The document outlines Pump Corporation's talent acquisition strategy using Soft Systems Methodology. It discusses defining and understanding the problem situation of acquiring global talent in a timely manner. It expresses the complex problem situation using various subsystems and interdependencies. Conceptual models are built to show the relationship between business requirements, internal talent pools, external hires, and turnover. The models are then compared to the real world problem expression. Finally, recommendations for action are developed, including establishing an employment brand, targeting talent pools, improving selection competency, and aligning workforce planning with future requirements.

1. TALENT ACQUISITION STRATEGY
Using Checkland’s Soft Systems Methodology (SSM)

3. Stage 1: Define and Understand the
Problem Situation
Global Talent Acquisition is a unique challenge, especially for
a business such as Pump Corporation. The company offers a range
of highly engineered industrial products that serve a diversified
customer base in over 50 countries. Without the required human
capital in place, especially in the emerging markets, Pump
Corporation could fail to achieve its business objectives.
The current Average time-to-Fill is greater than 90 days.

4. Stage 2: Express the Problem Situation
Economy
Customer Demand
Business Requirements
E E
c c
o o
n n
Internal Talent Pool
o
Internal Transfers / o
Business Objectives Promotions m
m
y
1. Budget Workforce Plan y
2. Criticality / Timing
3. Geography
4. Internal Equity
Employment / Labor Law
Organization Hiring Policies
Selection Practices
Retirement
Prospective External Candidates
Types of Positions
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
External Labor Pool
Attrition
Economy

5. Stage 3: Select how to view the situation
from various perspectives
Subsystems Interdependencies
Economic subsystem Small changes in the global economy can cause tremendous changes in talent supply and demand, which
can be greatly exacerbated in certain local markets. This adds to the complexity of the system as the macro
economy is an aggregate of several economies that are at varying points of maturity.
Customer Subsystem There is a constant feedback cycle between the business operations and the ever-changing demands of the
customers. As the needs of the customers evolve, the talent needs of the business shift accordingly.
Business Requirements Through its annual planning cycle, Pump Corporation re-examines its headcount plans, pivotal skillset needs,
and plots them against business segments and geographic locations. These human capital plans drive the
talent acquisition activity levels of the organization. The primary business constraints such as budget,
timing, geography, internal equity of compensation, etc. have to be taken into consideration while
formulating the talent acquisition plan for each segment, region, and location of the overall corporation.
Workforce Plan It is a dynamic process that changes along with the business requirements, the attrition of existing talent
and the availability of external talent. The business requirements set the level of the stock, the attrition is
the outflow and the promotion of internal talent as well as the addition of external talent is the inflow.
Internal Talent Subsystem Human capital is less mobile than financial or technical capital, local economic conditions in certain markets
can cause unusual imbalances between supply and demand. For example, Pump Corporation may have a
greater supply of engineers in a developed market than in an emerging market, but it is often not possible
for the engineering talent to relocate to where it is needed. This immobility of talent results in an imbalance
in the emerging market and could cause that particular emerging market to become a leverage point on the
entire system.
External Labor Pool The scale of the external labor pool is contingent upon many factors such as the local economic growth, the
Subsystem unemployment rate and demographic trends of the populations (including age, educational level, ability to
relocate, etc.).
Prospective External This subsystem is a derivative of the external labor pool. The main criteria to create inflow into this
Candidate Subsystem subsystem are matching the specific talent needs of a position to the skills of the available candidates. The
resulting filtering sometimes produces counterintuitive consequences. For example, a population with a high
unemployment rate may still not produce enough candidates to meet demand if the skill levels are not
adequate.

6. Stage 4: Build conceptual models of the
system requirements
Business
Requirements /
Qualified Turnover /
Workforce Plan
External Retirement
Candidates
Prospective Internal Talent
External Talent Pool
Pool
External hires to meet
desired staffing levels
Discrepancy
• The business requirements/workforce plan is the balancing feedback loop.
• The greater the discrepancy between internal talent and the desired staffing levels, the greater
the need for the organization to find talent externally.
• The external talent pool is a renewable stock, but replenishment is not immediate.

7. Stage 5: Compare the conceptual models
(stage 4) to the real world expression (stage 2)
Donella Meadows Ludwig von Bertalanffy
The concept of buffers: A buffer’s ability to stabilize a system The concept of feedback and homeostasis: Ideally, the
is important when the stock amount is much higher or lower system should be at homeostasis when there is an even
than the potential amount of inflows/outflows match between supply and demand within the system.
Because the global business environment is very competitive, However, because the talent acquisition system is highly
the buffer of talent at any given time is quite small. If there dynamic, with many leverage points and few buffers, there is
is a sudden increase in demand, there is very little excess rarely a good match between supply and demand and the
talent capacity to absorb the demand. This results in a system is rarely in homeostasis.
dramatic increase in demand relative to supply. Similarly
when local market conditions turn adverse, there is a
relatively small financial buffer in the system, resulting in an
increase in supply relative to demand, and therefore, the
need to adjust the talent base quickly to meet the
environmental conditions.

8. Stage 6: Identify feasible and desirable
changes to improve the situation
1. Take care of the stocks
2. Create an increased flow in critical growth markets while ensuring there are no system leakages
3. Reduce system delays by proactively identifying sourcing channels
4. Stay tuned to the cloud
5. Have a dynamic workforce planning process

9. Stage 7: Develop recommendations for Action
Provide the right talent on time and where needed
Strategy
Employment Targeted Talent Selection Future Resource
Brand Pools Competency Requirements
Recognized global Targeted talent pools and Talent assessment and Workforce planning that
Future State
Employment brand recruiting resources that selection competency, identifies future resource
3 Year
achieve identified workforce tools & processes that requirements with
planning requirements improve overall quality of emphasis on critical skills in
hires and time-to-fill emerging markets
• Develop employment • Develop consistent • Develop consistent • Develop process and
message that attracts top global university staffing practices tools for aligning future
Key Objectives
talent relations and recruitment • Develop selection talent needs and gaps
• Establish Flowserve as an practices assessment tools to meet business
employer of choice with which align with strategy
strong employment brand • Identify and manage competencies • Alignment of talent
recognition and a positive sourcing channels which • Develop & deliver acquisition, succession
candidate experience delivers a strong pipeline interview training to planning, and internal
• Establish a social media of talent drive strong selection talent movement
roadmap practices and provide processes with
strong candidate workforce forecast
experiences
Social Media University Relations Global Talent Acquisition Talent Acquisition Dashboard
Focus Areas
Best Practice Processes
Career Portals Recruitment Events and Workforce Planning
Sourcing Resources Selection Assessment Tools
Interview Material
Vendor Selection and Interviewing Skills Training
Management

10. Questions? Comments?