Project TAD: Social Networks for Talent Acquisition and Development
How to deploy the power of collaboration in talent management
Project TAD examines how to nurture, develop, and leverage social networks internal and external to the organization to attract, retain, and develop talented people. A project overview is on the reverse. Project TAD will be led by Dr. Margaret Schweer, Vice President, nGenera, an authority on talent development and human resources, and will feature the participation of Dr. Rob Cross,an expert on how to analyze and improve relationships and social networks in organizations, author of The Hidden Power of Social Networks: Understanding How Work Really Gets Done in Organizations, and Professor of Management at the University of Virginia and Research Director of the Network Roundtable.
Project TAD begins on March 27, 2008, and concludes on June 30, 2008. It is possible to join the project in progress. The project is included in memberships in the HR Concours. For non-members, the participation fee is $10,000.
For more information on Project TAD or nGenera, contact us at (281) 359-3464 or via email at info@nGenera.com.
Attracting, developing, and retaining talent are higher priorities than ever for many companies as workforce demographics continue to shift, employees continue to reevaluate the role of work in their lives, and companies continue to leverage talent to respond to new competitive challenges. Individuals have always relied on networks inside and outside the company to learn, grow, advance, and discover new challenges, but it is only recently, due in part to technologies that make networking easier and more immediate, that the importance and value of networks has really hit the company radar.
It's much easier to understandhow appropriate, balanced connectivity contributes to the success of high performers than it is to describe, in concrete terms, how networks confer that advantage. As one senior leader told Dr. Rob Cross, "We know high performers benefit from their networks, but we chalk up all the good things that happen to them to luck or good fortune. Like the travelers to Oz, we don't really have a good sense of what's going on behind the curtain."
High performers are more attuned to the network around them. Strategically leveraging relationships enables rising stars to see the big picture better, generate innovative solutions by integrating the expertise of those with unique backgrounds, position their efforts well, bypass bureaucratic gridlock, and obtain necessary resources and support. Replicating such networks more rapidly and thoroughly throughout an organization is undeniably worth the investment of time and effort, but requires a clear understanding of high performers' networks to guide talent programs and human resource investments in network building.
Human resources needs to adopt new ways of considering talent that account for the increasingly vital role that networks play in individuals' lives and in overall corporate performance, but doing so requires a clear understanding of networks to guide talent programs and human resource investments in network building. Re.sults^®^Project TAD will address issues such as:
- In what ways is social networking already impacting our talent processes?
- What practices can we employ to better onboard both junior and experienced hires?
- How can we more naturally replicate the networks of high performers through a range of talent programs?
- How can we ensure leverage from our efforts at promoting diversity?
- How can we use social networks to make sure we optimize use of the talent we already have?
- How can we ensure that our top talent lists are accurate?
- How can we measure the effectiveness of using social networks for recruiting and development activities?
- How can our retention programs leverage networked relationships, and how can we better understand the impact when key people leave?
- What is IT's role in helping HR leverage online networks for recruiting and employee development?
Re.sults® Project TAD will help companies understand, cultivate, and leverage social networks to ensure they attract, engage, develop, and sustain talent on an ongoing basis.