How to Have a World Class Talent Program

In my last blog post I mentioned a study from Deloitte Consulting that revealed a large majority of workers who feel their organizations’ talent programs are “fair” or worse. Certainly this is bad news for a lot of companies. But for many organizations - hopefully for yours - it means tremendous opportunity for both your retention programs and recruitment.

The thing that makes some HR programs stand head and shoulders above the others is, at least on the face of it, is pretty simple - they communicate. Employees who say that they are committed to sticking with their current jobs overwhelmingly give their employers high marks for communication, rating these companies 22% higher than do employees who say they are leaving their companies.

Start by Telling Me What I Want to Hear

Of course most organizations have active internal communications programs in place. Most of these teams are doing a first-rate job. Why then is it that so many workers feel like these programs are missing the mark? It may be that employees aren’t getting the scoop on on the things that matter most.

According to Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer one of the most important motivators is to give employees a clear sense of progress. This progress doesn't have to be measured in leaps, bounds or dramatic finishes. Steady, incremental growth is all it takes.

Amabile and Kramer note two behaviors that give employees essential feedback - catalysts and nourishers. Catalysts are actions that directly support the work being done. Nourishers support the workers. Catalysts can include goals, incentives and rewards. Nourishers can be praise, recognition or an offer of help. Both types of behavior are crucial for communicating to employees that they are valuable and that their work is leading somewhere.

This is one of the reasons that I'm so excited about The Hive as a tool that organizations can use to motivate employees and drive productivity. Initially The Hive can be seen primarily as a Nourisher - employees send notes of recognition to their peers, communicating value and support. But because The Hive is so much more than a messaging system, it helps managers visualize informal networks and patterns of work. This helps managers see where Catalysts might be effective.

The secret to having a world-class program, I believe, is starting with world-class goals. Add to these some world-class tools and you can’t help but come out on top.