporates increased communication, clear expectations of performance, and frequent review of personal performance with valuable, archival two-way records of customer, employee and management feedback that can be drawn upon to enhance sought after behaviors. HR becomes the “Performance Improvement Technicians,” or PIT Crew, to help stores drive up customer satisfaction as well as individual and team performance. PIT Crews coach using the increased communication, flow of information and enhanced technology to address building a resilient, responsive workforce.
Performance starts and ends with the customer in mind. Placing a Driving Performance booth at a key place in the store where customers can give instant feedback on their experience by typing, writing or video taping their comments. This literal voice of the customer is a keystone for this new way of viewing performance. As a reward for giving feedback, the customer can play a racing video game, watch exclusive celebrity driver interviews, be entered to win monetary and racing themed prizes. The increase in customer communication will give more data for service metrics. These records will be drawn upon for problem resolution, recognition, coaching and counseling. The message to the world, Big Box Home Improvement is very serious about increasing our performance for the customer.
This booth also serves as a recruiting and hiring kiosk within the store and at schools, career and racing events across the county, telling potential employees, “we are hiring for performance.” From before a candidate fills out any form, expectations of an interest in and devotion to high quality performance is established. Besides having national material, local District and store managers share clips of their welcome and expectations. This will include the usual employment screening process, but with enhancements. Video of the candidate can be taped at this point to be used after the selection is made to show the starting line of knowledge, skills and attitudes. Over the course of an employee’s tenure, a video diary is kept, benchmarking associate development.
Each time an associate logs on, a performance dashboard comes to life, sharing their personal sales achievements, training due, tenure, time and attendance information, customer service recognition earned, store sales metrics and more. Using the steering wheel, employees can navigate across particular aspects of their information. Associate awareness of what is expected and action required increases tremendously. The more visual learner will have a chance to experience their status – what their personal speedometer, odometer and gauges saying about their efforts. Racing flags wave and dials spin based on how the employee is driving their career, showing if they are under a caution flag or leading the lap. The goal is to provide the associate windshield clear transparency to monitor their own performance and total team communication to help them navigate the competitive track of the business. The associate is in the driver’s seat.
The Driving Performance booth provides web based training. Monthly safety information and quizzes become more fun and more captivating. With certain trainings, the employee is invited to make a brief commitment video; it is very easy to see if a message about a new initiative was received & understood. This alone would create value, but here comes the high octane fuel. The associate gets near instant feedback from their supervisor. Supervisors tape brief messages, recognizing successes and coaching improvement. This is not to replace one-on-one live communication, but provides a much needed way to pass on customer feedback and performance direction in a striking manner when work paths don’t cross nearly enough. If a customer comment is fantastic, even the CEO can drop a personal message into the associate’s video file.
Supervisors and managers now go to the archived feedback they and the associate have documented every week and create performance reviews that are living agreements, based on regular, constant focus on performance. No longer is there ever a surprise rating or comment, but an accurate picture of where the associate has driven. This is also a two-way street; associates are able to tape feedback for their supervisors that can be used to help evaluate and review the leadership provided, making a truer 360 degree feedback available.
Incorporating Driving Performance into the store’s culture of service, Big Box Home Improvement will engage employees in their own performance at Mach speed towards the real race for the championship, earning customer satisfaction.
Diane Blakey | Blank Slate Challenge
Diane Blakey | Blank Slate Challenge
Last modified on 2010-03-18 23:56:08 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
The submissions for our Blank Slate Challenge are in and this week we’ll be featuring some of your submissions from around the world of HR. You may recall that we challenged HRExaminer.com readers to create an HR led strategy that could produce results in your organization like the iPhone and iPad have for Apple. How would you change the way you recruit, hire, develop and retain your employees so they could reach their full potential while keeping them engaged? After we post these select submissions our Editorial Advisory Board will be voting on the top three entries with the grand prize winner taking home an Apple iPad. – John Sumser
This submission is from Diane Blakey a HR Manager at BP Alaska.
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I’m going to state this the way I believe H.R. should start talking: with candor and clarity, with authenticity, without buzzwords.
Let’s stop trying to be so “strategic” that we forget what it really means to be a business partner. Let’s remember what truly differentiates us in the business and reconnect with our ability to connect: with people.
How many people do you know who are searching for validation, meaning, confirmation that they make a difference? Let’s start teaching people how to be the cause, not the effect of their life. Let’s start looking at everyone with the view that they have everything within them to achieve success, and we’re here to help them find success with us. Let’s start teaching our managers to stop looking at what’s wrong all the time. Let’s start asking more questions with curiousity, and let’s start really listening to the answers. Let’s quit talking about doing this and start doing it.
Instead of trying to reduce headcount and centralize everything into a 1-800-who-cares number, let’s realize that the salary of one extra H.R. person who gets out into the field and talks to employees and provides people real answers to their real problems will save the company countless dollars.
Sometimes continuous improvement gets us back to the basics, and sometimes back to the basics helps us get back to what really matters.
Pinstripe | Sponsor

Our sponsor Pinstripe, Inc. designs, builds and delivers high-performance talent acquisition and management solutions. Pinstripe’s innovative approach to Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) integrates sourcing, recruiting, hiring, on-boarding, and engagement into a complete, end-to-end solution. Pinstripe on-demand hiring solutions are tailored for specific clients across a spectrum of industries including financial services, healthcare, technology, telecommunications and other major industries. For healthcare organizations, Pinstripe Healthcare works with clients to attract the best available talent so they can deliver high quality patient care and reduce overall labor costs.
Mark Bugaieski, SPHR | Blank Slate Challenge
Mark Bugaieski, SPHR | Blank Slate Challenge
Last modified on 2010-03-18 23:55:38 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
The submissions for our Blank Slate Challenge are in and this week we’ll be featuring some of your submissions from around the world of HR. You may recall that we challenged HRExaminer.com readers to create an HR led strategy that could produce results in your organization like the iPhone and iPad have for Apple. How would you change the way you recruit, hire, develop and retain your employees so they could reach their full potential while keeping them engaged? After we post these select submissions our Editorial Advisory Board will be voting on the top three entries with the grand prize winner taking home an Apple iPad. – John Sumser
The following submission is from Mark Bugaieski, SPHR
Want a “Seat at the Table?” Then Bring Them the “Holy Grail!”
This is a tired, worn out phrase in HR. Over the years, we’ve been told we need to be “business-people”: crunch numbers, employ metrics, delight customers.
All of this is true, but how can we really have impact?
The answer is to pursue a thoughtful, organized, analytical approach to Employee Engagement.
Experienced, thoughtful HR pros know this is the Holy Grail of our profession. Everything we do is encompassed under this umbrella term.
If senior management “gets it” and buys in, the sky is the limit…this is the framework that gives meaning to addressing “soft skills” that have a huge impact on the bottom line…it ties HR and the company’s employees inexorably to profits and the company’s success…while making everyone “happy” at the same time! It is a win/win/win – employees/shareholders/customers.
Managing employee engagement allows us to truly manage “culture,” that elusive and oh-so-important element of all companies.
Employee engagement gives us discretionary effort and passion from employees. HR’s job is to build the systems (surveys, training, support, etc.) to get the ball rolling, and then watch it grow exponentially. It turns “victims” into “volunteers” and replaces toxic emotions with enthusiasm & energy.
So, how do we get “a seat at the table?” By marrying the “soft skills” derided by hard-line managers with evidence-based, measurable, actionable data. Gallup’s statistics show that Employee Engagement is a key driver of organizational performance – I would argue THE key internal driver. Based on extensive personal research, I am convinced that Gallup’s “Human Sigma” methodology is the best out there.
Will it be easy to move the Employee Engagement needle significantly? No, but the efforts will move the organization to fulfilling its complete potential
I am no longer an “HR Director,” I am an Employee Engagement Specialist!
Lorena Perry | Blank Slate Challenge
Lorena Perry | Blank Slate Challenge
Last modified on 2010-03-19 13:46:57 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
The submissions for our Blank Slate Challenge are in and this week we’ll be featuring some of your submissions from around the world of HR. You may recall that we challenged HRExaminer.com readers to create an HR led strategy that could produce results in your organization like the iPhone and iPad have for Apple. How would you change the way you recruit, hire, develop and retain your employees so they could reach their full potential while keeping them engaged? After we post these select submissions our Editorial Advisory Board will be voting on the top three entries with the grand prize winner taking home an Apple iPad. – John Sumser
The attached submission is from Lorena Perry.
“Blank Slate Challenge”
TALENT ACQUISITION PROGRAM
Brainhunter
Background:
I am a Technical Recruiter / Team Leader at Brainhunter.
The idea:
Most companies only think about revenue and making a profit, I believe as an HR specialist we should focus more on our personnel and we should always give back to the community. I strongly believe that “What goes around comes around”. Providing our expert services to the less fortunate or unprepared job seekers will produce benefits not just for them but for us also as employees because it will provide a positive message in to the market as a company that cares.
The program that I have in mind is something I am already doing on a small scale like one-on-one coaching; I think it is time to make it “BIG”. The project is called “Talent Acquisition Program”. The objective will be to deliver training with “no-cost” to potential candidates. We will provide an “In-House” set of seminars that will also be made available “online” as a link through our website, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.
Anyone looking for a job or for some “Job searching” advice can participate; you can be part of one workshop or all of them. But you do not have to take all of the workshops as they are independent topics even though they are related.
Lateral advantage:
Our firm will be able to acquire potential candidates in the database that we do not get on regular basis.
The program consists of the following steps:
One year program with 6 free workshops / webinars for Engineers (one seminar every 2 months)
Each seminar length will be one hour, approximately
Presented by Company’s Staff:
VP of Business Development
VP of Recruitment
Business Development Managers
Recruitment Team
Advertisement in Company’s website and all social media
Scheduled on a repetitive day during the week either at lunch time (12-1 pm) and / or after work (6-7 pm)
Marketing:
We will use our own website to advertise the event plus all the social media available through out own recruitment team like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Recruitingblogs, etc
All events will be advertise a month in advance and will have a registration deadline of a week before the workshop date.
Registration:
All participants have to register online and be part of Brainhunter’s database. We are able to accommodate 100 candidates, so first come first serve.
Expectations and Outcome:
Candidate Acquisition (Building Engineering Candidate Pool)
Positive * Free* Advertising / Marketing
Brand Communication (rebranding)
Community Service improving Corporate profile and image
Program is transferable to other divisions with in Brainhunter (I.T., Finance, HR)
Lead generation for Business Development
Extend the training through out Social Media to reach more potential candidates
Topics:
Market Trends & Career Search 2010
Conducting Job Search & Evaluating Job Opportunities
Resume / Reference Preparation
Interviewing Techniques
Negotiating and Closing a Job Offer
Career Networking and usage of Social Media (Linked In, Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, etc)
Agenda:
Pre-registration to be able to attend (before event in website)
Registration (5 minutes)
Welcome & BH Intro (2 minutes)
Speaker Presentation (3 minutes)
Presentation (20 minutes)
Q&A (10 minutes)
One-on-One Assessment with Brainhunter Recruiters (20 minutes)
Follow up:
We will have these types of seminars on continuous basis; without waiting for the whole program to be done.
We will have questionnaires design to provide feedback on the workshops and define new themes on ways to help candidates to have a better career search experience, a good career road map.
Joshua Letourneau | Blank Slate Challenge
Joshua Letourneau | Blank Slate Challenge
Last modified on 2010-03-19 13:51:07 GMT. 1 comment. Top.
The submissions for our Blank Slate Challenge are in and this week we’ll be featuring some of your submissions from around the world of HR. You may recall that we challenged HRExaminer.com readers to create an HR led strategy that could produce results in your organization like the iPhone and iPad have for Apple. How would you change the way you recruit, hire, develop and retain your employees so they could reach their full potential while keeping them engaged? After we post these select submissions our Editorial Advisory Board will be voting on the top three entries with the grand prize winner taking home an Apple iPad. – John Sumser
Here is the last submission we’re going to post for Blank Slate. It’s from Joshua Letourneau who writes about Toyota…
From: Joshua Letourneau, OODA5 (www.OODAfive.com)
I. Introduction
As requested, a movement toward a more impactful Talent Strategy for Toyota North America, Inc. (TNA) has been investigated. The following data/numbers suggests the extreme importance of this initiative:
| 2009 | |
| Margin per Vehicle Sold (North America) | $967 USD |
| Margin Per Vehicle Sold (Global) | $108 USD |
Translation: Vehicles sold in North America achieve an 8.95x (+$859 USD) margin relative to the global average.
| 1/4/2010 | 2/23/2010 | |
| Stock Price | $85.08 | $71.55 |
| Shares Outsanding | 1.57B | 1.57B |
| Market Capitalization | $133.58B USD | $112.33B USD |
| Net Loss of Market Cap | $21.25B (15.9% Loss) |
Translation: As of 2/23/2010, due to massive recalls and a PR failure in North America (Q1 FY2010), TNA has lost $21.25B USD in Market Capitalization (-15.9%.)
We must view our current challenges as a key inflection point in our history. The time has come to fundamentally shift the way we operate and view our markets in an effort to more closely reflect our new business realities.
[Note: This is a high-level overview of our change initiative. More granular reports, project timelines, financial objectives, etc. have been provided to the leaders of each individual SBU.]
II. HR Has Been Disbanded and is Now “Human Networks” (HN)
As of March 1, 2010, the Human Resources Group will be disbanded and will no longer be a functional silo of TNA.
The Human Networks Group (HN) will emerge. The premise of “Human-Networks” leads to our new understanding that performance extends far beyond ‘Human Resources’ (seeing people inherently as costs). While we see our employees as ‘capital’ (as investments) instead of as ‘resources’, we will move forward with the acknowledgement that the value is created by Human-Networks, not individuals or ‘teams’ alone.
The following are foundational principles to our current change initiative:
- Value is created and delivered by Human-Networks, many of which are not visible within the formal hierarchy of the organizational chart.
- Human Networks (systems) often self-organize. However, we will attempt to influence such (system) self-organization so as to increase the probability of high performance.
- We will focus time/energy/investments on not only improving individual and team performance, but also on understanding and creating an ecosphere conducive to high-performing Human-Networks.
- Our HN structure will allow us to more accurately reflect the further fragmenting and decentralized nature of our target markets and consumer society, in general. As these markets are further decentralizing, so will we.
- HN will now be positioned and operate as a true profit-center. We accept full accountability for reporting our performance as such.
III. Strategic Objectives
Starting on 3/1/2010, HN will begin a major change initiative aimed at improving our functional profile within 5 distinct dimensions (which are subsequently “Human-Nework” traits/attributes):
- Agility (ability to adapt rapidly and cost effectively in response to changes in the business environment.)
- Adaptability (ability to fluidly morph/adjust to the needs of our customer base and/or other external factors.)
- Innovation (ability to develop and launch new products faster and more profitably than our competition.)
- Resilience (reinforcing our ability to respond to external ‘attack’, such as loss of key talent, recall scenarios, loss of market share, etc.)
- Engagement (ability to deliver meaningful brand experiences, both internal [employees] and external.)
V. Tactical Plan Overview
The following outlines a high-level tactical overview of how HN will be structured so as to reflect the above foundational principles and achievement of our strategic objectives:
- HR Administration will be entirely outsourced. As a profit center, HN will manage costs and outsource low-margin, administrative activities to vendors that can achieve economies-of-scale we cannot.
- HN will actively invest in Social Network Analysis (SNA) tools and mapping, so as to gain a much deeper understanding of how value is created from a Human-Networks (systems) perspective.
- HN will operate Talent Acquisition as a fully decentralized function –
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- ‘Tactical Talent Managers’ (TTM, micro-focus) will be embedded within each business unit on 12-month to 18-month rotations so as to keep them “fresh”. They will own the strategy of recruiting several internal champions who will assist penetration of niche talent pools. While TTMSs’ will also own Sourcing initiative deliverables, they will not go about Sourcing alone – Through SNA, for example, the TTM will identify employees who have access to highly pivotal talent pools and collaborate with them to fill key positions and build external Talent Communities. This is much more than a typical referral program, and the benefit to the employees selected will be enhanced compensation and visibility/upward progression opportunity. TTMs’ will also be judged on engagement levels of their business unit, which extends beyond solely talent acquisition.
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- TTMs will report to a Strategic Talent Analyst (STA, macro-focus). STAs’ will not be embedded within each business unit, but will own unique Customer Segments. They will be responsible for partnering with Sales and Marketing (and other functions, as applicable) so as to better understand the customer segments that are the focus of the business units in which their Tactical Recruiters are embedded. In addition to providing unique insights (Sourcing/Social Intel, etc.) to their embedded recruiters, they will also be judged upon overall profitability of their Customer Segment. It will also be their ongoing charter to research how talent in key areas supports the creation and delivery of value to such segments. While we understand the difficulty of such an approach, we seek to create a tension that leads the Strategic Talent Analyst to look to not only today’s profitability, but also tomorrow’s.
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- As further Human-Network intelligence is derived through SNA tools and mapping, Talent Acquisition will begin to test and interview for certain personality and behavioral traits that are consistent with high-performing networks (relative to the role each particular candidate will fill.) For example, if a number of high-performing networks (from a value-creation standpoint) have individuals exhibiting certain behaviors (‘Hubs’, ‘Gatekeepers’, ‘Pulsetakers’, etc.) at given points in the overall network, hiring efforts will be made to duplicate such high-performance from a Human-Network (system) perspective.






