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Translating strategy into talents : a research with a tool developed to translate business strategy into talents required to achieve this strategy

Tijs, E. (2011) Translating strategy into talents : a research with a tool developed to translate business strategy into talents required to achieve this strategy.

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Abstract:	This research is conducted on behalf of the consultancy organization Giraffe HR. The two research questions are: 1. „How can organizations translate their business strategy into required talents in order to achieve their business goals?‟ and 2. „How can talent gaps (i.e. present versus required talent) be identified?‟. Answering the first research question means developing a tool with which the translation can be made and the required talents can be determined. The determination of the current talents of employees was necessary for answering the second research question. These current talents are measured by the Talent Motivation Assessment method of Ehrm-Vision with which Giraffe entered an agreement during this research. For developing the tool to make the translation from strategy into talents, the designing cycle of Verschuren & Hartog (2005) is used. The six stages relate closely to each other while the goals in the first stage should be achieved after completing the last stage. The methods which are used in this cycle are documentation review, expert reviews and two case studies. The expert reviews are done with four experienced persons regarding talent management and the TMA method to guarantee alignment with the practice and the TMA method. In addition, two case studies are conducted to test the tool. The case study organizations were Servicehuis Personeel, a division of the municipality Amsterdam and the healthcare institution Merem. The tool is tested in the case studies by conducting interviews with a manager, a HR advisor and a HR manager. The developed tool consists of three parts. The case studies showed that the first part ‘preparation’ is an important element of this tool. Firstly, the purpose of the tool should be determined and the selected respondents should be in line with this purpose. In addition, a suitable interviewer should be selected as the case studies showed that the role of the interviewer is of utmost importance. Furthermore, the ‘adjusted CSA tool’ should be sent to the respondent(s) prior to the interview. Based on this tool, the respondent assesses the 55 TMA competencies based on their importance to achieve the strategy. These results should be analyzed prior to the interview as this will be discussed. The second part of the tool is ‘conducting the interview-tool’ with which the translation from business strategy to required talents is made and additional subjects are discussed. The interview-tool is developed by determining the variables and by formulating the questions. The case studies showed several faults in the interview-tool which are improved in a later stage. It is important that the goal of the tool ‘translating the strategy into required talents’ is achieved. Nevertheless, a significant result is that this translation should be improved by stimulating more discussion to increase the quality. A recommendation for Giraffe is to gather 4-6 people in one discussion and focus this discussion on formulating a small set of required competencies. The third part of the tool is writing a ‘final advice’ for the customer based on the outcomes of the interview-tool. Firstly, a gap analysis between the current and required talents should be carried out. The required talents are determined in the interview-tool and the current talents can be achieved from the TMA portal of the organization. Additionally, based on the gap analysis and the discussions during the interview, several recommendations can be presented in this final advice. A manual is written for the consultants as guidance for making this gap analysis as a basis for the final advice. After improving the tool, the main recommendation for Ehrm-Vision is add the tool to their range of existing instruments while it adds significant value. Additionally, it is recommended to add the tool in the portal, as this saves a considerable amount of time when conducting the gap analysis. An important recommendation for Giraffe is to secure the tool within the theme ‘Talent- and organizational developments’ and to explore the additional possibilities of the tool. Eventually, before launching the tool in the market it is of utmost importance to increase the involvement of the business managers and consultants of Giraffe HR in the tool. Only then will the tool be a success for Giraffe HR.
Item Type:	Essay (Master)
Clients:	Giraffe HR, the Netherlands
Faculty:	BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:	85 business administration, organizational science
Programme:	Business Administration MSc (60644)
Link to this item:	https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/62970
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