The document discusses strategies for ensuring a sustainable talent base through global leadership and talent management. It focuses on analyzing the attributes of 21st century leaders, assessing employee capabilities, and ensuring talent management strategies encompass all employees. The challenges of recruiting and developing Generation Y for leadership are also addressed.

1. Ensuring a sustainable talent base by implementing
global leadership and talent management strategies
in a local market
Frank O’Connor Carolyn Mark
– Director, RAP Consulting – Recruitment & Training Manager,
– franko@rap.net.nz Volunteer Service Abroad
– cmark@vsa.org.nz
• Getting the best out of people
working anywhere • Getting the best people working
– Organisation development out of New Zealand
– Business performance – Volunteer sourcing
management – Talent management
• More than twenty years’ focus • More than twenty years’
on the performance and selecting volunteers for
development of people overseas postings
! "# $ %& # ' ( ) * +&%$%$% , ,- .#

2. GLOBAL CASE STUDY
Ensuring a sustainable talent base by implementing
global leadership and talent management strategies
in a local market
• Analysing the attributes of the 21st century leader with ability to
provide the frameworks, direction and feedback without over
controlling
• Assessing the capabilities that will lead to dedicated employees
and potential leaders by discovering the right talent and
implementing up skilling strategies through lateral movement
• Convincing the more technically focused managers of the
benefits of soft skills training
• Ensuring your talent management strategy encompasses all
talent in your organisation
• The challenges of recruiting Generation Y for leadership
positions by structuring career development paths and creating
an attractive working environment
! "# $ %& # ' ( ) * +&%$%$% , ,- .

3. HOW MIGHT A 21ST CENTURY LEADER ... ?
Provide frameworks Get the best from employees
• Set direction • Assessing the real work need
• Give feedback • Finding the right person
• Avoid controlling • Extension and sideways
development
• Motives and values
Develop managers and • The best practicable
potential leaders performance
• More than technical focus People in all career phases
• Winning support for soft skills • Generation Y differences
• Career development pathways
• Attractive working environment
! "# $ %& # ' ( ) * +&%$%$% , ,- ./

4. VSA: EXPORTING PEOPLE
VSA sends people, not money
• New Zealanders’ skills, energy, and experience are put to work
with people in developing countries
• Volunteers work with communities to help them achieve their
own goals in a way that is locally effective and sustainable
Partner organisations in developing countries
decide what they need
• Work with those organisations to design effective assignments
• Proven to be highly successful in helping communities in Africa,
Asia and the Pacific
! "# $ %& # ' ( ) * +&%$%$% , ,- .%

5. Te T ao T w hi — Volunteer Service Abroad
• VSA is the country' largest and most experienced volunteer-
s
sending international development agency
– Founded in 1962
– Based in Wellington, New Zealand
• Working throughout Asia, Africa and the Pacific
– wherever development needs are greatest
– wherever volunteers can make the most impact
• Funded by NZAID and donations
– not-for-profit
– non-government
– non-religious
• Over the last 40 years VSA has sent almost 2500 volunteers to
countries throughout the Pacific, Asia and Africa
! "# $ %& # ' ( ) * +&%$%$% , ,- .,

6. THE CUSTOMER VALUE PROPOSITION FOR
THE OVERSEAS COMMUNITY
• VSA sends skilled New Zealanders, not money, to promote self
reliance of the community
• VSA works in areas of greatest need
• VSA recruits the best person with the right mix of professional
and personal attributes for the assignment
• VSA trains selected people to work with specific overseas
communities
• VSA supports both the volunteer and partner organisation to
ensure that the assignment progresses well
! "# $ %& # ' ( ) * +&%$%$% , ,- .&

7. ! "# $ %& # ' ( ) * +&%$%$% , ,- .

8. PROGRAMMES ARE NEEDS-DRIVEN
• Programmes are established according to country needs
– wishes of host governments and communities
– issues such as the safety and security of volunteers
• Regional programmes are run from Wellington
– individual assignments are “managed lightly”
• During the 2005 – 06 year
– 10 VSA programme staff
– partnerships with more than 82 organisations
– 152 volunteer assignments
• Programme staff in each region provide on-the-ground support
to volunteers and partner organisations
! "# $ %& # ' ( ) * +&%$%$% , ,- .0

9. WORK ASSIGNMENTS
Volunteers are requested for specific assignments
• Partner organisations are varied employers:
– non-governmental
– community based
– local government
– national government
• Assignments usually last for two years but are sometimes
shorter
– Regular contact with the volunteer and the partner organisation
• Partnership to help these groups achieve their own solutions on
their own terms
– Focus is on skill exchange and training, so there are skilled local
people to carry on the work
! "# $ %& # ' ( ) * +&%$%$% , ,- .-

10. ASSIGNED WORKERS
• Exchanging skills with local people
• Strengthening the capacity of local organisations
• Have little authority – peer-to-peer conversation is part of daily
working relationships
• Live in local conditions, alongside local families
• Work is demanding and uncomfortable
• Volunteers only get paid essential travel and living costs
! "# $ %& # ' ( ) * +&%$%$% , ,- .#

11. CURRENTLY IN THE FIELD
! "# $ %& # ' ( ) * +&%$%$% , ,- .##

12. VOLUNTEERS IN 2002 ~ GOING WHERE?
South Africa
Tanzania
Zimbabwe
Bhutan
Cambodia
East Timor
Laos
Vietnam
Cook Islands
Papua New Guinea
PNG Bougainville
Samoa
Solomon Islands
Tokelau
Tonga
Vanuatu
! "# $ %& # ' ( ) * +&%$%$% , ,- .#

13. VOLUNTEERS IN 2002 ~ DOING WHAT?
Business Skill Building
Core Government Policy
Education - Planning
Education - School
Education - Teacher Training
Food Production
Healthcare - Hospital
Healthcare - Primary
Resource Planning & Use
Technical Skill Building
! "# $ %& # ' ( ) * +&%$%$% , ,- .#/

14. AGE PROFILE IN FIELD ~ 2004
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70
! "# $ %& # ' ( ) * +&%$%$% , ,- .#%

15. ! "# $ %& # ' ( ) * +&%$%$% , ,- .#,

16. OPPORTUNTIES TO APPOINTMENTS
Plenty of Kiwi talent
Plenty of need for aid
But
• Resource limits means only a few countries can be
served
• Assignment must be designed for the partner’s need
and capacity
• Volunteers don’t get paid
How efficient can the talent to
assignment match be?
! "# $ %& # ' ( ) * +&%$%$% , ,- .#&

17. WHAT DO VOLUNTEERS GET?
• One or two year assignment
• Travel to and from assignment
• Insurance
• Accommodation & utilities
• Allowances
– Initial allowance
– Living allowance
– Resettlement allowance
– No interest on student loans
! "# $ %& # ' ( ) * +&%$%$% , ,- .#

18. MATCHING TALENT WITH ASSIGNMENT
Why do people What does good work
volunteer? need?
• Want to learn about another • Commitment to development
country and culture • Skill to offer our partner
• Looking for a personal and • Mature, resilient and
professional challenge tenacious
• Do something rewarding and • Personally resourceful
worthwhile
• Open and agreeable
• Gain field experience
• Able to become involved in
• Different form of OE local community
! "# $ %& # ' ( ) * +&%$%$% , ,- .#0

19. TALENT MATCHING PROCESS
ATTRACTION
SELECTION
• Application form
• Referee information
• Shortlisting / initial screening
• Assessment a two-day process
POSTING
• Initial training briefing in Wellington
IN-FIELD
• Language and cultural training in country
RETURN
POST-RETURN
• Comprehensive assignment debriefing in Wellington
! "# $ %& # ' ( ) * +&%$%$% , ,- .#-

20. VSA STAFF
Wellington
• Chief Executive 1 full time
• International Programmes 9 full time, 1 part time
• Recruitment and Training 4 full time, 2 job sharing
• External Relations 3 full time, 2 part time
• Corporate Services 4 full time, 1 part time
– Financials aren’t simple when you have 150 people overseas
• IT and Planning 1 full time
In the Field
• One Kiwi in each: Cambodia, Bougainville, South Africa
• One local: Cambodia, South Africa, Bhutan, Vietnam, Tanzania
! "# $ %& # ' ( ) * +&%$%$% , ,- .

21. TALENT FOR ON-TASK AND OFF-TASK
PERFORMANCE
• To reduce the risk of hiring a person for the wrong reasons,
choose people based on whether there is evidence they can do
critical parts of the job: competency-based selection
– Research shows that selecting people for their cognitive ability and
‘integrity’ leads to hiring better performing people – these
characteristics seem important for doing almost all jobs well
– Research shows that interviewing for competence helps choose
good performers – gets direct evidence
• Evidence most commonly gathered for ‘on-task’ performance –
doing the work described in the job description
– Research shows that ‘off-task’ performance that makes a difference
to overall achievement but not individual output – aspects include
helping or coaching work-mates, improving work processes
• So overall ‘competence’ sought must include off-task attributes
or the people chosen may not have the relevant motives and
values
! "# $ %& # ' ( ) * +&%$%$% , ,- . #

22. VSA VOLUNTEER
‘PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES’
• Manage self
– Ability to maintain a positive approach in response to unfamiliar
circumstances and setbacks
• Manage relationships
– Ability to establish and maintain warm and effective communication
with others
• Manage diversity
– Ability to accept and adapt sensitively to a wide range of differing
values and norms, especially cultural and gender
! "# $ %& # ' ( ) * +&%$%$% , ,- .

23. ATTRIBUTE 3: MANAGE DIVERSITY
• Volunteers who demonstrate this attribute can accept and adapt
sensitively to a wide range of differing values and norms,
especially cultural and gender
– respond openly and with interest to different and unexpected
situations, people, ideas
– respect differences in values and maintain own values without
imposing them on others
– discern quickly the nature of differences and willingly adapt their
behaviour in groups different from their own
! "# $ %& # ' ( ) * +&%$%$% , ,- . /

24. VSA VOLUNTEER
WORKPLACE COMPETENCIES
• Manage activities
– Ability to use own initiative to create realistic structure and direction
to achieve assignment goals
• Establish positive workplace relationships
– Ability to build co-operative networks within existing organisational
and social structures
• Balance professional and community focus
– Ability to adapt professional style and expectations to suit the
requirements of the assignment context
• Take facilitative (developmental) approach
– Ability to maintain a primary focus on supporting, developing and
transferring skills to others
! "# $ %& # ' ( ) * +&%$%$% , ,- . %

25. COMPETENCY 4: TAKE FACILITATIVE
(DEVELOPMENTAL) APPROACH
• Volunteers who demonstrate this competency can maintain a
primary focus on supporting, developing and transferring skills to
others
– actively foster transfer of their (relevant) skill-set to their colleagues
through coaching, supervised practice and delegation
– consult others in developing plans, projects and ideas
– draw out and learn from the ideas of others
– use listening and facilitation skills to encourage others to participate
fully in managing their own issues and decisions
– willingly offer constructive suggestions without imposing ideas
! "# $ %& # ' ( ) * +&%$%$% , ,- . ,

26. WE LEARN A LOT FROM DEBRIEFING
Example Programme:
• 10.00 am – 11.00 am Selection Adviser
• 11.15am – 11.45 am Programme Officer (Viet Nam)
• 11.45 am – 12.45 pm Programme Manager (Asia)
• 12.45 pm – 1.30 pm Lunch
• 1.30 pm – 2.00 pm Recruitment & Training Manager
• 2.00 pm – 2.30 pm External Relations Manager
• 2.30 pm – 3.00 pm Corporate Service Manager
• 3.00 pm – 3..30 pm CEO
Finding out what worked well and what needs to
improve in all aspects of the assignment
! "# $ %& # ' ( ) * +&%$%$% , ,- . &

27. THE RIGHT TALENT ALWAYS GETS ON
WITH THE JOB AND WITH THE PEOPLE
• Do you have a clear, steady idea of what makes for success?
– In the job
– Around the job
• Do you have good candidates to choose from?
– Do you know why they choose you?
– Can many of them do the job well enough?
• Are you accurate and fair in choosing among your candidates?
– Do the ones you choose do well in practice?
– Are you happy with how long they stay?
• Are they leaving for the right reasons?
– What do they say about the work, their colleagues and “the firm”
– Do they have an accurate perception of their suitability for their work
Are you attracting the right talent?
! "# $ %& # ' ( ) * +&%$%$% , ,- .

28. ASSIGNMENT-TALENT MATCHING 2006~07
Assignments 104 Applicants 139
Cancelled* 10 10% Interviewed 86 62%
Progressing 32 31% Selected 70 50%
Filled 62 60% Declined offer* 8 6%
Posted 62 45%
* Typically, having learned more of the
* Typically, because of change of local reality of the assignment and
need or direction location
! "# $ %& # ' ( ) * +&%$%$% , ,- . 0

29. WHEN YOU HAVE LITTLE MONEY
Don’t give up – good talent can ...
• Be found with lower cost advertising, eg by word of mouth
• Have non-money motives – alternative OE
• Live without supervision and in challenging circumstances
• Persist and achieve – values are as critical as skills and abilities
“What can you contribute?” is an attractive
proposition
! "# $ %& # ' ( ) * +&%$%$% , ,- . -

30. HOW MIGHT A 21ST CENTURY LEADER ... ?
Provide frameworks Get the best from employees
• Set direction • Assessing the real work need
• Give feedback • Finding the right person
• Avoid controlling • Extension and sideways
development
• Motives and values
Develop managers and • The best practicable
potential leaders performance
• More than technical focus People in all career phases
• Winning support for soft skills • Generation Y differences
• Career development pathways
• Attractive working environment
! "# $ %& # ' ( ) * +&%$%$% , ,- ./

31. 21st CENTURY VSA
Volunteers are leaders who influence and coach –
and most stay until the job is done
• The assignment needs dictate the skills, attributes and
competencies for good candidates
• Competencies have field validity and are constantly refreshed
by feedback from returning volunteers;
• Programme succession matches client needs, not talent aims
• Succession means volunteers and partners evolve – some
take other assignments
• Hard and soft skills are in balance – and training will continue
to assist the balance for individual recruits
• The volunteer talent management process may extend to
permanent staff and to in-field performance coaching
• Age and skill profiles shows VSA is able to attract and deploy
widely varied people – eg, Generation Y with the Univol scheme
! "# $ %& # ' ( ) * +&%$%$% , ,- ./#

32. THANK YOU
! "# $ %& # ' ( ) * +&%$%$% , ,- ./