ORC Sightlines

February 2009

In this issue:

Talent Management Alignment and Integration

Many multinational companies have developed intelligent strategies and sophisticated systems for managing talent across multiple business units and locations, but many also admit that integrating all their various management processes and aligning them with the organization’s fundamental business objectives is an ongoing challenge. Talent management philosophy, business strategy, various individual HR practices, the structure of the HR function, and the process for developing HR specialists and business partners are often developed in isolation and end up working against one another instead of toward common goals.

Senior talent management executives from large global companies tackled this issue at the recent meeting of ORC’s Global Talent Management Network, hosted by Daimler Ag in Stuttgart. Participants noted that underlying organizational culture can be a barrier to integration of talent management. In companies where employees tend to identify strongly with the local brand or with the unit in which they work, it is more difficult to foster a broader, company-wide view of talent. Sometimes pay structures reward hoarding of talent over deploying people strategically around the corporation, and frequently international assignment policies are divorced from talent management priorities. Members shared some of their strategies for overcoming these obstacles.

One company has taken a comprehensive approach and completely reorganized the HR function to break down silos, integrate leadership development vertically from early career through senior leadership levels, and horizontally integrate talent management processes such as workforce planning, selection criteria, and developmental opportunities across all business units. Others are addressing specific pressure points with practices such as:

At its May meeting, the Global Talent Management Network will continue to delve into these issues and explore members’ innovative responses.

The Global Talent Management Network is unique in the composition of member companies (very large multinationals based in Europe, North America, and Asia) and in the credentials of the individuals representing these companies (senior-level talent executives with global oversight of the talent management function and processes). For more information, contact Michal Fineman, +1-212-852-0354.

Fatigue Management Linked to Improved Quality, Safety, and Employee Engagement

Most adults regularly do not get enough sleep. Sleep “debt,” the cumulative effective of insufficient sleep, can lead to diminished alertness, performance, and cognitive function—a recipe for problems in any industry. For Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, where failure of one of the company’s products could cost lives, fatigue is recognized as a critical business issue. At last month’s meeting of ORC’s Occupational Safety and Health Group, Sikorsky’s Medical Director, Dr. Brian Bennett, discussed the problem and the company’s response.

Sikorsky has implemented a fatigue management program that includes both short-term adaptive and long-term preventive measures. In the short-term, sleepy employees at Sikorsky can rely on caffeine, conversation, and physical activity to perk them up. More important and effective, in Dr. Bennett’s view, are the company’s preventive strategies such as:

Although it is not possible to link outcome measures causally to a fatigue management program, Sikorsky’s data suggest that fatigue management is having a positive impact. The costs of poor quality have decreased, root cause investigations have uncovered a lower–than-average finding associated with fatigue, and employee engagement has improved. There has also been a marked improvement in safety performance.

Help for Policy Makers on Short-Term International Assignments

A new booklet by ORC senior vice president Roger Herod advises policy makers on how to establish policies for assignments of between three and 12 months duration. Short-Term International Assignments: Implementing Effective Policies, part of SHRM's Global HR Management Series, addresses employee and family status, remuneration approach, taxation, housing provisions, transportation assistance, etc. It also discusses the critical issues involved in dealing with extended business travelers. The booklet is available from the SHRM bookstore at http://shrmstore.shrm.org/browse.cfm/4,4927.html

Communication Strategies for Effective International HR Management

In a recent Workspan article, ORC consultant Susan Allerow and ORC director Rebecca Rosenzwaig underscore the importance of implementing a well-considered plan for communications with employees on international assignments. Communications with expatriates need to satisfy three objectives:

  1. Clarifying expectations—both what the company expects from the employee during his/her assignment and what the employee can expect in terms of support, career development, remuneraton, and so forth
  2. Providing a mechanism for ongoing dialogue between the expatriate and the home country
  3. Making international opportunities known to employees and making employees interested in those opportunities known to managers responsible for identifying and selecting talent

To read the full article, which includes tips on communicating the ins and outs of expatriate compensation programs, download the PDF: http://www.orcworldwide.com/readroom/Workspan_0812_Communication.pdf.

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