Talent management is discussed by researchers and managers as a process of identifying, developing, and retaining employees who have the unique potential and whose development can contribute to the improvement of the company’s performance (Cappelli, 2008). The National Institutes of Health 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 attraction and retention of the qualified or talented employees are priorities for human resources managers in the organization because of specifics of the agency’s practice. In spite of the fact that the National Institutes of Health has the experience in managing the talent, it is necessary to pay more attention to the discussion of the state of talent development in the organization because the retention of employees is a task of the high importance. The paper also presents the discussion of the personal experience in the field.
Describe How Your Organization Defines and Identifies Its Talent
In the National Institutes of Health, the focus is on recruiting only talented employees. Therefore, the talent development is the core component of the human resources strategy. From this point, focusing on talents, the managers working in the National Institutes of Health are inclined to propose 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 the further self-improvement. Thus, the talent management process in this organization is based on the attraction of only those persons who are preliminarily identified as having the potential for working in the National Institutes of Health (Office of Human Resources at the National Institutes of Health, 2015).
This strategy is used for recruiting and retaining all specialists in the agency, including candidates for the administrative positions. The talent management strategies applied in the organization include the short-term and long-term training and development programs, as well as courses associated with the promotion strategies in the agency.
Analyze Both the Positive and Negative Aspects of Their Current Philosophy/Approach to Talent Management (Including whether Their Approach Is Integrated/Strategic). Provide Examples to Support Your Position
The current approach to talent development that is used by the National Institutes of Health can be discussed as integrated or strategic. However, it is possible to identify both positive and negative aspects in the applied philosophy. The strength of the used approach is in the fact that it is integrated into the organization’s strategy (Collings & Mellahi, 2009; Egerova, 2013).
It is important to note that all talent development programs are correlated with the agency’s values and aims. For instance, the managers of the National Institutes of Health are focused on promoting the strategy of providing the biomedical research of the highest quality in order to address the social needs while referring to the US and global communities. Therefore, the talent development programs include coaching, training, mentoring, appraisal sessions, job rotation, and succession planning in order to develop and retain specialists who can contribute to completing the goals related to the biomedical research.
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. The reason is in the fact that modern approaches to talent development also involve the teamwork in addition to individual and group sessions because this practice is regarded as developing the employees’ potential (Meyers, Van Woerkom, & Dries, 2013).
Your Own Experiences with Talent Management, either in Your Current or Past Organizations
My own experience with talent development and management is based on participation in the in-house programs oriented to developing employees’ skills and improving their knowledge, coaching sessions, and training sessions led by invited specialists. I can state that these programs are effective to develop the potential of employees who can achieve the higher results in their work. After completing these programs and courses, I observed positive changes in my attitude to the work, as well as in its quality.
What Effects Has Your Participation in a Program Had on You Both Personally and Professionally?
While analyzing the effects of the courses and training in which I participated in the context of talent development program, I should state that these programs allowed me to focus on my personal and professional qualities or attributes that can be actively used in my work. Furthermore, it is important to note that training development programs contributed to developing my professional and leadership skills.
I could demonstrate my improved communication skills, as well as the ability to apply them in my work. As a result, the participation in these programs was taken into account while deciding regarding my promotion. Focusing on the effects of the programs on my personality, I should state that I became more confident, motivated, focused, goal-oriented, and skilled. These changes allowed me to improve my performance.
As a Participant, What Could Be Done to Improve the Effectiveness of Your Development as a Future Leader?
Although I had an opportunity to develop my leadership skills, I can work more to improve this area. The programs proposed in the context of training development strategies should be focused on discussing interaction, persuasion, decision-making, and problem-solving strategies (Shanbhag, Dutt, & Bagwe, 2016).
As a participant of such programs, I need to revise my short-term and long-term goals regarding the development of my potential and leadership skills and concentrate on achieving these goals. A leader should set goals to achieve and develop the plan of actions in order to guarantee improvement and positive changes. Training and development strategies focused on addressing the talents’ needs should be used in order to learn how to become the more effective leader.
Conclusion
Although the National Institutes of Health pays much attention to managing the talent, the current state of talent development in the organization should be discussed in detail. The reason is that, in this organization, the attraction, development, and retention of talented employees is a task of the highest priority. The National Institutes of Health uses the integrated approach to managing the talent, and this strategy is effectively correlated with the organization’s goals and values. Still, some improvements can be proposed in order to make the talent development program more efficient. The personal experience of participating in similar programs allows speaking about the important role of developing leadership skills as a result of such courses.
References
Cappelli, P. (2008). Talent management for the twenty-first century. Harvard Business Review, 86(3), 74-78. Web.
Collings, D. G., & Mellahi, K. (2009). Strategic talent management: A review and research agenda. Human Resource Management Review, 19(4), 304-313.
Egerova, D. (2013). Integrated talent management: A challenge or necessity for present management. Problems of Management in the 21st Century, 1(6), 4-6.
Meyers, M. C., Van Woerkom, M., & Dries, N. (2013). Talent – innate or acquired? Theoretical considerations and their implications for talent management. Human Resource Management Review, 23(4), 305-321. Web.
Office of Human Resources at the National Institutes of Health. (2015). Professional development.
Shanbhag, M., Dutt, M. L., & Bagwe, S. (2016). Strategic talent management: A conceptual analysis of BCG Model. Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research, 2(7), 552-556.