what’s your talent philosophy? - humane
TRANSCRIPT
what’s yourtalent
philosophy?Prof.Dr.NickyDriesKULeuven,FacultyofBusiness&Economics&BINorwegianBusinessSchool,DepartmentLeadership/OBThursday,March28th 2019—AmsterdamHUMANESpringSeminar:“Fromhumanresourcemanagementtotalentmanagementin21stcenturyuniversities”
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talentmanagement
(Collings&Mellahi,2009,p.305)
“[TMrefersto]activitiesandprocessesthatinvolvethesystematicidentificationofkeypositions
whichdifferentiallycontributetotheorganization’ssustainablecompetitiveadvantage,the
developmentofatalentpoolofhighpotentialandhighperformingincumbentstofilltheseroles,andthedevelopmentofadifferentiatedhumanresourcearchitecture tofacilitatefillingthesepositionswithcompetentincumbentsandto
ensuretheircontinuedcommitmenttotheorganization.”
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let’stakeitbacka fewsteps…
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talentphilosophy
“Fundamentalassumptions andbeliefs—heldbyorganizationaldecisionmakers—aboutthenature,value,andinstrumentality oftalent.”
(Meyers&vanWoerkom,2014)
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yourtalentphilosophy
(1)doIbelievetalentisrare,oromnipresent inthelabormarket/in ourorganization’spopulation?(2)doI believetalentcanbedeveloped,orthatithastosomeextent astable, innate,dispositional quality?(3)doIbelievethecriterionfortalentidentificationshouldbeinput (effort,motivation,wantingit) oroutput (results,success,doing it)?(4)doIbelievethattalentistransferable (i.e.,canbeboughtonthemarket),orthatitisstronglycontext-specific (i.e.,is bestdetectedanddevelopedinternally)?
Mainimplication:Resourceallocation&communicationstrategy
Distincttalentphilosophies:
Inclusive ExclusiveCareermass
customizationWorkforcedifferentiationForcedranking(70-20-10)
(often:strategicambiguity,whichsurprisingly ispreferred
bymanagers&employeesalike!)
prevalence: policyimplications
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potential,gift,strength,talent
potentiallatentcapabilities,thatcandevelopintostrengthsortalents,butareasofyetnotutilizedorseen.
giftlatentcapabilitiesthatareexceedinglyrare(top10%),priortotheirsystematicandmotivateddevelopment.
strengthpatternsinattitudes,behaviors,andfeelings—developedthroughexperience—thatcaptureaperson“attheirbest”.
talentvisibledemonstrationoftop10%capabilities,thathavebeensystematicallydevelopedwithinaspecificperformancedomain.
(DeBoeck,Dries,&Tierens,2018)
APTITUDE
SYSTEMATICALLYDEVELOPED
“INTERPERSO
NALBEST”“PERSONALBEST”
manifestation
standardization
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“topx%”
(JackWelch’s“Vitalitycurve”,1980s)
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“aspecificperformancedomain”…?
(Gagné'sExpandedModelofTalentDevelopment—EMTD,2013;Bélanger&Gagné,2006)
Conjunctiveconceptoftalent:topatteachingANDresearchANDservice(exclusive)Disjunctiveconceptoftalent:topatteachingORresearchORservice(inclusive)
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prevalence:musingsaboutourcontextü AtKULeuven:10%ofPhDs becomepostdocs,ofwhich10%moveontoatenuretrack(cf.pyramidalacademicstaffstructure);
ü Pyramidalthinkingisthebasisofeverything:havingahighereducation>havingaPhD>postdoc>enteringatenuretrack>awards/chairs/toppublications/élitefunding(FWO20%,ERC12%)>promotionstoassociate/fullprofessor>geniuses,Nobelprizewinners
ü Areweanexceptionalcontextfortalent?InthateveryonewithaPhDisalreadyamongthetopx%mosthighlyeducatedpeopleinthelabormarket.Soisaforcedrankingapproachforusreally“thecrèmedelacrèmedelacrème”?
ü Excellencepolicies↔publicmissionofuniversities,fearsofexacerbatinginequalities,differentiation/meritsystems=sensitive
ü Rathenau Institutereport:youcannotexpecteveryonetobeexcellent—eitherthatdrivesupthestandardatinfinitum,orexcellencelosesitsmeaning.
ü Ourresearchshowsthatpeopleareless enviouswhenTMismoreexclusive(top1%)(vanZelderen,Dries,&Marescaux,2019)
ü Talentforwhat?Research(basic/applied),teaching,(internal/external)service—andwhataboutnon-academicpositions?(“ATP”sometimesfeellikesecond-classcitizensbut seniorpositionsactuallyhavehigherpaygrades!)
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prevalence:musingsaboutourcontext
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prevalence:musingsaboutourcontext
Mainimplication:Warfortalent/labormarketscarcities
Distincttalentphilosophies:
Innate Acquired
SelectionDetection
Identification DevelopmentStimulationExperiencesCoachingTeaching
developability: policyimplications
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developability: musingsaboutourcontextü Wemust behonest:arewereally,systematicallyteachingpeopletheskillsthey
areevaluatedon,ordoweexpectthemtobeabletoknowhowtodoitnaturally?(isthattheearmarkoftalent?notneedingtobetaught?)
ü Typical example:seniorprofessorspressureyoungprofessorsfor4*publications,buteitherhavenonethemselves[“it’sunfortunatebuttimeshavechangedsinceIgotmyPhD”],orarechronicallyunavailableoruninterestedtoteachjuniorprofessorsskills [“noonehelpedmewhen Iwasyounger”].Positiveexample:mytenuretrackcoach,anERCgranteewhoistheDeanofoneofourlargestcampuses,wasveryflatteredwhenIaskedhimascoach.
ü Areweasurvivalofthefittestculture?Incentivesandgrantsarehighlyindividualized(ratherthanteam/department-based),andearly successesorlackthereofcreatepathdependencies,Mattheweffects,Pygmalion effects,andself-fulfillingprophecies.
ü Thisonlyworksinaluxuryscenariowherewehavel’embarrasduchoix,whenthereare100candidatesforeveryposition.Perhapsweshouldimaginehowwewould developpeopleinascenarioofscarcity.Itisalsomyimpressionthatthehigherupthepyramid,thelesssatisfieddepartmentsarewiththequalityofexternalvs.internaltalent(esp.wheninternalhiringnotallowed).
Mainimplication:Assessment/selectionfocus&ROIindicators
Distincttalentphilosophies:
Input Output
EffortProcess
CareerorientationAmbitionAspiration
(=‘bottom-up’)
BehaviorResults
Performance(=‘top-down’)
criterion: policyimplications
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criterion: musingsaboutourcontextü Wouldweratherhavesomeonewho’snaturallybrilliantbutnotreallyhard-working(forinstance,neverdoesanythingforthedepartment)orsomeonewhoisdyingforanacademiccareerbuthasnooutput(yet)?
ü Iactuallyfoundithardtocomeupwithexamplesofhowuniversitiestakeintoaccountaperson’smotivationandeffort(input)outsideofdeducing itfromtheiractualoutput…?
ü Whatcountsasoutput?Forinstance,celebrityprofessorswhoareinthemedia&writepop-sciencebest-sellersbuthavelittletimetoteachandhavenever“really”published.
ü Relatesagaintothe“talentforwhat”questionandtheconstantlychangingmetricsinacademia.
ü Evolution:focusonsocietal/publicroleofacademics>>monographasdissertation>>publishing(quantity)>>increasingfocusontheory>>increasingcompetitionforfunding>>publishing(quality)>>intheUKnow(REF):impact outside ofacademia>>whichspursanewindustryofimpactcasewriters,etc.
ü Outputcriteriaarealwaystosomeextentsubjective,i.e.therearemanyjournalanduniversityrankingsandwechoosetheoneswelike.
Mainimplication:Internalvs.externalrecruitment
Distincttalentphilosophies:
Transferable Context-specific
HeadhuntingIdentificationprior
toentryFit
Identificationonlyaftersocializationperiod
transferability: policyimplications
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transferability: musingsaboutourcontext
ü Trend(esp.atbusinessschools)tohireadministratorsfromtheprivatesector!(asdeans,presidents,rectors,departmentheads)
ü Pressurestowardsexternal/diversehiring,oftenfortherankings.Whatiftheinternal(orsame-nationality)candidatesareoftenthebest?Shouldwehireaforeignpostdocfor2yearsknowingtheyneed1yeartoadapt,and1yeartoapplyfortheirnextjob?J
ü Formanypeople,thelackofinternaladvancementopportunitiesisaproblem,especiallywhentiedtogeographicmobility&houseownershipetc.Atsomeschools,besttalentistoldtoleaveforlower-rankedlocalschoolandre-hiredafter2yearsfromlackofequallygoodexternalcandidates…
ü Othersectorsfinditfunnythatweshouldprefertheexternalcandidateiftwocandidatesareequallygood!
ü Somegrantsaretransferable,e.g.Switzerland’sstrategyofhiringERCgrantees.Thisistheclearestexampleof“buyingtalent”inacademia.
ü However,manyotherthings(networks,understandingthespecificsoflocalfundingandaccesstoresources,insideinformation…)arenottransferable.
ü Whichaspectsoftalentareuniversal,andwhichinteractwiththecontext?
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braindrain &braingain
(“GlobalTalentCompetitivenessIndex”—GTCI;INSEAD,2018)
GTCI-scoreBelgium:69.56/100,rankorder 16/119countriesTop3:Switzerland(79.90),Singapore(78.42),US(75.34)cf.Singapore’snationaltalentmanagementstrategy (see:YvonneMcNulty’scase
study,2018);Sloveniaworkingonnationalstrategy (e.g.AmChamYPProgram)
GTCI basedonindicatorsrelatingtobraingain/braindraindynamics
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globaltalentcompetitivenessindex
Indicators:üWhatisBelgiuma“talent”(top10%)at?
“Grow”indicator=highereducation!(9/119)↔Coulddobetter:
Business-governmentrelations(81/119)Newbusinessdensity(45/119)Environmentalperformance(40/119)Easeofdoingbusiness(39/119)Genderearningsgap(38/119)
(GTCI;INSEAD,2018)
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getinline!
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rare>< omnipresent
doIbelievetalentisrare,oromnipresent inthelabormarket/in ourorganization’spopulation?
0%of ouremployeesaretrulytalented.
100%of ouremployeesaretrulytalented.
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doIbelievetalentcanbedeveloped,orthatithastosomeextentastable,innate,dispositional
quality?
talentis100%inborn.
talentis100%developable.
stable,dispositional>< developable
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doIbelievethecriterionfortalentidentificationshouldbeinput (effort,motivation,wantingit)or
output (results,success,doingit)?
talentshouldbeidentifiedbased
oninput.
talentshould beidentifiedbased
onoutput.
input(effort,motivation)><output(results,success)
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doIbelievethattalentistransferable (i.e.,canbeboughtonthemarket),orthatitisstronglycontext-specific (i.e.,isbestdetectedand
developedinternally)?talentistalenteverywhere;thus, itcanbe“bought”.
someonecan beatoptalent
elsewhereandnotatallhere.
transferable(buy)>< context-specific(make)
e-mail me ! 2005-2019 publications/slidesavailableuponrequest—customizedspeaking/workshopsavailableuponrequest:[email protected]+3216373719
additionalslidescontactme:[email protected]+3216373719
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employeereactions toTM
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Review Findings
1. Atleastsomeofthebasicassumptionsarejustified—TMpractices&talentstatusaregenerallyassociatedwithpositiveaffect(i.e.,org.commitment,jobsatisfaction),increasedbeliefsinKSAs,higherperformance,andlowerturnoverintentionsintalents;
2. Somestudiesfindno relationships,researchonboundaryconditionsislacking,andeffectsizesareonlysmalltomedium;
3. NodifferencesbasedonhowTMwasmeasured;butdevelopment-focusedpractices&objectivesleadtobetteroutcomesthanothers;
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Review Findings
4. Slightlyunexpected:talentsalso scorehigheronnegativeaffect(i.e.,stress,insecurity,identitystruggles)—positiveandnegativeaffectcanexistsimultaneouslybutburn-outandafalseselfcannotbe“cancelledout”bycommitment,forinstance;
5. Potentiallyundesirable:TMcreatesPCimbalances(employervs.employeeobligations)&increasedriskofbreach (<heightenedexpectationsoftalents);
6. Norealevidenceonnegativereactionsbynon-talents;theirattitudesarerelatively lesspositivebutnotnegativeinabsolute terms.
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Limitations>FurtherResearch
Proposedboundaryconditions(i.e.,contextfactors):Attheorganizationallevel:TMproceduralfairness;TMtransparencyvs.secrecy&ambiguity;LMX—i.e.,relationshipbetweenleaderandteam(King,2015)Attheindividuallevel:(HR)attributions—TMseenascontrolvs.motivationaltool?Equitysensitivity(“ifoneisunconcernedwithinequalities…”)Careerorientation(“ifonedoesn’twantanupwardcareer…”)
Limitations oftheexistingevidence:1. Causality >interventionstudies,longitudinal,experimental;2. Fragmentation >TMmeasureddifferentlyacrossstudies;3. Measurementlevel>multi-organizationstudies(cf.context)
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ImplicationsforPractice
Weurgentlyneedmoreresearchonorganizationalcontext/boundaryconditions,but,twogeneraltruths:1. Observable,short-term behavioralreactionsintalents(e.g.,higherperformance,lowerquitintentions)canbeobservablypositive,butunderthesurfacenegativeemotionsandcognitionscanbebrewingthatcauselong-term negativeeffectsor(perceived)“sudden”PCbreach→burn-outprevention+expectationmanagement;
2. Secrecyispotentiallydetrimentaltoemployeereactionsthatwouldotherwisebe“better”→ambiguityortransparency.
additionalslidescontactme:[email protected]+3216373719
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Realinclusion?Focusonuntappedpotential
Threemajorindicatorsofuntappedpotential:
1. Lackofengagementwithwork;2. Performance(far)belowone’scapacities(underemployment);3. Detachmentofpersonalidentity fromwork(“thisisnotme”).
®Lookforvariancewithin aperson’sengagement/performance,ratherthantheaverage!ü Whenwasit‘better’?(e.g.whichproject,whichteam,whichjobcontent,whichtime/stage,whichsupervisor?)
ü Varianceonashort-termbasis,i.e.between appraisals!ü Variancewithinapersonbasedonratingsource…?ü Multilevelanalyses—coulditbethesupervisor/team?ü Acaseofunderstretching(boreout)…?
®Lookforpassionsoutsidetheworkplace,andwhethertheycanbeintegrated(jobcrafting);see‘talenttransfer’insports!
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Performancefluctuations
Modalperformance=Aperson’stypicalperformanceasobservedovertime—i.e.,averagedacrossdifferentsituations.Personal-bestperformance=Thebestperformancelevelapersonhasdemonstratedduringaspecificperiod(e.g.oneyear).Maximalperformance=Averageperformancetakenfromseveraltrialsunder‘perfect’experimentalconditions(e.g.taskperformanceunderhighlymonitoredandmotivatingconditions)—e.g.AC/DC.Peakperformance=Aperformanceepisodethatissogoodthatitfallsbeyondwhatcouldhavebeenpredicted forthatpersonbasedonhis/herperformancepatternssofar.
e-mail me ! 2005-2019 publications/slidesavailableuponrequest—customizedspeaking/workshopsavailableuponrequest:[email protected]+3216373719