Talent Strategy & Management

Question 1

Linking TD Goals to the Organization’s Strategy

Answer 1

TD goals flow from org objective and describe how the objective will be achieved by developing the talent involved

Goals have specific measures that can be used to evaluate whether they were achieved (stakeholders agree to the measures)

Part of goal setting defines results required for critical roles with a performance gap through a structured process involving job analysis and task analysis to identify role competencies and then necessary KSAs

Question 2

What does a job analysis give a TD professional?

Answer 2

Competencies necessary to perform each role

Question 3

What is a task analysis?

Answer 3

The process of examining a single task within a job and breaking it into smaller steps; deconstruct the whole job analysis until all tasks are described

Comes after job analysis

Question 4

At the highest level, what must a TD professional do to ensure alignment b/w goal-setting process and org needs?

Answer 4

• understand the organization
• work with stakeholders to ensure TD goals are addressing these needs

Question 5

What are 6 steps for customizing alignment b/w TD and org needs? (Developing TD goals)

Answer 5

• Read org’s strategic plan, business plans, or other docs available
• Meet with senior execs and stakeholders to discuss org’s strategic objectives and how TD can help
• Be part of the TD strategy process, or read and understand the talent strategy to align TD objectives
• Analyze info from interviews with execs and stakeholders; meet with TD to determine which strategic objectives TD can influence; determine internal capabilities within TD and whether outside assistance is required
• Review recommendations with stakeholders, confirm understanding of the goals, and receive feedback on the approach
• Decide on measures for each goal

Question 6

What are two challenges in aligning with strategic goals and how to resolve them?

Answer 6

1. By being proactive, TD professionals can avoid receiving direction from multiple stakeholders who have no clear priorities
2. Through continuous coaching, feedback, and quick course-correction, managers help teams to not get distracted by org changes and related requests and simple one-off requests that are easy to meet.

Question 7

What are 5 ways TD may be called upon to support org strategy?

Answer 7

• Compliance needs: learning solutions to keep the org in compliance with laws and regulations
• Deliver basic capability: basic skills training and information to assimilate new employees and reduce time it takes to learn new job
• Replicate org success model: replicate successful ways to be efficient through ongoing efforts and ad hoc solutions
• Provide tactical support: L&D support for new initiatives or activities, like a new system implementation, where TD is an integral part of the implementation project plan
• Strategic partnership: seat the table where TD objectives are included in the org’s strategic planning process

Question 8

What is the order of TD activities for executing the TD strategy?

Answer 8

• Develop TD strategy
• Reach agreement/buy-in from all relevant stakeholders
• Develop specific goals and milestones
• Further refine the goals at the team/individual level

Question 9

What can be used by TD track execution of the strategy, as well as the established measures for success?

Answer 9

Project plans (many of TD’s products and services involve projects that must be planned and executed)

Question 10

Why are measures for success important in executing the TD strategy?

Answer 10

They represent the effectiveness and efficiency of L&D activities and their impact on the org. They also represent the efficiency and effectiveness of TD.

Question 11

What are two things to keep in mind when developing measures for the TD strategy?

Answer 11

Measures should be developed concurrently with the TD strategy and goals

Measures need top-level support and agreement before activities are undertaken

Question 12

What are three types of TD measures?

Answer 12

Effectiveness measures - measure quality (e.g., reaction/satisfaction, learning, application, org impact, ROI)
Efficiency measures - time, quantity, and cost (e.g., # of participants, training hours, time to completion, total costs of learning programs)
Outcome measures - results or impact of the activity (e.g., results of the training program, such as how a LD program affects succession plans)

Question 13

Is it better to maintain standard effectiveness, efficiency, and outcome measures that show alignment with strategic priorities at the highest level or different effectiveness, efficiency, and outcome measures across different audiences?

Answer 13

Different measures for different audiences

Different levels in the organization’s hierarchy focus on different results and want to hear TD professionals discuss the topics that are most pertinent to them.

Most executives want to hear a value proposition from TD.

Question 14

What 5 things should TD professionals do when communicating TD’s contribution to the organization’s outcomes?

Answer 14

• Link results to KPIs or strategic objectives
• Turn TD acronyms and terminology into language that will be understood by leaders/execs
• Keep message short and simple; use appendices, if needed
• Communicate purpose of document upfront
• Include an executive summary to outline main points; execs want to know the conclusions at the beginning

Question 15

Value proposition

Answer 15

a statement that communicates why a customer should buy from the seller

For talent development, the value proposition is the same: Why should customers get their L&D from TD professionals?

Question 16

What are the inputs for TD in order to approaching learning like a business?

Answer 16

• know products and services offered
• know who the clients are
• know processes for buying products and services
• know the costs for doing so

Question 17

What are two examples of the TD value prop (over going outside the org)?

Answer 17

Many times, internal functions like talent development are viewed as the low-cost, customized provider.
- customers can get their learning and development specifically customized for their needs better than they would by going outside the org
- TD offers a unique value prop through the analysis performed on customers, products, offerings, and costs

Question 18

What is the value of a TD value prop? How to integrate it into other efforts?

Answer 18

Helping stakeholders understand the value prop helps build visibility and support for talent development.

It can be included in advertising and marketing efforts along with measures of success and endorsements.

Question 19

What are the 3 inputs that guide TD’s work?

Answer 19

TD strategic objectives, TD mission statement, TD vision statement

Question 20

What are 3 primary activities that guide strategic planning?

Answer 20

• Develop TD vision and mission statements
• Determine strengths and weaknesses
• Plan for action

Question 21

Differences between a mission and vision statement?

Answer 21

Vision statement:
- aspirational description of the future
- answer the question, “What do we want to be as an organization in X years?”
- provide a clear picture of how the organization will look when the strategic objectives that support the vision have been accomplished

Mission statement:
- defines the purpose of talent development, its reason for existing, and its direction
- answer the questions, “What is our purpose? Why do we exist?”

Question 22

What do the vision and mission statements serve as inputs to?

Answer 22

The vision and the mission statements drive TD’s values and strategy, which address “how” they will be accomplished.

Question 23

What is it important that the TD vision and mission statements align with and why?

Answer 23

should align with the organization’s stated vision, values, and strategy to ensure total alignment between it and the organization

Question 24

How can TD determine its strengths and weaknesses?

Answer 24

Through a SWOT - strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats

TD professionals can use this information to compensate for constraints and weaknesses using talent development’s available strengths and opportunities

Question 25

What are three outputs/activities as TD is planning for action?

Answer 25

• Strategic goals: align with org goals and support critical issues; consider what capabilities, funding, and info will be needed; risks are clear with plans to avoid/minimize them
• Objectives: focus on details; provide specific tasks that must be accomplished; goals and objectives are specific and measurable
• Action plans: plan the critical details needed to achieve strategies; identify things like who will do what by when, key programs/initiatives, timelines, assigning resources to tasks

Question 26

What are 4 responsibilities of TD beyond the strategic plan itself (but related to it)?

Answer 26

• Know what TD stands for: through principles and value statement, TD helps employees and org understand the TD function
• Anticipate and plan for change: return to SWOT to review potential problems; org priorities might shift, causing resource reallocation; anticipating changes help TD stay agile
• Establish priorities: TD objectives are the basis for priorities; have a process for establishing other priorities that may evolve throughout planning period, such as how new requests will be handled
• Maintain compliance: know which compliance programs are required by law for their region

Question 27

How might changes be handed by TD in larger orgs and smaller orgs?

Answer 27

In larger orgs, a learning governance council may respond to needs as changes arise

In smaller orgs, important to partner with senior leaders

Question 28

What are a few consideration for planning major programs? (3)

Answer 28

• use basic project management approaches
• even with large events/initiatives, there’s always a chance it could be cancelled or changed mid-stream
• be prepared to use contingent hires to meet deadlines

Question 29

When forecasting problems and barriers to achieving objectives, what do many problem-solving tools have in common?

Answer 29

They begin with brainstorming and then sort or categorize the output

Question 30

What are 6 examples of problem-solving tools?

Answer 30

• Cause and effect diagrams
• 5 whys
• Force field analysis
• Nominal group technique
• Pareto charts
• Scenario planning

Question 31

What are cause and effect diagrams?

Answer 31

[A tool to predict problems and generate potential problem-solving]

also known as a fishbone diagram, represents the relationship between an effect and all possible causes of that effect

Drawn to illustrate the causes in major categories

Question 32

What is the 5 whys strategy?

Answer 32

[A tool to predict problems and generate potential problem-solving]

can be used to determine the cause of a problem by asking “why?” five times

helps ensure that the root cause/problem has been correctly identified instead of listing symptoms

Question 33

What is a force field analysis?

Answer 33

[A tool to predict problems and generate potential problem-solving]

looks at the factors that are influencing movement toward and away from a goal (at any given time, there are factors working for and against change)

Question 34

What is a nominal group technique?

Answer 34

[A tool to predict problems and generate potential problem-solving]

a brainstorming method that involves individuals generating their own ideas first and then collectively creating ideas based on convergence of opinion

Question 35

What are pareto charts?

Answer 35

[A tool to predict problems and generate potential problem-solving]

vertical bar charts that determine which problems to solve in what order

Question 36

What is scenario planning?

Answer 36

[A tool to predict problems and generate potential problem-solving]

looks at the trends and uncertainties that create possible future scenarios so they can be prepared for

Question 37

What is a constraints analysis?

Answer 37

Resource analysis, also known as a constraints analysis, is an assessment of talent, systems, facilities, materials, equipment, and other input required for a proposed solution during the performance improvement selection phase.

The goal is to identify the project’s limiting factors, which may include budget, time available, scheduling, space, resource availability, resource expertise to conduct the analysis, and competing organizational priorities.

This analysis should also detail all factors required to design a successful initiative and all resources needed to effectively plan, design, and develop communications and change management initiatives to support the solution implementation and resulting behavior change.

Question 38

When should constraints and issues be discussed?

Answer 38

During the initial planning process

Question 39

Where should risks be identified?

Answer 39

All risks can be identified in the project plan, and a risk mitigation plan can be developed.

Question 40

What are 7 common problems associated with projects and project teams?

Answer 40

• role uncertainty: can cause gaps or overlaps in work responsibilities; a team charter specifies roles and responsibilities
• lack of support: lack of visible support can lose momentum over time; align initiative with TD strategic objective and key customer
• shortage of resources: can lead to failure; only start a project once the resources have been committed
• unreasonable deadlines: schedules can be too aggressive; negotiate with sponsors for more realistic timeframes or reduced scope
• missing deadlines: schedule may not account for unexpected problems; create a schedule with space to address problems and changes
• lack of communication: can work without visibility by or communication with stakeholders; schedule regular check-ins to ensure continued support
• technology challenges: speak to the developer or vendor to find resources to address most critical deficiencies

Question 41

How can a TD professional avoid big problems in a project?

Answer 41

By monitoring the project plan and schedule and making minor adjustments as soon as a problem is identified