Talent matters!
Featured in the Talent Management training manual
By Adelaide Shone
Category: Management
Credit price: 4 download credits (Single user)
Many organisations operate in a competitive marketplace and are constantly looking for ways to maintain competitive advantage. Others may need to continually reassess their systems, procedures and business direction and are looking for new ways of doing things. Sometimes both of these scenarios apply. Doing nothing, as the soundbite says, is not an option. ‘The war for talent’ focuses on one of the most crucial elements of any organisation – its people. It goes beyond the claim of ‘people are our best asset!’ Managers strategically plan and identify the future business goals of the organisation and should equally plan the knowledge, skills and experience needed to realise these business goals. This should ensure that people are in the right place, at the right time, doing what is right now, but with the flexibility to do what will be right in the future.
In the first part of the training activity, participants consider the world of international motor sport. They are divided into two working teams and read an extract from a speech made by the manager of a racing team to potential corporate sponsors, providing an overview of how the team supports talent and plans for future talent needs. Participants identify the systems, planning and nurturing of talent employed by the team, then assess and score them. The aim of this part of the training activity is to consider critically and objectively one ‘high-profile’ example. The participants move immediately into the business and talent planning exercise, where the ideas and discussion from the first exercise are applied to the participants’ organisations. They are encouraged to think strategically about the direction and business goals of their organisations and the extent of strategic people-planning and development. They prepare for this part of the training activity individually but the feedback and discussion are shared as a whole group debate, facilitated by you.
Who is it for: This training resource is intended for use by trainers to help participants discover that managers should systematically plan for the knowledge, skills and experience needed to achieve their business objectives as much as they plan the future objectives themselves.
| Resource Type: | Activity |
| Min Group Size: | 4 |
| Max Group Size: | 20 |
| Typical Duration: | 01:50:00 |
| No of Pages: | 22 |
Resources: View standard resources for Fenman training activities
Purpose: This training resource is intended for use by trainers with participants of all abilities and experiences, although there is a requirement for them to have an awareness of the strategic direction of their organisations. It encourages participants to visit and review the mission, vision and values of their organisation in the light of their organisations current business plan. In addition, they are challenged to audit the existing people, the talent pool, on how well they are supported and to consider future talent needs. The training activity provides an opportunity to put staff development and planning into a strategic context. It can be helpful to use it in a training programme that includes ‘Is your organisation talent friendly?’, which considers in more detail the operational tools and strategies at the managers disposal. The training activity can also be used in a session on management skills and organisational development.
Download the training activity, Talent matters! as featured in the Fenman training manual; Talent Management