9 Critical Success Factors for Talent Analytics

9 Critical Success Factors for Talent Analytics

IT and HR leaders who have deployed workforce analytics systems offer these tips for success

Lay the foundation. Aim for a single source of HR information, if possible.

Account for imperfections. ”We’ve got our foundational issues, for sure, but if you wait until it’s completely perfect, you won’t get anywhere,” says Michael Arena, GM’s director of global talent and organizational capability. IT can build reconciliation processes and automated audits to help HR with data issues.

Start small. Marc Franciosa, CIO of Praxair, began with an analytics pilot to map the company’s high-potential employees. “If we had tried to do one big-bang workforce analytics project, it would never have gone anywhere,” he says. “You have to get some traction in order to get credibility.”

Tap internal experts. Both Franciosa and Arena have taken advantage of statisticians and others from their corporate R&D groups to develop their talent analytics programs.

Share the load with HR. Take advantage of HR and IT’s complementary skills. IT can focus on vendor management, security and deployment, while HR might manage requirements gathering, process standardization and communication.

Bring in business know-how. David Crumley, VP of global HR information systems for Coca-Cola Enterprises, works with business leaders from functions such as supply chain, sales and finance to determine what data will drive talent analytics.

Hire external change-management help. Typically, HR leads change management in an organization. But avoid DIY change management in analytics efforts, warns Mark Endry, CIO of Arcadis U.S., who recently spent six months as interim SVP of HR. Hire external help to guide HR through its big changes.

Take action. ”Everyone wants to have more data, but we have to ensure that folks know how to use it,” says Crumley, who had to do more hand-holding than he initially anticipated. “It’s not that anyone is pushing back, but you have to embed the use of the data into the [corporate] DNA.”

Democratize the systems. For people analytics to truly deliver, they need to be self-service tools that business managers and leaders can use. “Early on, we thought the customer [for these tools] was HR,” says Crumley. “But it’s the business leaders that control these decisions daily.”

via HR Departments Invaded By Data Scientists – CIO.com.

9 Critical Success Factors for Talent Analytics

Talent Acquisition

Talent acquisition is the process of finding and acquiring skilled human labor for organizational needs and to meet any labor requirement. When used in the context of the recruiting and HR profession, talent acquisition usually refers to the talent acquisition department or team within the Human Resources department. The talent acquisition team within a company is responsible for finding, acquiring, assessing, and hiring candidates to fill roles that are required to meet company goals and fill project requirements.

Talent acquisition as a unique function and department is a relatively new development. In many companies, recruiting itself is still an indistinct function of an HR generalist. Within many corporations, however, recruiting as a designation did not encompass enough of the duties that fell to the corporate recruiter. A separate designation of talent acquisition was required to meet the advanced and unique functions. Modern talent acquisition is a strategic function of an organization, encompassing talent procurement, but also workforce planning functions such as organizational talent forecasting, talent pipelining, and strategic talent assessment and development.

Talent acquisition is quickly becoming a unique profession, perhaps even distinct from the practice of general recruitment. Talent acquisition professionals are usually skilled not only in sourcing tactics, candidate assessment, and compliance and hiring standards, but also in employment branding practices and corporate hiring initiatives. Talent acquisition as a function has become closely aligned with marketing and PR as well as Human Resources. As global organizations need to recruit globally with disparate needs and requirements, effective recruiting requires a well thought out corporate messaging around hiring and talent development. Talent acquisition professionals often craft the unique company message around the approach the company takes to hiring and the ongoing development of employees. The employment brand therefore encompasses not only the procurement of human capital, but the approach to corporate employee development. The unique needs of large companies especially to recruit and hire as well as attract top talent led to the development of a unique talent acquisition practice and career.

Recruiting professionals often move between agency recruiting and corporate recruitment positions. In most organizations, the recruitment roles are not dissimilar: the recruitment role is responsible for sourcing talent and bringing qualified candidates to the company. However, modern talent acquisition is becoming a unique skill-set. Because talent acquisition professionals many times also handle post-hire talent issues, such as employee retention and career progression, the talent acquisition role is quickly becoming a distinct craft. Some recruitment industry advisors even advocate for a talent department unique from the HR department, because talent acquisition and development is so intertwined with a company’s ultimate success and effectiveness.

As a craft, talent acquisition is of course not new; it is the simple process of recruiting good talent to meet company needs. As a profession, however, talent acquisition is quickly evolving into a unique and important job function.

via Talent Acquisition.

Talent Acquisition