Changes in APA Writing Style 6th Edition (2006) to 7th Edition O

Changes in APA Writing Style 6th Edition (2006) to 7th Edition
OCT 2019 according to Streefkerk, 2019.
References and in-text citations in APA Style
When it comes to citing sources, more guidelines have been
added that make citing online sources easier and clearer. The
biggest changes in the 7th edition are:
1. The publisher location is no longer included in the reference.
Covey, S. R. (2013). The 7 habits of highly effective people:
Powerful lessons in personal change. New York, NY: Simon &
Schuster.
Covey, S. R. (2013). The 7 habits of highly effective people:
Powerful lessons in personal change. Simon & Schuster.
2. The in-text citation for works with three or more authors is
now shortened right from the first citation. You only include the
first author’s name and “et al.”.
(Taylor, Kotler, Johnson, & Parker, 2018)
(Taylor et al., 2018)
3. Surnames and initials for up to 20 authors (instead of 7)
should be provided in the reference list.
Miller, T. C., Brown, M. J., Wilson, G. L., Evans, B. B.,
Kelly, R. S., Turner, S. T., … Lee, L. H. (2018).
Miller, T. C., Brown, M. J., Wilson, G. L., Evans, B. B., Kelly,
R. S., Turner, S. T., Lewis, F., Lee, L. H., Cox, G., Harris, H.
L., Martin, P., Gonzalez, W. L., Hughes, W., Carter, D.,
Campbell, C., Baker, A. B., Flores, T., Gray, W. E., Green, G.,
… Nelson, T. P. (2018).
4. DOIs are formatted the same as URLs. The label “DOI:” is no
longer necessary.
doi: 10.1080/02626667.2018.1560449
https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2018.1560449
5. URLs are no longer preceded by “Retrieved from,” unless a
retrieval date is needed. The website name is included (unless
it’s the same as the author), and web page titles are italicized.

Walker, A. (2019, November 14). Germany avoids recession but
growth remains weak. Retrieved from
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-50419127
Walker, A. (2019, November 14). Germany avoids recession
but growth remains weak. BBC News.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-50419127
6. For ebooks, the format, platform, or device (e.g. Kindle) is
no longer included in the reference, and the publisher is
included.
Brück, M. (2009). Women in early British and Irish astronomy:
Stars and satellites [Kindle version].
https:/doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2473-2
Brück, M. (2009). Women in early British and Irish astronomy:
Stars and satellites. Springer Nature.
https:/doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2473-2
7. Clear guidelines are provided for including contributors
other than authors and editors. For example, when citing a
podcast episode, the host of the episode should be included; for
a TV series episode, the writer and director of that episode are
cited.
8. Dozens of examples are included for online source types
such as podcast episodes, social media posts, and YouTube
videos. The use of emojis and hashtags is also explained.
Inclusive and bias-free language
Writing inclusively and without bias is the new standard, and
APA’s new publication manual contains a separate chapter on
this topic.
The guidelines provided by APA help authors reduce bias
around topics such as gender, age, disability, racial and ethnic
identity, and sexual orientation, as well as being sensitive to
labels and describing individuals at the appropriate level of
specificity. Some examples include:
9. The singular “they” or “their” is endorsed as a gender-neutral
pronoun.
A researcher’s career depends on how often he or she is cited.
A researcher’s career depends on how often they are cited.

10. Instead of using adjectives as nouns to label groups of
people, descriptive phrases are preferred.
The poor
People living in poverty
11. Instead of broad categories, you should use exact age ranges
that are more relevant and specific.
People over 65 years old
People in the age range of 65 to 75 years old
APA Paper format
In the 7th edition, APA decided to provide different paper
format guidelines for professional and student papers. For both
types a sample paper is included. Some notable changes include:
12. Increased flexibility regarding fonts: options include Calibri
11, Arial 11, Lucida Sans Unicode 10, Times New Roman 12,
and Georgia 11.
13. The running head on the title page no longer includes the
words “Running head:”. It now contains only a page number and
the (shortened) paper title.
Running head: THE EFFECT OF GOOGLE ON THE
INTERNET
THE EFFECT OF GOOGLE ON THE INTERNET
14. The running head is omitted in student papers (unless your
instructor tells you otherwise).
15. Heading levels 3-5 are updated to improve readability.
Mechanics of style
In terms of style, not much has changed in the 7th edition. In
addition to some updated and better explained guidelines, there
are two notable changes:
16. Use only one space after a period at the end of a sentence.
17. Use double quotation marks to refer to linguistic examples
(e.g. APA endorses the use of the singular pronoun “they”)
instead of italics.
APA endorses the use of the singular pronoun they
APA endorses the use of the singular pronoun “they”

Reference
Streefkerk, R., (2019). APA Manual 7th edition: The most
notable changes. https://www.scribbr.com/apa-style/apa-
seventh-edition-changes/
SERGEANTS MAJOR ACADEMY
Department of Professional Studies
Lesson S301
Human Resource Management Processes and Systems
Reading A
Talent Management
Chapter 9
Trends and Future of
Talent Management
CHAPTER 9

CONTENTS
9.1. Introduction To Talent Management
................................................ 212
9.2. Why Does A Company Need Talent Management?
......................... 214
9.3. Importance of Talent Management
.................................................. 217
9.4. Changing Trend In Talent Management
........................................... 218
9.5. Challenges And Opportunities Faced By Talent
Management .......... 221
9.6. Next Generation of Talent Management
.......................................... 223
9.7. Talent Management In Accomplishing Competitive
Advantage ........ 226
9.8. The War For Talent
.......................................................................... 228
9.9. Recruitment And Retention
............................................................. 229
9.10. Conclusion
................................................................................... 230
9.11. Case Study: Best HR Practices Of International
Large Companies
......................................................................... 231

References
.............................................................................................
240
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EBSCO Publishing : eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) - printed
on 2/21/2021 4:32 PM via US ARMY SGTS MAJOR
ACADEMY
AN: 2324514 ; Sen, Susmita.; Talent Management
Account: s4061880.main.ehost
Talent Management212
As there is a growing recognition of the importance of human
resources in the or-
ganizations by the employers, they have started to invest more
time and money on
the talent management departments of their enterprises. The

trends in the talent
management field have been growing and changing with a rapid
pace, in the recent
past years, the managers have started to employ better methods
to look after the
employees and their skill sets. This chapter brings the focus of
the readers to the
various trends that have been developing in the organizations
and the future of talent
management in the corporate setup.
9.1. INTRODUCTION TO TALENT MANAGEMENT
Talent management is the most important topic in current times
and holds
a very important position in an organizational set up. The scope
of human
resources department in identifying high performing employees
and
retaining them with the organization is known as talent
management. Money
is not the only reason people join a company. Over the time,
they also
seek appraisal, incentives and extra income. Here comes the
role of talent
management team. Talent management aims to increase the
performance
of all the employees in a company by motivating and engaging
them to get
better output.
An experienced employee is an asset to the company; if they
leave the
organization both has to take a hit which can be controlled by
retention
of that employee. This is why talent management is important.
The team

knows which employee is important for the organization and
ensures that
they stay with the company for a longer time. With this action,
companies
can get a sustainable advantage of superseding their competitors
with highly
efficient staff.
Talent management is the set up, comprising human resources
department to manage their assets specially the employees. The
usage of
human resource through proper planning to improve the
business values, to
reach out the goals, is called talent management. Starting from
recruitment,
development, appraisals, including retention every activity is
required to be
performed with a strategic planning and appropriate workforce.
For an outstanding result, the talent management should be in
harmony
with the business strategy as they both are very which inter
connected. If
the talent management team and business are not aligned the
company will
not be able to achieve their goal and will lose the market. Every
company
should have an efficient team of human resources to recruit hard
working
people and talent management team should be efficient enough
to handle
those employees.
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Trends and Future of Talent Management 213
Finding hard working and good people with commitment
towards work
and ability to handle pressure is not an easy task, so a company
should never
let the employees go so easily. Every company wants to get the
competitor’s
employee; but it is not as easy as it may sound.
A hard-working employee is always required by the
competitor’s
company and they would always want to get them either by
offering
handsome salary or lucrative deals which an employee might
fall an easy
prey. To this, talent management should always try to get such
employees
stay with the company. If a company takes care of their
employee, people
are either satisfied, if not they start looking for better
opportunities.
Diving a little to the history of how the talent management as a
separate
management branch was discovered. The credit would go to
McKinsey
& Co (1997) and (1998), was officially penned down. In the
latter half
of the 2000s it become increasingly popular despite the fact that
it is still
considered closely associated with the human resources
activities. There are

no boundaries for efficient people; they have always risen above
the limits.
Talent management is not limited to a specific team or an
activity that
should be performed in collaboration with human resources
department;
rather managers in line should work on the developing skills of
their
subordinates. A talent management system has to be
implemented throughout
the organization and cannot be left out only up to the human
resources
department to attract and retain employee. It has to apply
through all levels
in an organization.
However, there has been observed that companies spend lots of
effort in
attracting people but do not spend much time in their retention
and overall
departments. This is a noticeable point which they tend to
ignore because if
the employees are not given attention after joining an
organization, they feel
left out and unwanted. Gradually they lose their interest in the
company and
start looking for new options of job.
Performance and potential are the two major factors through
which an
employee can be assessed. An employee’s performance can be
assessed
on the basis of work he is performing through key result area
(KRA) and
according to his/her potential. Primarily, assessment of an

employee’s
potential is important because depending on the current
performance the
future expectation in completing their targets can be set. Talent
management
decisions are often competency based as well, wherein along
with the
organizational competencies, positional competency is also
important.
The competency level includes various parameters like
knowledge,
experience and skills in addition to professional attitude
towards company’s
target. Few organizations also offer a talent market place where
instead of
forcing employees to do work as given by the company, they
can choose the
work themselves. It has been found to be productive and
attainment of target
is much easier in such scenario. However, it has its own
limitations too.
Conceding the fact, that this type of market place option is not
100%
successful because there is no fixed strategy on compl etion of
the chosen
work and an employee might not do the work according to

business ethics.
The idea behind promoting talent management is due to its vast
line of
action which starts from hiring to developing hidden ability of
the employee
and boost their confidence level by nurturing them. Ironically,
if employees
think that the company is not offering them what they deserve,
they quit.
With the infinite number of job options available in the market,
people are
not worried about getting a new job. In fact, if an employee
leaves it is more
challenging for a company to find their best replacement, which
needs time
and energy and may result in delayed deliverance of the project
also.
This has intensified the situation for the organization who can
hire best
people from the industry, but their retention and making them
comfortable
with the organizational culture has become the biggest
challenge. Few
organizations found the concept of talent management
unethical; may be
then, when they are at the losing end or they lose their high
worth employees.
Nevertheless, in the growing slit throat market the working
pattern of talent
management sounds really fair as everybody seeks their
company growth.
Nonetheless, it is not a charity but a quest of survival.
9.2. WHY DOES A COMPANY NEED TALENT MAN-

AGEMENT?
One might wonder! There are so many people out there who are
more hard
working than the ones already working in the organization, then
why do we
need to put efforts in retaining them? Or why can’t we sack the
employees
who underperform and hire new employee? The answer to this
could be, we
know that it’s the people who take the organization to next
people.
To achieve the target set by the organization, every time they
cannot rely
on new employees; companies need to have experienced and
trusted people
who can manage the challenges on the way of its execution and
deal with the
related people. An organization is a profit earning entity and not
an institute
who would spare their money on underperforming employee or
an amateur.
Here the talent management system comes in the play, they
scrutinize the
new hiring, at the same time they keep a track of employee’s
performance
and recognizes the people who can accompany the organization

in achieving
the goals.
Talent management can be considered as big as human resources
department in any organization. Different organizations have
the strength and
capable team according to the organization size to use talent
management for
their benefits. The talent management team can conduct survey,
interview or
may be group discussion to find out about employees working
experience
and how they are satisfied with their related jobs, how well they
understand
the organizational goals.
Such an activity also helps in identifying the potential
employees and
mapping them for the future investments of the company. There
are various
other reasons why it is important to have a talent management
team in an
organization namely- choosing right person at right place,
timely rotation of
employee, hiring the right people, professional development of
employee,
retaining talent and understanding employees. Detailed
description is as
mentioned below:
• Right person at right place: selecting a person is one thing
but placing him at the right job profile is very important. It is of
utmost importance that a person(s) professional qualification is
scrutinized and well thought off before they are hired and
ensured
that they fit right in the position. It is only through the proper

ascertainment of skills, strength and experience any employee
can be fitted well in a position to deliver the best. Somebody
who
does not possess the quality to hold the position is a failure for
the organization.
• Timely rotation of employee: If the organization has realized
that an employee is not fit for the position he is at, it is
important
to rotate his designation according to the qualification and not
as
required by the organization. Importantly, from the perspective
of
organization and employee both, right person can be beneficial
for
the company and will also increase the productivity of
employee.
However, an analysis of performance data can help in
identifying the
situation like this. Moreover, it increases the satisfaction level
of employee
as well.
• Hiring the right people: How does a company progress? What
are the strengths of a company? Where does the income
generated
from? These questions might look different with the words used

but the answer to them is a single word and that is “employee.”
A company can make progress with its employees, the strength
of every
company is its employees, and it is the employees who are the
income
generators. The quality of every organization is the workforce
they have
and to have better hiring it is important to have better people to
hire the
employee. Primarily, that is one of the important reason talent
management
has become integral part of human resource processes.
• Professional development of employee: Organizations are
of the opinion to make their employees confident of handling
various projects individually. It is beneficial for the growth of
organization and employee both. When an organizatio n realizes
the potential employee, they find it beneficial to invest in their
professional development as well.
There are many organizations who conduct management
programs
on their own expenses and on completion they transfer the
employees to
related departments. The investment is not solely done on the
employee
rather it is for the enhancement of their growth, succession,
performance
and management skills which helps in goal achievement.
• Retaining talent: Foundation of every organization is the
tenured
employee. Retaining talented people of the organization is very
important to have constant place in the market. It can certainly
grow but cannot face a dip. With the growing global economy,

attrition and retention have been simultaneously working at a
faster pace.
No organization has been untouched with these aspects; every
one of
them is facing this issue. Companies are putting are efforts in
retaining
the top employees so that they do not rule out the leadership in
market.
Succession and employee’s growth are important factors
through which
employees can be retained and additionally timely rewards,
incentives
schemes are few others.
• Understanding employees: Analysis of data shows a clear
picture on the performance chart of an organization. At the
same time, it also highlights that how employees have proven
themselves beneficial in achieving the company’s target as
well. It is important to understand the need and expectation of
employees and accordingly they can be nurtured and motivated.
Since everyone seeks for a professional going career it is
essential to understand their requirements in terms of monetary
and progression.
9.3. IMPORTANCE OF TALENT MANAGEMENT
Selecting an employee and their efficient placement is very

important.
Though it depends on the qualification and experience they
possess to
deliver the best in the role offered. It is to be remembered that a
wrong
placement of employee can double the problem, as it will hit the
task in
non-completion, wastage of time, money and resources.
Irrespective of how
genius and productive an employee could be, but a wrong
placement will
only worsen the situation.
The entire process of talent management takes a complete set
back if
the best talent is not chosen for the organization. Apart from a
strong talent
management system, culture of the organization also determines
their rating
suitability of the work place. Moreover, if the employees are
satisfied about
the talent management system of their organization, they
become more
confident and understand that they will be given importance and
weight age
depending on their working data.
The selection of people with appropriate skills required for the
organization and utilizing their potentials to the fullest is the
work of talent
management. Starting from attractive pay outs, rewards and
recognition,
timely incentives, compensation is also considered to be a prime
factor in
talent management. This comes only when the right people for
the designation

have been selected and the monetary benefits work on the
competitive facet
which compels employee to earn more by performing extra
ordinarily.
More importantly, in today’s time people are of the mindset that
they
should deliver less and get more. This more can go up to the
benefits of
health insurance, reimbursements of unused paid leaves and so
on. On the
contrary, in the present times, organizations are not bothered of
giving extra
benefits to their employees but want the maximum output from
them.
However, this has to be taken care by talent management that a
deserving
candidate gets the most in comparison to others, which further
helps, in
retaining them with the company and encouraging for good
performances.
The most important functions talent management has to perform
are:
• Increase in the organization’s productivity;
• Growth and innovation both for the employees and the

organization;
• Employees skill and competency development while ensuring
high performance;
• Getting top talents for the industry into the organization and
giving timely benefits;
• Recruitment of right person to save time; instead of carrying
on
with an unskilled workforce which leads to wastage and delayed
in project delivery and can be high at cost.
Poor employee engagement has direct links with retention issues
later
which can be at cost of the business. Addressing staff and
understanding
their concerns, challenges they face results in better retention
when required
and considerate level of motivation and commitment towards
work. Until
now we have understood that with highly skilled workforce,
business can
be benefited and a vice versa situation can land the organization
in difficult
position.
With an ineffective talent management team, the business can
suffer in
terms of taking more time in completion of task and might
involve errors
which could be irrecoverable. However, there is always a
chance wherein
the training can also not help in delivering the project if the
employees are
not skilled. Hiring skilled employees and boosting up their

confidence level
both go side by side.
9.4. CHANGING TREND IN TALENT MANAGEMENT
Organizations have reported a major area of concern in finding
suitable
candidates for their organization. By the time people walk out
for an
interview they expect companies to hire them irrespective of
whether they
fulfill the requirement of the job or not and train them
accordingly. Perhaps
it is the most difficult way of hiring because it involves a lot of
risk.
It is being observed that once people learn the skill of a
particular
profession and instead of staying with the company, they start
looking for
new job opportunities. In today’s time, where the competition is
on rise,
companies find it difficult to hire people with less qualification
and they do
not intend to put effort in clearing their basic concept.
Steven Hankin from McKinsey & Company first used the term
“War
of Talent” in 1997 which highlighted the growing competitive
scale for

recruiting and retaining the talented employees. However, talent
poaching is
also done by solvent firms who tend to gain more market share.
The scarcity
of skilled employees is not restricted to starting level but it
starts from top
to bottom. In the competitive world recruiting right people is as
difficult as
maintaining company’s place in market.
Every single step is equally challenging and calls for better
management
skills to follow them. Development, deployment and retaining
employees
are three major factors that are in high action in almost al l the
organizations.
Primarily, the main objective of talent management is to enable
and develop
people, as the organization is recognized more by the staff they
have.
Talent management is looked upon as an important part of
human
resources department and growing every day as a discipline.
Few trends
that have been seen over few years are talent promotion, pool of
talent,
interconnectivity between technology and talent management
and growing
population demands more jobs. An elaborated description is
mentioned
below.
9.4.1. Talent promotion

With the skills that matches the requirement of organization a
person is
hired. When they fit into the skill set bracket; their process of
development
starts and their evaluation too.
No employee would like to stay on a designation for a longer
time.
If the talent management finds him/her potential enough to stay
with the
organization they start putting retention efforts and so as their
growth cycle.
Empowered employee means empowered organization.
9.4.2. Pool of Talent
People say that the world is full of talented pool; they might be
true but you
cannot hire all the talented people into your organization.
Human resources
department has to identify who among all the options available
is best
suitable candidate for their required skills from this pool of
talent.
Figure 9.1: There is a big pool of talent from which the
managers can select the
talent, and this is increasing in terms of skills.

Source: https://media.defense.gov/2019/
Jul/26/2002163108/600/400/0/190724-N-QL258–0073.JPG
9.4.3. Interconnectivity between Technology and Talent Man-
agement
Technology has increasingly added comfort to people life. With
access to
online portals employees can raise their concerns and apply for
various
beneficial schemes introduced by organization. Same is the case
with
reporting concern and share feedback about the company.
This activity saves a lot of time both for the employee and the
concern
talent management department as they do not have to meet them
personally,
instead can handle the situation through online communication.
However, it
might differ depending on different situation.
9.4.4. Growing Population Demands More Jobs
Increasing population is directly influencing the demand of jobs
across the
globe. For instance, India has the maximum number of youths,
and certainly
they need to create more jobs to have everybody working and
get them
recruited. But how many of them get success in getting a job.
The numbers are limited due to educational qualification,
technical
knowledge, and skill set. Even in the near future United States
of America

will have shortage of 10 million workers, as suggested by
reports.
9.5. CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FACED BY
TALENT MANAGEMENT
There is no deficiency of professionals but there has been a
shortfall of
talented professionals. This fact has been globally accepted and
has emerged
as an area of big concern. Every year across the worl d huge
numbers of
management students pass out from schools and start looking
for job as
professionals.
Figure 9.2: Challenges and opportunities that are faced by the
talent manage-
ment.
This is applicable to other professions too and not only for
management.
The situation is similar in developed countries as well; as the
increasing
number of populations the demand for jobs is also increasing
every year. The
differential gap is not because of the increasing population but
the growing
gap between new generation and retiring people. A survey
suggested that

East Asian countries have the maximum number of young
people but they
lack the requisite quality of education and skill set. This has
given birth
to demographics challenges which are majorly faced by
companies in the
present time.
Demographic challenges are more problematic in global context
and
simpler in local. Nevertheless, be it a global issue or a local
challenge,
problems faced by talent management is similar in both the
aspects. The
details analysis of challenges faced by talent management is
namely-
recruiting the talent, training and development of talent,
retaining talent,
developing leadership talent and creating ethical culture.
Elaborated version
as mentioned below.
9.5.1. Recruiting the Talent
The recession in last decade made us witness the biggest
economic
downturn and job cuts globally. Only those who were the most
important to
the organization were retained while rests were asked to leave.

It happened
across all the levels of management in every organization.
The retained employees were considered as those who did not
leave
the sinking ship and stood with the company in the toughest
phase. There
is no denial to the fact that recruitment of such talent is
necessary by talent
management in identifying the people who can be beneficial for
the company
in its thick and thin.
9.5.2. Training and Development of Talent
The decade old economic downturn also highlighted that
organizations
can focus on newer model of employment like part time
jobholders, or job
on contractual basis or temporary workers. However, it is
challenging to
increase their stake in the business and complete the work on
time.
9.5.3. Retaining Talent
Primarily, the objective of organizations is to achieve their
goals. In order to
do so the talent management team has to identify which
employee to retain
and which one must be sacked so that they can get good returns.
Though it
is in best interest of the organization but every employee thinks
of himself
as the most talented one among all.
No employee will welcome the decision of retention of their
colleague

and he/she being sacked on performance grounds. This spreads
an uncertainty
even among those who have been retained that one day they
might also face
the same issue. To overcome the situation, it is important to
train and invest
in the crisis management development of the employee to
control retention.
9.5.4. Developing Leadership Talent
Having an effective leader can help any organization to come
out of crisis
situation, deal unplanned issues with efficiency, set goals and
meet them on
time efficiently. Talent management identifies the people from
within the
organization who can stand in critical situation.
9.5.5. Creating Ethical Culture
Having a healthy professional environment in an organization is
the sole
responsibility of talent management because an ethical and
cultural ambience
creates positivity among the employees. This becomes
challenging if
different line of managers is not in harmony with their
subordinates and the
targets are not achieve.

They receive huge amount of pressure from the management
which
results in disturbing culture as it increases frustration level of
the employee.
9.6. NEXT GENERATION OF TALENT MANAGEMENT
Figure 9.3: A layout showing the things that are coming up in
talent manage-
ment.
The challenges faced by HR department are gaining much
attention.
Though human resources study has been well acknowledged and
duly
accepted as separate field in academics but its challenges are
also gaining
attention. Acting as an integral part of every organization,
people are hired
within the department with utmost care and the expense
companies bear on
the development of the department is all time high.
The idea behind human resources department is to recruit
efficient
people at vacant positions. Further the companies might ask for

infinite
number of activities to be completed by them. On the contrary,
talent
management system has become more of a boardroom
discussion as it
demands the employee of this department to be a strategist,
recruiter, coach,
and a governing authority for the organization.
The next level of talent management is viewed in the light of
processes
that are attractive and can be applied in the organizations.
Companies are
aiming to make the best use of different processes of
performance, talent
management, leadership and recruitment together to gain
success. People in
today’s time possess all type of information of any topic they
may be asked
about which in turn works as an asset for the company in the
competitive
atmosphere.
This has also increased the amount invested by organizations by
two third
in comparison to the other resources of the company. Talent
management has
a diverse success future as it is helping organizations in gaining
recognition
and goals are achievable.
The trends like workforce demographics, clarity in job
specification,
strategies for recognition and development and training
strategies;
organization can boast up their skills for future is mentioned

below.
9.6.1. Workforce Demographics
It has been very well taken, that second to the capital involved
in the
business, employees are the important resources that has to be
taken care of,
motivated, and retained. Talent manage ment is expected to have
a futuristic
view and better understanding of workspace demographics.
Main objective
of the organizations is to have huge return on investments and it
is through
improved human resources that the investment can be achieved
in high
numbers.
Talent management can help in reducing the cost in such cases.
Talent
management team can do analysis of data in understanding the
workforce
demographics like gender, age, position, and so on. This
analysis of data
can help identifying the employees who can be retained in
longer run as
their performance is measured and the generation changes. With
constant

and regular checks on workforce demographics organization can
identify
the gaps in talent for the critical positions.
9.6.2.ClarityinjobSpecification
This is increasing with increase in employee’s awareness of
what they want
from their employers. Employer thrive hard in finding a suitable
person for
the position, effectively it is important to provide detailed
description of job
profile to the new recruitment and ensure clarity on the subject
matter. Well-
defined description only helps in job satisfaction of the
employee and high
return of productivity.
By a clear explanation of job profile there is more job
satisfaction and
also it shortlists the right candidate for the profile which saves
time. Hence,
it makes the recruitment process more straight forward. This is
gaining
more popularity due to the multiple data analytical tools
available for the
identification of right talent.
9.6.3. Strategies for Recognition
Every management team needs to have a strategy before taking
any decision.
So, as it is required by talent management is finding future
talent, their
engagement and rewarding employees. There has been sudden
development
in shifting of focus from a generalized way of dealing all the
employees to

personalized dealing of a single employee.
It is a worldwide fact that the pay packages of employees even
at a same
level differ and they are expected not to be disclosed. This is
yet another
wonderful management strategy to pay differently depending on
the skills
of different employees.
9.6.4. Development and Training Strategies
The training and development strategies are very important to
prepare
employees for the future. Talent management teams should
organize more
such programs which can enhance the development skills of the
people in
the organization.
Development and training should be on the top most priority list
to ensure
the competitiveness of organization in the market and high
satisfaction
level and thirst for progression of the employees. Mentoring,
motivational
and experience developing programs should be implemented as
the part of

employee’s development.
9.7. TALENT MANAGEMENT IN ACCOMPLISHING
COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
Competitive advantage is a circumstance that puts a company on
a much
higher position than its rival. The main objective of
organization is to
achieve the mission and send out a clear indication about the
vision of the
company. In order to achieve the objective, it is important to
understand the
resources of the company and make every employee a part of
this mission.
Be it the improvement plans of the company or seizing the
competitive
advantage, the common among both is the denominator which is
the
employee. It completely depends on the caliber of an employee
whether a
plan would be successful or a failure. In almost all the
company’s payroll
department is the highest expense recurring section. Though it
is their sole
responsibility to make optimum use of monthly investment and
minimize
the expenditure.
Figure 9.4: The various aspects of talent management for
accomplishing com-
petitive advantage.

In order to have a competitive advantage through the human
resources
department it is important to have differentiating strategic
capabilities,
identify them and then later find a process of developing those
strategies.
This process helps human resources department in making
impact on
organizational strategy and relates it deeply with the talent
management.
Talent management needs to be valued for its differentiating
strategic
capabilities as it offers substantial competitive advantage.
Making
improvements in organization through talent management
practices, it helps
improving four major challenging areas which are recruitment,
performance
and learning, leadership development, and bottom up
communications.
9.7.1. Recruitment
The first and the foremost step to start on talent management
lineup are
to understand the practices followed for hiring process. Is the
job posted
by a company reaching the right candidate? Is the selection
process strong
enough to estimate the correct value of the vacant position on
how important

that designation is for the betterment of the company? Do
managers have the
ample training samples and staff to provide training to new
joiners and judge
their level of motivation?
Anyone can hire a person but it takes special skill set to get best
talent out
of the crowd who is suitable for the organization. Competent
and motivated
hiring is of supreme importance for the organization as it can
deliver high
compounding dividends in future.
9.7.2. Performance and Learning
Those employees without goals are burden on the company
whereas those
with performance and learning capabilities are advantage.
Talent needs to
be tangible and should be empowered with relentless supply of
performance
development and training through which employee can be
empowered.
9.7.3. Leadership
A leader can be successful only when his subordinates work
together with
him or her. In an organizational step a team achievement is not
only the
success of manager alone, it is the achievement made by team
effort, so is
the failure. Managers need their subordinate more than the team
needs their
manager.

9.7.4. Bottom Up Communications
Feedback is the basis to survive in the competitive market. Even
after
the product is launched companies send out their representatives
to talk
to customer and take their feedback and responses on the basis
of which
decisions can be taken.
Same should be the communication level in an organizatio n. On
the
contrary, the communication flows from top to bottom which is
80% of the
times reached but when it comes to bottom up only 20% is
reached out. With
an improper communication pattern and without understanding
the concern
of ground root level policies are made and implied.
Only the companies that can identify the actual talent of its
employee
in connection with the culture and vision can enjoy competitive
recruitment
advantage. Talent is a valuable essence of an individual that
needs to be
nurtured, praised and used fully to get the favorable results.
Certainly not
with forced policies and employee exploitation. When an
organization offers

a trustable career path, they get loyalty and commitment
towards work
by the employee. Competitors generally produce same products
and later
deploy them for another product and services some gain success
for being
the early adopters while some lay behind due to technological
standpoint.
9.8. THE WAR FOR TALENT
It is now a globally accepted fact that finding suitable talent for
a position
in an organization has become challenging and tedious task.
Though there is
a separate department working as an organization itself but it
has created a
hunt to get the employee in their organizations. Everybody is
running to get
the most talented employee recruited for the betterment of their
company.
This search of perfect employee has turned into a war like
situation fought
on both the sides.
On the one hand companies are fighting to get best talent for the
companies
and on the other hand workforce is striving to get maximum
advantage
from the companies. With the increased existence level of
multinational
companies like Google, Microsoft at global stage, the war has
fueled up
rest of the organization; and as a result, their employees are
demanding
increased salaries, perks and incentives. Few are offering work
from home

advantages and crèches for their children as well. The
expectation level of
employees has up surged the need to develop stronger talent
management
system so that the best employee stays with the company at
what so ever
benefit is required.
It is common news these days, where we hear about how these
multinational firms hire yet to be graduated students on high
salaries. This
shows how important a company finds the process of hiring the
best talents of
the industries even before they complete their education. A
study suggested
that in United States people from Asian business industries are
preferred
more for the reason of successful history of Asian clans in the
US.
This has made business schools more centered and targeted to
get their
students hired by foreign countries more than that of their owns.
The other
probable reason could be skill set, training and aptitude which
have created
difference among graduates of eastern to western countries. On
the contrary,

this has created a troublesome situation for companies in
national set up as
they are given less weight age by these institutes. However, the
recruitment
pool is so large that all of them get accommodated but domestic
organizations
are given later dates when the best are already sorted out.
War for talent is also closely related with demographics as well.
Most
companies do not accept the fact of attrition and certainly not
with the
retention. However, attrition at the top managerial level is
always very
low. But at the ground level, the reality of attrition and
employee retention
is always happening. But the war for talent is always going on
with
demographics basis.
Recruitment and retention of the best people is essential, but the
competition is extreme wherein employees may feel less loyal
to the
company and quick opt for changing the job the moment a tough
situation
occurs in their organization. Other recruiters from the
competitors company
try to take advantage of this situation by hiring the unhappy
employee in
their organization. Of course, they look out for the best in the
competitive
firm. To avoid such a situation companies must ensure to keep
the people
engaged and do not leave the organization for better
opportunities.

9.9. RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION
Recruitment and retention both work simultaneously. Someone
who is hired
today in an organization would definitely look out for new
opportunities and
the human resources department will try to retain them. Only if
he/she is the
best talent of the industry and can deliver best results. In the
hiring process,
human resources department come across several individuals
who are
different from each other on the basis of educational
qualification, attitude,
knowledge, experience and so as their motivational scale. One
might be
motivated by the incentives and the other might look for
professional growth.
How does the talent management team identify such factors and
deal
with it? A different strategy is required for every individual as
they cannot
be judged on one single scale. Well the ratio of people who are
more money
focused needs regular rewards and appraisal system; failing this
they often
switch jobs who offer them additional perks and benefits
irrespective of

growth and professional development.
Such people can be identified by scrutinizing their resumes and
finding
out how frequently they have been changing job and their salary
increase
pattern. Moreover, employee with money motivation can no
longer be
considered as asset for the company, in fact there are more
chances of them
leaving the job at any point.
Understanding the stability of an individual can be cross-
verified
with what is mentioned on their resume. People with
knowledgeable
and experienced background are more likely to be hired by
different
organizations. However, the spontaneity will speak of the talent
the moment
their work with the organization starts.
Past experiences and average tenure of a prospective employee
can tell
a lot about their professional skills and competencies. When an
employee
joins an organization that orientation and induction are
inducted; in those
few hours of official joining employee take a decision on how
long they
intend to continue with the company. This has been studied in a
report
conducted on the surveys of Indian IT companies. It is high
time for the
company to put lasting impression on the new joiners of the
company on the

first meeting itself.
In an organizational set up every single individual is an
employee; the
difference is their work area and deliverance. Recruiters are not
the owners
of the company yet they have to ensure a cultured, motivating
and refreshing
environment to the employees. They add mentorship to their
profile and
pacify annoyed employees and often suggest ways to come out
of the
difficult situation. Recruitment process might end once the
person has been
hired but the task never ends up.
9.10. CONCLUSION
In a more understandable language, talent management is a
process which
aims to drive performances through integrated management
practices with
employees. Talent management is not just attracting people to a
company,
rewarding, appraising and so on, it is a never-ending process
and requires lot
of actions with continuous efforts.
Even if a company has managed to hire best employee their

work cannot
be considered as done, they need to ensure to offer something
beyond his/
her expectation and then to make him/her stay in the
organization. Only
hiring is not the task done, it involves more than the hiring.
9.11. CASE STUDY: BEST HR PRACTICES OF INTER-
NATIONAL LARGE COMPANIES
Knowledge put in context carries enormous power. The context
not only
teaches and gives a model example, but also inspires and
energizes. You
will often learn more from a case study than from a lengthy
theoretical
article. The goal of this paper on the Best HR Practices of
International
Large Companies is to tell instructive and inspiring stories, the
success
stories told by our interviewees, from which other HR managers
and senior
managers interested in HR can draw ideas for the development
of their own
organization.
9.11.1. How to attract and keep talents?
Most dilemmas and questions of the HR managers and senior
managers
involved in the research could relate to the topic of talent
management.
Obviously, attracting and keeping talents is an issue of high
concern today
for most Hungarian companies. With the ageing of the
population and the
parallel decline in the supply of young and talented labor, the
fight for the

talented is becoming keener among the companies.
9.11.1.1. Satisfied HR Managers
Most of the interviewed large companies have some type of
programme to
identify and develop “talented” staff members. According to the
conclusions
of the questionnaire survey, the majority (70%) of HR managers
are satisfied
with the talent management system operated at the company.
Nevertheless,
they are most interested in further new methods.
The HR staff and the management obviously consider talent
management
a field where development must not stop. However, satisfied
you are with
your established talent management system, you must keep
looking for new
and even better options, as witnessed by the questions and
dilemmas shown
above the title.
9.11.1.2. Half of Hungarian Companies Are Given Carte
Blanche
There is a major gap between the Hungarian subsidiaries of
multinational
companies in terms of the degree of freedom provided to them

by the regional
and global headquarters in the development of the talent
management
system. Around half of HR managers completing the
questionnaire declared
that the Hungarian subsidiary had relative (or absolute) freedom
to make
decisions on the issue, and only a single one said that the
corporate talent
management system was absolutely centralized. Apparently, that
is, most
Hungarian multinational companies have some liberty in the
development/
upgrading of the talent management system.
9.11.2. How do CEOs See the Issue?
Our experience – confirmed by the respondent HR managers – is
that the
personal commitment of the No1 leader is one of the main
preconditions
of an effective talent management programme. Several
interviewees agreed
that winning the senior management for the cause and raising
their attention
were key success criteria. At some places this is a given, at
others, however,
the support of the senior management is the result of the
persistent efforts of
the HR manager.
9.11.2.1. Talent Management is not in the Focus of the CEOs
According to the lessons of PwC’s 2012 research, Hungarian
HR professionals
are in a more difficult situation in that regard than their
colleagues abroad.
Whereas the CEOs participating in global surveys ranked talent

management
highest when they had to indicate the area that was most
important in the
life of the firm, Hungarian ones gave it the 10th, i.e., the last
place. In the
international sample, 78% of top managers were of the opinion
that talent
management was on the brink of great changes. In Hungary,
however, only
3% of CEOs think that the accessibility of talented people will
change in the
future. The above data and findings make it clear that talent
management
represents a problem of utmost importance for the international
market, but
Hungarian company managers do not consider the issue
particularly urgent.
What could be the reason for that? There are several possible
explanations.
9.11.2.2. Short-Term Thinking
Talent management programmes do not promise a spectacular
increase of
company profits in the short-term, so they may easily be outside
the focus
of senior managers thinking in a perspective of 1–2 years. Cost-
cutting

strategies may seem a simpler and more efficient solution since
their results
manifest themselves at the time of next year’s closing.
Furthermore, everyday
operation always raises many urgent/important tasks for the
managers, so
focus on talent management may get lost. Serious problems due
to the lack
of talent nurturing will probably appear in 3–4 years’ time.
And, in Hungary,
few company managers think in terms of such a long time
perspective.
Thus CEOs often fall into the classical Eisenhower matrix trap:
they
relegate into the background/postpone the topic of talent
management as
one that is important, but does not appear to be urgent at the
moment.
9.11.2.3. Be Glad You Have A Job
With the protraction of the crisis, many CEOs assume that
employees will
not quit under such grave circumstances or, if they do, it is easy
to replace
them with other professionals from the labor market. This logic,
however,
does not apply to the really talented employees, i.e., those who
produce
outstanding value for the employer firm through their work.
For, they are
the persons who the head-hunters seek out even at times of
crisis and who,
if they are dissatisfied with their employers, can easily change
jobs and be
certain of being in demand in the labor market due to their gifts.

9.11.3. Criteria for Developing a Successful Talent Manage-
ment Concept
Before the presentation of Hungarian best practices that came to
light during
the research, let us highlight some criteria and trends to be
taken into account
when a corporate talent management programme is being
introduced.
9.11.3.1. Generation Y – Other Demands
To design an effective talent programme, you must take into
consideration
the typical features of the target group. What do the young
talents of our
days aspire for? How can they be motivated, how could they be
retained
by the company in the longer term? Note that the demands,
motivations,
ambitions of Generation Y may be different, even significantly,
from those
of the professionals and managers, typically members of
Generation X, who
initiate the talent programmes. This is why programmes
designed for young
talents often comprise components that would be attractive to a
member
of Generation X, but do not meet the demands of one of
Generation Y.
The same error is frequent also in recruitment strategies: the
recruitment

tools and the relevant communication are not adjusted to the
needs of the
targeted generation. A thorough knowledge of Generation Y is
imperative
for effective talent management. We shall devote a separate
chapter in the
paper to Generation Y.
9.11.3.2. Some Features of Generation Y
• On the lookout for novelties
• Deliberate career-building
• Influenced by brand names
• Demands immediate feedback
• Finds it important to be involved in decision-making
• Appreciates value-generation
• More loyal to own career than to the company
• Driven by the experience of work
9.11.3.3. Raise the Returns; Keep in Touch with Those Who
Leave
You
Talent development and training is not a cheap business. It
requires major
investment on behalf of the firm, which will produce returns
only if the staff
member participating in the talent programme stays with the
company to
generate profits there based on the knowledge and skills
acquired during the
training period. The members of Generation Y, however, are
increasingly
mobile; they change their workplace more easily, and hence

there is little
guarantee for actually collecting the returns.
A classical method for boosting the ROI is to have study
contracts signed,
but this carries a negative message for many young people who
regard it as a
measure limiting their freedom. A growing number of
companies has realized
that the returns on talent programmes can be enhanced also by
nurturing
intensive contacts with the talented staff members leaving the
company,
and by leaving the gate open for their return – maybe to a
definitely higher
position. Contact keeping (in the form of regular e-mails, news
about the
results of the company, targeted information on open positions)
imply lower
costs than the identification of new staff members.
9.11.3.4. Talented, But How About Commitment?
Many companies commit the error of assuming automatically
that staff
members with outstanding abilities will also be loyal and
committed to
the company. However, according to the 2009 survey of the
Corporate

Leadership Council (CLC) (which interviewed a total of 20,000
young
talents of more than 100 companies)
• One-quarter of the talents plan to leave the company within 12
months,
• One-third of the talented admit they do not work at 100%,
• Four-out-of-ten talents do not trust their colleagues and even
less
the senior management.
The reason for this phenomenon is that these persons are aware
of their
own abilities and the availability of alternative options at other
companies.
Their expectations match their outstanding talents. According to
the relevant
researches, recession has decreased the loyalty of the talented
for their
company, but that, in turn, has been conducive to a decrease in
performance,
since it is difficult to produce maximum performance without
commitment
to your company.
What lessons does that offer for talent management? The main
conclusion is that talent programmes should have a positive
impact not only
on competence development, but also on attitudes and on
commitment to the
company, or else the investment will yield no returns.
9.11.3.5. Career Development Paths
Talented employees are educated/trained and developed in vain

if no career
development options exist for them at the company. As shown
already, the
members of Generation Y assign particular importance to their
professional
career, so in order to keep the best, you must be able to offer
them, realistic
career options. Multinational companies have an advantage in
this respect
over Hungarian ones, since they can offer a stay abroad to
Generation Y
members open for that.
Nevertheless, many companies do not profit from this option:
• They do not establish appropriate contacts with the parent
company and with other subsidiaries that would let an
increasing
number of young Hungarians work abroad.
• They do not support their talented colleagues in becoming
visible
in the international arena.
• They do not make it clear during recruitment that the company
offers an option to work abroad.
• They are worried for the talented staff members (lest they

should
be “taken,” e.g., by the Germans), as a result of which the
talents
often end up at their rivals.
• They do not keep in touch with colleagues working abroad,
and
often lose their chance to re-employ them and make them put
their talents at the service of the Hungarian company.
Enlightened companies treat the domestic and foreign career
options
with deliberation, and this is a considerable asset in keeping
their talents.
9.11.3.6. Only One-Third of High Performers Are Genuine
“High-Potential” Staff Members
As mentioned already, commitment is a major criterion to be
taken into
account when designing talent programmes. Let us add that
ambition is
at least as important when it comes to deciding whether to
invest in the
development of a certain person to help his/her progress to the
next career
level (e.g., a higher managerial position).
According to the CLC research quoted above, only one third of
staff
members performing well in their actual position can be
regarded as having
high potential. As for the remaining two thirds, one of the
following three
constituents is mission: abilities, commitment or ambition
needed for
progress.

Committed dreamers: These persons are characterized by high
commitment and high ambitions, but their skills needed for
progress are
poor. About 7% of employees showing good performance in
their current
position fall into this category. If the committed dreamer is
raised to a higher
position, and he cannot enhance his skills radically within a
short time, the
probability of success in the new position is practically zero.
Stars with no commitment: 30% of persons showing good
performance
in their current position fall into this category. They command
the skills and
ambitions needed for progress, but their commitment to the
organization is
low. This profile warrants success in case of progress in 13% of
the cases
only. If, however, the company takes deliberate steps to
enhance their
commitment, these starts may later become highly successful
leaders.
Stars without ambition: They are talented and committed, but do
not
aspire to be promoted. 33% of the current high performers can
be assigned

to this category. If they are nevertheless promoted, the
probability of good
performance is 44%, that is, much higher than for the previous
two profiles.
This is attributable among other things to the changes in
ambition and
individual goals with time. Therefore, it is important for the
company to
obtain a correct picture of the ambitions and goals of the talents
and to take
promotion decisions accordingly.
The main conclusion is that the assessment of the skills and
abilities,
but also of commitment and ambition are indispensable for the
development
of a talent management concept and the planning of the career
paths of the
talented. Often the methodology applied for selecting someone
to be included
in the talent pool (typically DC) focuses exclusively on the
assessment of
skills and abilities, disregarding commitment and ambition. The
negative
consequences of this attitude are frequently experienced, e.g.,
when
• a talent selected for the management replacement programme
leaves the company after the completion of the programme to
use
knowledge acquired there elsewhere (star with no commitment).
• the negative attitude of a promoted talent has a destructive
effect

on the team (star with no commitment).
• a colleague terminating the management replacement
programme
successfully does not agree to be promoted (star without
ambition).
It is crucial for every company to reduce the number of such
cases to
the minimum.
9.11.3.7. Networking
Many firms have realized the key importance of the extent of
one’s system
of contacts within and without the enterprise in keeping and
developing
talents and in enhancing the effectiveness of their work.
• Networking with the leaders. Some companies give an
opportunity
to staff members under the programme to establish contacts
with
higher-level managers (e.g., such managers are regularly invited
to training programmes organized for the talents).
• Networking among the talented. Others put the emphasis on
the
closest possible networking of the talents themselves,
establishing
thereby something of a talent programme alumni system, which
supports the flow of information within the company to an
outstanding extent.

• Female network. Many companies have realized that the
potential
of female employees can be put to use best if the company
creates
an opportunity for them to mutually help one another both
professionally and as private individuals. Facilitating female
networks within the organization tends to become part of the
management of female talents more and more frequently.
• Networking between the sales personnel and the clients. There
are also examples where a firm assists its talented employees in
external networking, as in initiatives to bring the talented sales
colleagues in contact with the representatives of the key clients
(their talents) by organizing joint development opportunities
where they can mutually support each other.
9.11.3.8. Communication at Strategic Level
Many staff members of Hungarian workplaces feel they have
little
information on the strategy of the company, i.e., on where it is
heading. The
demand for being involved at strategic level is more acute for
staff members
with outstanding abilities.
Moreover, if care is taken that they should regularly acquire
relevant
information on the strategy of the company, the main market
trends and the
key corporate projects, that will not only make them more
motivated, but

also prepare them for filling a higher managerial position later
on.
That is, strategic-level communication through various channels
is an
important component of successful talent programmes:
• Trans-hierarchical meetings. Regular discussions of senior
managers with talented staff members from lower levels of the
corporate hierarchy. This method has the advantage that contact
between the management and the talent is direct and personal.
Care should be taken, however, that the trans-hierarchical
efforts
should not weaken the medium management, i.e., that it should
not be applied instead of consulting them.
• Strategic information by e-mail expressly for the selected
talents.
• Access to certain senior management, where those concerned
consults on strategic issues. This solution makes the talents
more
committed and, in addition, the senior management may access
useful information coming from the “ends.”
Now that we have collected the key factors to be taken into
account in
the development of a talent management concept, let’s present
some of the

Hungarian best practices shared with us by the respondent
domestic senior
managers and HR managers.
REFERENCES
1. Avar, E., Mago, A., & Salamon, J. (2012). Best HR Practices
of
International Large Companies. [ebook] Available at: https://
t a l e n t c e n t r e b u d a p e s t . e u / s i t e s / d e f a u l t / f
i l e s / B e s t % 2 0 H R % 2 0
Practices%20of%20International%20Large%20Companies.pdf
[Accessed 21 August 2019].
2. Cornerstone (2014). Talent Management 2020 Future
Perspectives and
Scenarios. [ebook] Available at:
https://www.cornerstoneondemand.
c o m / s i t e s / d e f a u l t / f i l e s / w h i t e p a p e r / c s o
d _ W P _ Ta l e n t _
Management2020_032014.pdf [Accessed 21 August 2019].
3. Fuller, J. T. (n.d.). Shaping the Future of Talent Management
HR’s
Critical Role in Creating a Sustainable People Advantage.
[ebook]

Available at: http://www.imdsearch.com/globalassets/thought-
leadership/shaping-the-future-of-talent-management.pdf
[Accessed 21
August 2019].
4. Kao, T., Verma, N., & Tucker, E. (n.d.). Next-Generation
Talent
Management Insights on How Workforce Trends Are Changing
the
Face of Talent Management. [ebook] Available at:
http://citeseerx.ist.
psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.505.8610&rep=rep1&typ
e=p
df [Accessed 21 August 2019].
5. Managementstudyguide.com. (n.d.). Current Trends in
Talent Management. [online] Available at: https://www.
managementstudyguide.com/current-trends-in-talent-
management.
htm [Accessed 21 August 2019].
6. Managing Tomorrow’s People: The Future of Work to 2020
(2007).
[ebook] Available at: https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/managing-
tomorrows-people/future-of-work/pdf/mtp-future-of-work.pdf
7. Martin (2016). The Future of Talent Management. [online]
Cleverism.
Available at: https://www.cleverism.com/future-talent-
management/
8. Talent Management for the Future of Work. (2017). [ebook]
Available
at: https://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/ey-advisory-

digital-
eolas-artcile/$FILE/ey-advisory-digital-eolas-artcile.pdf
[Accessed 21
August 2019].
9. The Future of Talent Management: Underlying Drivers of
Change.
(2012). [ebook] Available at:
http://www.oracle.com/us/media1/future-
Trends and Future of Talent Managemen t 241
talent-mgmt-change-drivers-1676642.pdf [Accessed 21 August
2019].
10. Widjaja, M. (2019). The Current State and Future
Possibilities of
Talent Management | HRM Asia. [online] HRM Asia. Available
at: http://hrmasia.com/talent-management-on-demand/
[Accessed 21
August 2019].

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SERGEANTS MAJOR ACADEMY
Department of Professional Studies
Lesson S301
Human Resource Management Processes and
Systems
Reading B
Employee Engagement: Creating Positive Energy at
Work
Chapters 1, 6 and 7
2
Employee Engagement
Chapter 1
High levels of employee engagement
benefit everyone
In this chapter we will explore the following topics:
■ The challenges we face as HR and as leaders in companies.
■ The reasons why employee engagement has become a
high priority for organisations.

■ How companies prioritise the importance of the customer,
the shareholder and the employee.
■ The changing expectations that employees have of their
employers.
■ What we mean by the term “employee engagement”.
■ Is employee engagement the same as employee
satisfaction?
■ The term “Employee Experience” is used often. Is that the
same as employee engagement?
■ Is “engagement” just another term for “workaholism”?
■ Can the impact of employee engagement on company
performance be quantified?
■ How important is it to employees that they feel highly
engaged at work?
■ How does work contribute to well-being?
■ How well are companies doing when it comes to employee
engagement?
■ Reflective questions.
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AN: 2322279 ; Joan Peters.; Employee Engagement: Creating
High Positive Energy at Work
Account: s4061880
Chapter 1: High levels of employee engagement benefit
everyone
3
The challenges we face

Rochelle leaned back in her chair as her team left her office
after their
weekly meeting. She was feeling uneasy. Rochelle was new to
her
company, RoofCo, a manufacturer of roof tiles, having only
joined
two months ago. She headed up the Marketing team, which was
responsible for functions such as sales forecasts, identifying
sales
outlets, market research, promotions and advertising.
Rochelle had inherited a small team of talented and well-
qualified
people. Two team members were over the age of 45 and had
great
knowledge and experience with the company. This should have
made them an excellent support to the four younger employees
who were below the age of 35. Rochelle’s expectations were
that
team meetings and one-on-one meetings should generate lively
discussions and many ideas, and that people should be energised
in
their roles and willing to take on projects and test ideas.
So far this was not the case, however. Meetings were fairly
quiet; only
one or two employees offered any ideas and people seemed to
be
waiting for instructions. There was a strange, cautious
atmosphere
with little initiative and low energy. Rochelle was wondering
what
her strategy should be to build higher levels of energy amongst
her team. The goals for the department were tough, so she
needed

everyone to be fully engaged and to collaborate, innovate and
achieve the targets she had agreed to.
Meanwhile, 20 kms away in the industrial area, the CEO of
Rozzby,
Daniel, was preparing for a Board meeting. His frustration level
was
rising as he worked through the numbers; customer satisfaction
was
down, absences were edging higher and warranty costs were
rising,
which was no surprise as the in-house quality management
system
was highlighting many faults picked up at the end of the
production
line, despite the extra quality checking stations they had
installed.
There was constant conflict between the people in the
production,
quality and engineering divisions. Employee turnover was low,
but
in the past three months, four of the company’s top talent had
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4
Employee Engagement
resigned. It seemed to Daniel that his employees just did not
care
about the company or the quality of their work.
In a thoroughly bad mood, he phoned Laurisha, the HR
Director.
“Looking at company performance figures, I would say we have
a
people problem. And don’t tell me we don’t pay people enough.

We pay above the market rate! We’ve upgraded the facilities on
the
line as well as the offices. We introduced flexible work hours
for the
office staff and the managers received great bonuses. It seems
to
me people just don’t care about the company, the product or the
customer. And the people we recruited at great cost to help us
turn
the situation around are also resigning. There’s no loyalty
anymore.
We have a Board meeting coming up so I am putting you on the
agenda to give the HR view on this and recommend a way
forward.”
Employee engagement has become a high priority for
organisations
As a leader in your company or as a Human Resources leader,
I am sure you can relate to these scenarios. The challenge for
leadership and HR is how to consistently get the best
performance
from employees so that the company can achieve its targets of
productivity, customer experience, product quality and
profitability.
The business environment is certainly tough for most
companies:
customers are more demanding, the economy is sluggish, new
competitors and technologies can suddenly emerge and disrupt
the
business, product life cycles are shorter as customers head off
to buy
the latest novelty, customer service must wow the customer, not
just
satisfy them, and products need to be manufactured faster,
cheaper

and better.
The customer, the shareholder and the employee
Traditionally, companies placed a high priority on the
importance
of the shareholder and the customer to the business. Leadership
believed that for the business to be successful and profitable,
the
organisation needed to focus on their customers’ experience of
doing
business with the company and keeping the shareholders happy.
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Account: s4061880
everyone
5
Then there was the realisation that the company’s employees
determined the customers’ experience. A good customer
experience
is the result of engaged employees throughout the value chain.
Think
of every group of employees in a business who have an impact
on
customer experience, directly or indirectly. These include
employees
who:
■ designed, made and sold the product;
■ managed the customer’s account;
■ recruited and trained the employees in the business so they
were able to do a good job;

■ set up the production lines, ordered parts and got them to the
line on time;
■ developed business processes and systems;
■ managed and motivated others;
■ cleaned the offices; and
■ paid the staff.
Every employee contributes to the quality of the product or the
service experienced by the customer, and the customer’s
experience
is the deciding factor on whether or not he or she will continue
to do
business with that company.
The Gallup organisation conducted research that supports the
view
that employee engagement is an important factor in
organisational
success. Their view is that “engaged workers are the lifeblood
of their
organizations” and to win customers, companies need to win the
hearts and minds of their employees.1
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6
Employee Engagement
Leadership and
Team
My job

Connection
Support
Trust
Aligned to my
strengths
Purpose and
meaning
Growth and
development
Belonging
Achievement
Well-being
Great job
performance
Initiative
Great Employee
Experience
Engaged
Employee
My job
Figure 1: Employee Experience and Customer Experience
If engaged employees lead to engaged customers, companies
need
to focus on how to engage their employees, meaning the
employees’

experience at work becomes an important topic for business
leaders.
We need to reflect on how we create an employee experience
that
leads to engaged employees.
In practice…
Richard Branson was able to build Virgin into a global
powerhouse by
focusing on customer service, yet he revealed that Virgin does
not put the
customer first. In fact, Virgin employees are the company’s top
priority. As
Branson sees it, the formula is very simple: Happy employees
equal happy
customers. Similarly, an unhappy employee can ruin the brand
experience
for not just one, but numerous customers.
“If the person who works at your company is not appreciated,
they are not
going to do things with a smile,” Branson says. By not treating
employees
well, companies risk losing customers due to bad service.
Branson says he
has made sure that Virgin prioritises employees first, customers
second,
and shareholders third. “Effectively, in the end shareholders do
well, the
customers do better, and your staff remains happy,” he says.2
Employee engagement has thus become a high priority for all
organisations, as for a company to be successful in a tough
business
environment, it needs highly competent and highly engaged

employees who can meet the employer’s high expectations of
them.
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Account: s4061880

everyone
7
These include:
■ making sure the customer has a memorable experience;
■ being innovative and making the product more appealing,
■ creating better quality and less expensive to manufacture
products;
■ being results-driven, hard-working and quick;
■ staying up-to-date with rapid changes in the field;
■ being collaborative;
■ being flexible; and
■ keeping their phones on so the company can contact them
when
they are not at the workplace.
The general belief is that when people are engaged and love
their work, they do better work. According to a survey
conducted
by HR.com, over 90% of respondents believed that there is solid
evidence linking engagement to performance, and that
engagement
has the strongest impact on customer service and productivity.3

In addition, according to executives at the World’s Most
Admired
Companies, a list prepared by Fortune magazine and Korn
Ferry,
an engaged workforce is essential to effectively cope with
change.
“Engaged employees are more willing to accept and embrace the
organizational changes needed to address customer concerns
and
cost issues.”4
For all these reasons, the issues of retention and employee
engagement have become high priority issues for business
leaders.
As employers’ expectations of employees increase, so do
employees’
expectations of their employers. According to research
undertaken
by Deloitte, the employee work contract has changed.5 Talented
employees are in a strong position, the job market is highly
transparent, and companies are competing for highly skilled
employees. However, as employers’ expectations of employees
increase, so do employees’ expectations of their employers.
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8
Employee Engagement
Talent in the form of well-educated and tech-savvy people is
generally not daunted by a demanding work situation. Many of
these people have the approach of, “I would love to be part of
the
business challenge. It sounds exciting. I want to be challenged
and to
be part of exciting projects. However, I have my own

expectations of
the Company as my employer and of my leadership. The salary
and
benefits are important to me but my needs are greater than that.
I
am looking at the total work experience and things like
meaningful
work, the opportunity to be creative, ongoing development,
inspiring
leadership, recognition and a sense of belonging are also
important
if you want the best out of me”.
Talent in the form of the worker on the shop floor who is now
working with sophisticated equipment and expected to turn out
top
quality work that would have been unthinkable a few years ago
is
also typically saying, “I am proud to be working at this
company and
I love the product. However, if you want the best out of me,
please
don’t treat me like a number or as an extension of the machine.
Talk
to me, listen to my ideas and concerns, address my problems
with
parts and equipment, respect me, get to know me, support me
and
involve me”.
Talent in the form of the older, wiser, more experienced and
possibly
less-qualified employees also has needs. They are saying,
“Change
and new demands are all happening rapidly, so I need support
and

reassurance. I have been doing a good job for years, I like my
team,
we’ve been together for a long time, and I don’t always agree
that
there is a need to change. For me, the old way still works fine,
but if
things need to change, please make sure I get the necessary
training
and the time I need to adjust”.
The challenge for leaders is to provide a work experience that
brings
out the best in all their people, which means more focus on the
intangible factors that affect the way people feel about their
work.
This is often not familiar territory for many leaders, and is
certainly an
important aspect in our development and growth as leaders.
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everyone
9
What do we mean by the term “employee
engagement”?
There is no single definition of employee engagement, but there
is
wide agreement that it is an emotional commitment to one’s
work
and a willingness to give of one’s best at work. It is how people
feel
about their work that determines their levels of energy,
ownership,
persistence, commitment and initiative.

Signs of high engagement include:
■ the extent to which employees commit to achieving results
and
how hard they work;
■ a passion and purpose for what they do and a sense that they
are contributing to something bigger than themselves, i.e. they
want to make a positive difference to something;
■ how much initiative people take;
■ how long they stay in the organisation;
■ a high level of innovation and effort to assist a company or
unit
in the company to reach its goals/strategy;
■ the high, positive energy and enthusiasm with which people
approach their work;
■ the level of ownership and involvement with their work that
people display;
■ a willingness to take on a new challenge;
■ a receptiveness and openness to change;
■ the high standards people set for themselves in terms of their
conduct at work, the quality of their work and the pride people
take in their work;
■ a focus on the customer or client and meeting their needs;
■ efforts made to learn more about their field so they can do

10
Employee Engagement
■ a willingness to be collaborative with colleagues in an effort
to
leverage others’ skills and the inputs that are needed to deliver
a
quality result or to solve a problem quickly;
■ how long a person perseveres when things are not going well;
and
■ the extent to which people are prepared to “go the extra
mile”.
When employees care, i.e. when they are engaged, they put in
the extra effort needed to resolve a customer’s problem, make
sure the new process is working, or sort out a quality problem
on the line.
This is referred to as “discretionary effort”; it is the level of
effort
people could give if they wanted to, above and beyond the
minimum
required. I can recall many examples of discretionary effort by
employees, such as maintenance teams who worked through
the night to get a vital piece of equipment working or a logistics
employee who drove at night to the supplier’s warehouse to
fetch
critically needed parts to keep the production line going. In one
case, a supplier had a fire at their premises so employees from
the
customer company volunteered to work at the supplier over the

weekend to help them get their production going again.
Engagement levels influence a person’s willingness to go the
extra
mile at work. Engaged employees put in discretionary effort
because
they love their job and want to see their company succeed!
Disengaged employees drag our business down. You will
recognise
the disengaged employee as they:
■ tend to do the minimum;
■ display low energy levels;
■ are often negative or cynical, especially about any proposed
changes;
■ see the customer or client as simply too demanding;
■ are not interested in learning and innovation as it looks like
too
much of an effort;
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everyone
11
■ want to reduce their role and responsibilities rather than
expand
them; and
■ have a negative impact on the team climate: younger
employees
tend to wonder if this is how you should be at work? Is this

disengaged person maybe showing them the realities of work
and how to survive?
It is very sad, of course, if your disengaged team member was
once
full of positive energy and has been closed down by bad
experiences
at work.
The bottom line is, your employees can come to work every
day,
but if they aren’t truly engaged in their work, they are harming
your
business in some way as mediocrity and minimal effort become
the
norm. Many organisations struggle with employees who are at
work,
but not fully contributing.
Is employee engagement the same as employee
satisfaction?
Engagement is a feeling; it’s an emotional commitment to your
work
and comes about as a reaction to the intangible factors at work.
Satisfaction, on the other hand, is based more on an employee’s
rational assessment of the tangible workplace issues. If we map
ENGAGEMENT and SATISFACTION as two separate topics,
we can
come up with the following scenarios:
SA
TI
SF
A

CT
IO
N
H
IG
H High satisfaction/low
engagement
High satisfaction/high
engagement
LO
W Low satisfaction/low
engagement
High engagement/low
satisfaction
LOW HIGH
ENGAGEMENT
Figure 2: Satisfaction and engagement scenarios
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12
Employee Engagement
High satisfaction/low engagement: Have you ever felt like the
person who says this?
My job ticks all the boxes:

■ I earn a good salary.
■ I work for a company with a great reputation and
product.
■ I have an impressive job title.
■ I have a beautiful office.
■ I have a great laptop and cell phone.
■ I enjoy high status at work and in my community.
However, I really cannot say that I love my job. In fact, I feel a
little
depressed at the start of the work week and I have to talk
sternly to
myself. I am paying off a house and car and my kids’ education
is
expensive. Plus, I have to save for retirement one day, so I need
this
job with its perks and benefits, and I enjoy the status it gives
me in
my family and community.

This scenario is sometimes referred to as “golden handcuffs”.
Looking
at this person’s work situation from the outside, one may feel a
little
envious and think this person has it made, yet high satisfaction
alone
does not lead to high engagement or mean you love your work.
Many people start off their career aiming to achieve these
factors,
only to find that there are other intangible factors pulling at
them.
They may achieve their goals in terms of money and status, for
example, but still feel something is missing. The relationship
between
the tangibles and the intangibles is actually more complicated
than
we realise.
Low satisfaction/low engagement: Being dissatisfied and
disengaged is the worst scenario for the company and the
employee!
This person will hate coming to work and will radiate
negativity. This
is a no-win situation: the customer and colleagues will all have
a bad
experience dealing with this person.
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Account: s4061880
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13
High engagement/low satisfaction: This is the “flight risk”
scenario.
In this scenario a person would say: “I love:

■ the work that I do;
■ the challenges I face and the problems I solve;
■ the difference I make;
■ the colleagues and the leaders I work with;
■ the positive environment I experience at work; and
■ the sense of achievement.”
This person loves the work but feels the company is taking
advantage
of them. They feel they are giving a lot and are not appreciated
or
sufficiently valued in return in terms of salary, seniority or
other
tangible benefits. This person will soon be looking around for a
new position and when they resign, there is often a quick
scramble
to make a counter-offer in the hopes of retaining their skills and
positive energy.
High satisfaction/high engagement: This is the best scenario for
the company and the employee. The person loves the work they
do
and feels fairly compensated and acknowledged by the business.
Many people confuse engagement with satisfaction and try to
remedy engagement problems with solutions like pay increases,
better offices, gym memberships, fixing the employee car park,
improving the canteen, introducing concierge services and so
on. These solutions do have an impact on satisfaction, but more
satisfaction does not lead to more engagement. It is the

equivalent
of trying to buy love, so for high engagement, we need different
solutions.
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Changes in APA Writing Style 6th Edition (2006) to 7th Edition O

Changes in APA Writing Style 6th Edition (2006) to 7th Edition O

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