Abstract
The paper provides the proposal for the talent development program the parts of which can be implemented in the National Institutes of Health. The paper presents the evaluation of the current talent development program that is used in the organization with the focus on the analysis of employees’ needs that are not covered by the program’s components. The organization’s vision is described in the first part of the proposal.
The purpose of the integrated talent strategy is also formulated for the National Institutes of Health. The strategy of needs analysis and its results are discussed in detail, and the information related to environmental scanning is provided additionally. The proposed talent development program includes the discussion of the organizational strategy, the description of specific functional strategies and evaluative metrics, as well as recommendations for the further development of talents in the organization.
Introduction
Talent development is discussed by researchers and practitioners as a process of identifying employees who have the unique potential and whose development can contribute to the improvement of the company’s performance (Cappelli, 2008). As a result, managers focus on designing specific programs to develop, retain, and promote these employees.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the agency of the Department of Health and Human Services in the United States. This governmental organization was founded in 1887, and currently, the agency monitors the biomedical research in the country while organizing and conducting health or medical studies (Office of Human Resources at the National Institutes of Health, 2015).
The purpose of this project is to evaluate the current talent development program used in NIH, analyze the talents’ needs that are not covered by the program, and create recommendations to address them. This paper presents the proposal for the talent development program that can be used in NIH; it is designed regarding the organization’s vision, the purpose of the integrated talent strategy, the needs analysis, and environmental scanning; and the program includes the organizational strategy, specific functional strategies, evaluative metrics, and recommendations for the organization.
Vision and Purpose of an Integrated Talent Strategy
Talent Development in NIH
In NIH, the focus is on recruiting only talented employees whose training is the priority of the human resource management (HRM) strategy. The Office of Human Resources at the National Institutes of Health is responsible for designing professional development programs for all employees (Office of Human Resources at the National Institutes of Health, 2015).
The talented employee is perceived as a worker who has the qualification to take the determined position in the organization and who is oriented to further self-improvement (Collings & Mellahi, 2009). The talent management strategies applied in the organization to support these employees include the short-term and long-term training and development programs, as well as courses associated with the promotion strategies in the agency.
The current approach to talent development followed in NIH can be discussed as integrated or strategic. The strength of the used approach is in the fact that it is integrated into the organization’s strategy (Egerova, 2013). The implemented talent development programs need to be correlated with the agency’s values and aims. In the case of NIH, professionals are focused on providing the biomedical research of the highest quality to address social needs while referring to the US and global communities.
Thus, talent development programs include coaching, training, mentoring, appraisal sessions, job rotation, and succession planning to retain and educate specialists who can contribute to completing the organization’s goals. Annually, about 5000 employees participate in these programs, including leadership and Better to Best courses (Office of Human Resources at the National Institutes of Health, 2015). Nevertheless, managers report the necessity of working more on the development of leadership programs in the context of talent development involving teams.
Purpose Statement
The purpose statement for the talent development effort in NIH can be formulated the following way: In NIH, the talent development effort aims at guaranteeing that all employees have the high qualifications and opportunities to improve their knowledge and develop their skills. They are also provided with opportunities to apply innovation in the daily practice while supporting the organization’s philosophy and strategy, meeting employees’ learning needs, and addressing the health issues.
Therefore, the development of talents in NIH is the necessity that is associated with specifics of the organization’s work-oriented to conducting biomedical research and involving high-quality employees. NIH pays much attention to developing its professionals, researchers, technicians, and specialists who work in laboratories (Office of Human Resources at the National Institutes of Health, 2015). As a result, the talent development effort is directly connected with initiatives that guarantee the improvement of employees’ knowledge, their promotion, and cooperation with stakeholders.
Alignment between Current Strategies and Talent Development
While evaluating the talent management in NIH, it is important to analyze how the talent development effort is correlated with the business and HRM strategies followed in the organization. The top-down approach is used in NIH, and talent development practices are directly associated with HRM strategies oriented to recruiting and retaining talented employees (Office of Human Resources at the National Institutes of Health, 2015; Rothwell & Kazanas, 2003).
The talent development initiative can be discussed based on HRM practices, but it also determines the key aspects of the HRM strategy. Direct alignment is observed because NIH uses talent development practices to identify and address employees’ learning needs (Collings, 2014). Managers choose to promote those employees who have completed development programs and who have the high potential to grow professionally; therefore, the business strategy also depends on talent development in NIH (Martin & Schmidt, 2010; Office of Human Resources at the National Institutes of Health, 2015).
Although the alignment between the HRM strategies and the talent development effort in NIH is obvious, there is a need for further improvements in connecting the organizational strategy and the talent development initiative. The organizational philosophy and strategy determine the approach to the development of high-quality specialists who can contribute to the research, adoption of new medical practices, and implementation of innovative technologies.
However, there is no clear alignment between the implementation of talent development programs and educating employees regarding strategic thinking and leadership (Collings, 2014). NIH is the governmental organization, and principles of marketing and business are not applied to this sector directly; therefore, the gap exists, and more talent development programs should be designed to address this problem among other needs.
Needs Assessment and Environmental Scanning
Needs Analysis Strategy
The identification of learners is the first stage in the training needs analysis. More than 4,500 employees work in the facilities of NIH (Office of Human Resources at the National Institutes of Health, 2015). The training programs should be proposed to all these learners; therefore, much attention should be paid to identifying their specific needs. Although employees are different in terms of their education, duties, age, learning styles, and motivation, it is possible to speak about the employees’ strong motivation to participate in training sessions.
The second step is the classification of learners into ‘segments’ (Rothwell & Kazanas, 2003). The classification allows for identifying such groups of learners as executives, managers, administrators, scientists, and clinicians. The next step is the selection of the method to collect the data regarding learners’ needs. The data related to available performance measures and assessment results should be reviewed to compare the employees’ current competencies with the desired competencies (Rothwell & Kazanas, 2003). The second step can be completed during one or two days, and three days are necessary to analyze the NIH data and determine learning needs.
Environmental Scanning
Another important step in the analysis of the environment in terms of its trends, changes, and perspectives that can influence learners in NIH. Such scanning allows for identifying the following tendencies: staff shortages in the industry, the focus on multitasking and optimization processes, the active implementation of technologies in facilities, the promotion of innovation, and the implementation of new leadership models among other aspects (Priyadarshini & Dave, 2012). The tendencies can be assessed regarding the information that is presented in media and online sources.
Needs Analysis Results
The analysis of the collected data allows for concluding regarding learners’ competencies and their specific needs. The comparison of strengths and weaknesses related to each group of employees in NIH is presented for further discussion.
Executives
The strengths of top managers working in NIH are associated with developed leadership skills. Executives work to design and realize strategies that correspond with the organization’s mission (Office of Human Resources at the National Institutes of Health, 2015). However, the weakness is associated with underdeveloped emotional intelligence. Moreover, attention should be paid to implementing new approaches to promoting diversity (Cekada, 2010).
Managers and supervisors
Managers working in NIH demonstrate the developed skills in promoting the positive workplace culture, building teams, and implementing changes (Office of Human Resources at the National Institutes of Health, 2015). However, the desired competencies are associated with addressing staff shortages and increasing productivity, as well as implementing more technologies in the context of change management.
Administrators
They are represented by accountants, clerks, analysts, economists, and other specialists who support the work of researchers and practitioners in the organization. Their current skills can be discussed as strengths, and there are no gaps in the observed and expected performance.
Scientists and clinicians
Practitioners have developed professional skills related to the field of biomedical and medical research. Professionals’ skills related to using innovation and technologies, adapting to changes, and working on projects are regarded as strengths (Office of Human Resources at the National Institutes of Health, 2015). However, scientists and clinicians should also develop as leaders who can supervise other specialists. Therefore, scientists and clinicians working in NIH should be trained to improve their competencies regarding time management, negotiating, and leadership (Cekada, 2010). Additional areas for improvement include reporting, completing presentations, decision-making, and problem-solving.
Organizational Strategy for Talent Development
To select the organizational strategy for implementing the talent development plan in NIH, it is necessary to conduct the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis to propose solutions to identified problems (Rothwell & Kazanas, 2003). It is also necessary to utilize the Grand Strategy Matrix to identify the talent management strategy that is most appropriate for this organization. The SWOT analysis can inform the talent development manager regarding the problems that exist in the organization and solutions to address them. Figure 1 represents the SWOT analysis for NIH regarding the talent development needs and perspectives.
To achieve the purpose of talent development in the organization, it is necessary to focus on the diversification strategy to overcome the weaknesses and use the advantages associated with opportunities. The reason is that the organization demonstrates substantial strengths, such as the employment of only high-skilled and talented workers and the professional use of advanced technologies. The organization can also face such threats as staff shortages, problems associated with the required multitasking, and the necessity of implementing new leadership models to address the needs of not only managers but also scientists and clinicians (Figure 1).
While choosing the strategy regarding the Grand Strategy Matrix presented in Figure 2, it is necessary to focus on Cell IV where the concentric diversification is proposed. NIH can benefit significantly while maximizing strengths. To address the identified threats, the organization should focus on partnering with other organizations to cope with the potential problem of reducing the staff and redirecting responsibilities. The organization should diversify the approach to addressing different learners’ needs. The other side of this strategy is the focus on developing talents in the organization with the help of promoting the Office of Human Resources at the National Institutes of Health.
Functional Strategies for Talent Development
The talent development curriculum that can be proposed to be implemented in NIH is guided by the objective of employees’ development in the organization, and it includes strategies to promote the education and training of employees. The effective talent development curriculum includes such components as the information regarding skills and competencies of employees, the program for different levels of the personnel, strategies for different groups of employees, the timeline, and the information regarding succession planning.
Skills, Competencies, and Behaviors
Even though the exclusive approach related to talent development is supported in the recent literature, the traditional inclusive approach is more appropriate for NIH because, in this organization, the focus is on developing skills and competencies of all employees at all levels (Fernández-Aráoz, Groysberg, & Nohria, 2011). This strategy contributes to increasing the organization’s competitiveness. As a result, skills and competencies that require development need to be discussed for employees representing different positions and levels in the organization.
Thus, at this stage, executives and top managers need to develop emotional intelligence as the key competency. The managers and supervisors of the middle level need to develop their skills in team-building and implementing the change in the organization. Administrators need to develop their practical skills that are related to accounting or decision-making. Scientists and clinicians need to develop their skills in time management, negotiating, critical thinking, decision-making, problem-solving, and leadership. They are also expected to develop skills in sharing knowledge and reporting. Employees should have particular skills and competencies to share the information effectively.
Different Levels of Development
The program appropriate for NIH should include different levels of development, such as training for executives, training for middle-level managers and supervisors, courses for administrators, and training for scientists and clinicians working in the organization. The reason is that each group has specific needs identified with the help of the needs analysis conducted before planning the talent development program (Rothwell & Kazanas, 2003). Currently, NIH effectively applies the development program having different levels in its practice to improve employees’ skills and knowledge, and this approach is most appropriate for the organization of this type because high-class professionals work at different levels, and all of them require the constant improvement of their skills and competencies.
Program Design for Different Groups
Executives
The program for top managers or executives should include the development of leadership skills and emotional intelligence with the help of individual work and discussions. The associated training should include activities to develop skills in strategic planning and diversity management. The training should be based on practical assignments (Rothwell & Kazanas, 2003).
Middle-level managers and supervisors
The program for these employees should include lectures and presentations explaining the principles of developing the workplace culture, building teams, and implementing changes. The training should be based on workshops and team-building activities. Another set of activities should be oriented to developing mentoring skills, as well as competencies in promoting the change management and implementation of technologies (Martin & Schmidt, 2010). One more area is the development of skills to address staff shortages and increase the employees’ productivity that should be based on demonstrations and simulations.
Administrators
The training for administrators should include demonstrations and workshops that allow for developing the practical skills necessary for daily work.
Scientists and clinicians
These employees need to develop their leadership skills with the help of group work, team-building activities, and leadership training. The focus should be on developing leaders among practitioners to organize working groups. The training should include simulations, practicing in reports’ completion, and knowledge sharing. The training sessions will contribute to developing competencies associated with generating ideas, making notes, using databases, conducting meetings, preparing presentations, as well as creating graphs and tables.
Timeline for Development
The development program designed to address the needs of each group of employees can last about two months. The training sessions and activities for each group will be conducted twice a week, and they will be followed by the assessment at the end of the training. Table 1 provides the timeline proposed for the talent development program.
Table 1. The Timeline for the Talent Development Program.
Succession Planning
Succession planning and associated management can be referred to as an effort to ensure the “continued effective performance” of the organization with the focus on the “development, replacement, and strategic application of key people” to guarantee the talent development and address the organization’s strategic goals (Rothwell, 2010, p. 6). From this point, succession planning contributes to identifying talents who can be promoted in the organization to achieve the strategic goals and improve performance.
The activities that are associated with succession planning include the evaluation of employees, their training, and promotion. The proposed talent development program is appropriate to be used while maintaining effective succession management. The program contributes to the knowledge exchange and development of skills when employees work in groups. As a result, they are trained to share knowledge and meet organizational aims. The inclusive nature of the program allows for developing the potential of each employee working in the organization. Therefore, referring to the results of the development program, human resources managers can decide on promotions at each level of the organization.
Evaluation Methods
The information collected with the help of evaluation methods is planned to be used by human resources and talent development managers responsible for designing and implementing the training program. The evaluation should be divided into three stages while covering the pre-, current, and post-development of employees in NIH.
The pre-development evaluation is based on using appraisals for different groups of employees to determine the level of learners’ skills regarding the following areas: emotional intelligence, diversity, leadership, productivity, team-building, multitasking, and knowledge sharing. The important evaluative metrics, in this case, are indices and ratios related to the discussed areas that are used to determine the current situation (Hyatt, 2009). The evaluation tools that need to be used are questionnaires, evaluation matrices, formulas, and specific models (Golik & Blanco, 2014). The data collection and assessment can take about three days.
The evaluation that is conducted when the talent development program is being implemented is based on calculating costs and measuring the use of resources. At this stage, the quantitative data are important to be gathered (Saks & Burke, 2012). The post-development evaluation is based on using the metrics that were applied before implementing the program.
This approach is important to compare the previous and achieved results. At this stage, it is also important to calculate the performance quality and efficiency ratios to understand how the training influenced the overall performance of employees in addition to addressing their needs regarding the mentioned areas. The evaluation process at this stage can take about seven days.
Recommendations
Even though NIH has implemented the effective talent development strategy according to which the support, training, and promotion are provided to different categories of employees, there are still learning needs that can be addressed with the help of the proposed talent development program. The approach followed in the organization can be improved regarding the following aspects:
- Currently, the organization uses an effective approach to providing training at different levels, but more attention should be paid to developing top managers in NIH because their needs are often underestimated.
- Managers and supervisors in NIH receive high-quality training regularly, and they have an opportunity to be promoted. Still, some aspects of their work require the constant improvement, and the effective talent development program should contribute to developing managers’ skills in promoting changes, building teams (including cross-functional teams), and mentoring. Training sessions for talented managers should also include the development of skills in addressing external threats.
- Scientists and clinicians in NIH receive substantial training, but more attention should be paid to developing their leadership skills in the context of the diversification strategy and with the focus on meeting the environmental trends.
- The diversification strategy that is currently adopted in the organization is effective, but it needs to be regularly revised, referring to the evaluation results.
- Education and training strategies selected for employees in NIH should address the specific features of different groups of workers, as well as the organization’s vision in terms of promoting innovations in biomedical research.
Conclusion
The talent development program is designed for NIH regarding the evaluation of the current program that is implemented in the organization. The organization’s vision is provided in the first part of the proposal, and it is important to note that the attraction and retention of qualified employees are priorities for human resources managers in NIH because of the necessity to conduct high-quality research. The purpose of the integrated talent strategy is formulated to represent the alignment between the talent development initiative and strategies adopted in the organization.
The needs analysis revealed the necessity of providing the training and education for different levels of employees because they have various needs that cannot be covered by those programs that are currently proposed in NIH. The designed talent development program also includes the discussion of diversification as the organizational strategy that needs to be followed in NIH. Specific functional strategies and metrics to conduct evaluations are proposed in the plan, and they are also supported by recommendations for the further development of talents in the organization.
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