Talent Management And Its Link To Leadership And Management Development - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 2242 Downloads: 10 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Statistics Essay Level High school Did you like this example? Talent management and its link to leadership and management development 1. Introduction The word talent represents, in particular in this essay, expertise or the knowledge gained through experience à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" expert skills or experience/knowledge in a particular field. By the term talent management, the author refers to managing the four stages of the following process. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Talent Management And Its Link To Leadership And Management Development" essay for you Create order First, selecting and employing skilled individuals according to the organisations need for skills, second, providing them with an environment in which they can apply their skills in practice with respect to improving the employers business performance, third, developing their talent in order to further support organisations business plan, and fourth, retaining those individual, or retaining their knowledge. The next part of the essay presents the investigation of these processes and interdependence between, in detail. In this essay, the author illustrates the great interdependence between the continuous improvement of the four stages and success of talent management. The two key objectives of this essay are, first, to investigate the concept of talent management, in detail, and second, to present insights into the relationship between talent management and leadership/management development. 2. The concept of talent management Talent Management has been the cornerstone of Human Resource Management (HRM) strategy in many organisations for over a decade. Sparrow et al. (2014) affirm that although, over a decade, talent management has been considered an important factor in advancing business performance, the concept of talent management has not been precisely defined, nor it received a theoretical development. For that reason, success of applied talent management has not been agreed upon. Barlow (2006) explains that most of organisations focus on the leadership roles or employees who have the potential for such roles and do not have a certain clarification of what they consider talent. She adds that the talent management practices and Human Resource activity, in these organisations, become alike and interchangeable terms. Lewis and Heckman (2006) remark that this uncertainty and confusion exists for the reason that various terms are used interchangeably with regards to different elements of talent manage ment (such as, Human Resource Planning or Succession Planning), although each has specific practices mostly different than the other ones. Davis (2007) describe that talent management is strategic corporate approach which comprises interdependent processes of first, employing individuals who have talent(s) required for a particular employ, second, retaining those employees and third, further developing their talent to achieve preferable business performance, consistently. He explains that achieving optimum business performance through these three processes of talent management would be feasible, only if the management itself is talented. Davenport, et al. (2010) explains that analysing, for example supply chain management or customer relationships is very similar to analysing talent, for the reason that they have comparable analysing process from the start to the end. They explain that analysing talent begins with clarification of identity à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" individuals professio nal background à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" and ends with aligning changing needs of the organisation with real-time deployment of talent. 3. Four stages of talent management strategy 3.1. Sourcing talent The two methods of sourcing talent are internally à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" selecting current employees within the organisation who have the required talent and can shift position or department or employees who , for example, can participate in more than one project à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" and externally à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" looking for talent outside the organisation. Sourcing talent internally has significant priority. One of the first criteria that each corporate assigns to sourcing talents, as Davis (2007) suggests, should be assuring that the needed talent does not exist or is not available within the corporate, for the reason that, current employees have a better understanding of the business through experience and also the corporate has a clear understanding of its employees profiles. Knowing that, either sourcing internally or externally requires adopting an appropriate sourcing talent technique. He remarks that one of the most important elements of a reliable technique is to clarify the skills or personal qualities the source needs to have to deliver what is required, rather than focusing on the job description. In other words, how individuals accomplish specific tasks should receive more attention than the number of tasks they can maintain. In order to specify the skills required for a certain job in the organisation, the author suggests applying cross-functional decision making concerning talent. Cross-functional collaboration literature (e.g. Levy, 2011; Hislop, 2005; Slagter, 2009)suggest that the main advantage of bridging HRM and the function within the department, which requires the talent, gives the experts in both departments to set the most feasible talent selection criteria. Davenport, et al. (2010) describe that analytical HR consist of collaboration between HR and other functions or departments. This collaboration will result in optimum talent management through which the organisation would benefit the most from its intellectual capital. They expla in that Analytical HR integrates individuals performance data with organisational objectives which be followed by better understanding the areas which need talent development. This shows the great interdependence between this element of talent management and talent development. 3.2. Work environment In this part of the essay, the author investigates the relationship between work environment/climate and successful talent management from two parallel perspectives. Firstly, the impact of work environment on employee satisfaction and productivity is non-negotiable and its influence on success of talent management, in term of retention, is considerable (Botha, et al., 2011). In order to maximise the performance of talents, providing motivational features embedded in the design of work environment followed by satisfying talents need à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" where they can elicit their skills fully à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" is as critical as a competitive salary is for attracting and retaining talents. For example, as Yeh (2007) expresses, HR especial practices for highly mobile talents has positive impact on minimising turnover and maximising employee satisfaction. On the other hand, HR acculturation practices prepare a work environment, especially for entry level employees, in which employees w ill have the opportunity to better understand organisational beliefs and work towards its goals. The second perspective is the impact of work environment on knowledge elicitation and transfer between experts and other employees or functions within one organisation (Botha, et al., 2011; Hislop, 2005; Hofer-Alfeis, 2008). There is another great interdependence between two stages of talent management, motivational work environment and retaining experts knowledge. The author investigates this element in detail, in section 3.4. 3.3. Talent development Education and training In the process of talent management, continuous talent development plays an important role. Davis (2007) affirms that one of the fundamental talents required in advancing talent management is learning ability of candidates. Moreover, education element of this process is not limited to academic degrees. It includes professional workshops, certain courses and so on. Skilled workers will have the opportunity to further develop their knowledge and learn about the current works in their area of profession. Communities of practice Hislop (2005) defines that community of practice represents a group of people who, to some extent, have shared identity, common knowledge and overlapping values which results in creating social conditions conductive to knowledge sharing. Motivating communities of practice, and in particular the ones including skilled workers, to actively participate in sharing, creating and utilizing knowledge will be followed by individuals talent development. Significant advantage of this element is increase in the transfer of experts knowledge to other employees followed by reducing the impacts of leaving experts and its risk for the organisation. . Fisher and White (2000) emphasise that supporting effective communities of practice networks have significant motivational role in retaining experts and as a result, reducing knowledge loss. Cross-functional practices As mentioned in section 3.1, talent management advances through collaboration between functions from the start point of the process. Promoting cross-functional experts collaboration will also create an opportunity to better identify the areas that needs further talent development. The author suggests shifting from centralized to cross-functional (decentralized), for example in HR practices, assist the performance of talent management, and illustrated the details associated with this method in Figure 1. Figure 1: Cross-functional communication chain 3.4. Retaining talent/knowledge One of the most influential HRM practices for retaining talents or at least their knowledge, suggested in Human Resource (HR) literature, is motivation. Motivation is foundation of almost all other strategies required for talent retention, for example reward systems (Menon Pfeffer, 2003). Reward systems are, in fact, a major factor motivating employees to collaborate efficiently and effectively (Droege Hoobler, 2003). Winkelen and McDermott (2008) report that not many organisations employ proactive strategic approaches to prevent talent loss, instead most of them seek ad hoc and reactive approaches. After investing time and money in addition to sharing corporate strategies with talents, the main concern for any organisation would be retaining talent as long as possible. Although the organisation does benefit from this investment in terms of overall performance improvement, every organisation wants continuous profit from this investment. If the talents leave the organisation th en not only the whole process needs to be repeated resulting in extra investment but also, particularly in the cases that talents shift to competitors as they take their knowledge of the corporate with them which is higher in risk than any other expenses the organisation might face. Hofer-Alfeis (2008) characterises leaving experts/talents a significant challenge for HRM more than any other function within an organisation. He explains that retiring, shifting positions within an organisation or shifting to another organisation raises the need for approaches through which the organisation, at least, retain the experts knowledge when retaining the experts themselves is not possible. De Long and Davenport (2003), Levy (2011) and Winkelen and McDermott (2008) affirm that the fundamental step in any talent retention strategy should, first, include identifying talents critical to business performance and, second, using tools and techniques assuring transfer of their tacit/undocumented k nowledge to other employees within the organisation. Among the HR practices, Hofer-Alfeis (2008) suggests, job rotation is one of the most reliable ones in terms of spreading the knowledge and making the organisation less dependent on talents. Slagter (2009) adds that network building and conducting seminars facilitates knowledge elicitation and transfer between experts and other employees. Hislop (2005) affirms the interdependence between recruitment and selection process and retaining knowledge. He explains that selecting and recruiting talented individuals with compatible values to those of existing culture of the firm, and the ones who are willing to engage in knowledge transfer practices, will further facilitate the process of talent management. 3.5. Summary The four stages of talent management strategy investigated in section 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 and 3.4 is summarised in Table 1. Talent management stages Method Elements Sourcing talent Internally/externally Candidate identity Experience Expertise Qualifications Organisational critical needs Work enviroment N/A Work culture Work performance review HR and employees communication ways Addressing employees concerns Employee welfare Salaries Risk of job loss Talent development Internally/externally Education Training Communities of practice Cross-functional collaboration Retaining talent/knowledge N/A Opportunites for employee career development Competitive employee support Knowledge elicitation and transfer Table 1: Four stages of talent management 4. Concluding marks The qualitative analysis in this essay highlighted that talent management is not limited to HR practices. It showed that to succeed in talent management, a strategic approach, involving many functions within a firm, is a necessity and it will benefit from covering all the four stages of strategic process of talent management proposed, in parallel. Moreover, findings of detailed investigation of elements of each stage revealed that there is a strong interdependence between all the stages of talent management strategic processes and there is a great need for continuous improvement of the process to achieve advanced business performance. The author concludes that talent motivation à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" such as providing great place to work at, opportunities for developing career and so on à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" has the greatest effect on success of talent management and especially retaining experts or expert knowledge. Furthermore, talent management strategy that aims at improving business c ompetitive performance needs professional leadership and management talents. Works Cited Barlow, L., 2006. Talent development: the new imperative?. Development and Learning in Organisations: An International Journal, 20(3), pp. 6-9. Botha, A., Bussin, M. de Swardt, L., 2011. An employer brand predictive model for talent attraction and retention. SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 9(1). Davenport, T. H., Harris, J. Shapiro, J., 2010. Competing on talent analytics: What the best companies know about their people and how they use that information to outperform rivals. Harvard Business Review , 88(10), pp. 52-58. Davis, T., 2007. Talent Assessment A New Strategy for Talent Management. s.l.:Gower Publishing Limited. De Long, D. W. Davenport, T., 2003. Better practices for retaining organisational knowledge: lessons from the leading edge. Employment Relations, 30(3), pp. 51-63. Droege, S. Hoobler, J., 2003. Employee turnover and tacit knowledge diffusion: a network perspective. Journal of Managerial Issues, 15(1), pp. 50-64. Fisher, S. White, M. , 2000. Downsizing in a learning organisation: are there hidden costs?. Academy of Management Review, 25(1), pp. 244-251. Hislop, D., 2005. Knowledge management in organisations: A CRITICAL INTRODUCTION. s.l.:Oxford University Press. Hofer-Alfeis, J., 2008. Knowledge management solutions for the leaving expert issue. Journal of Knowledge Management, 12(4), pp. 44-54. Levy, M., 2011. Knowledge retention: minimizing organisational business loss. Journal of Knowledge Management, 15(4), pp. 582-600. Lewis, R. E. Heckman, R. J., 2006. Talent management: A critical review. Human Resource Management Review , Volume 16, p. 139à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"154. Menon, T. Pfeffer, J., 2003. Valuing internal versus external knowledge. Management Science, 49(4), pp. 497-513. Slagter, F., 2009. HR practices as predictors for knowledge sharing and innovative behavior: a focus on age. International Journal of Human Resources Development and Management, 9(2/3), pp. 223-249. Sparrow, P., Scullion, H. Tarique, I. eds., 2014. Strategic Talent Management: Contemporary Issues in International Context. s.l.:Cambridge University Press. Winkelen, C. McDermott, R., 2008. Facilitating the handover of knowledge. Knowledge Management Review, 11(2), pp. 24-27. Yeh, Y., 2007. A renewed look at the turnover model for accounting knowledge work force. Journal of the American Academy of Business, 11(1), pp. 103-109.

Preparing for the BMAT - 822 Words

Preparing for the BMAT (biomedical admissions test) The biomedical admissions test was created to assist medical and veterinary schools in the admissions process. Some of the universities have much more applications than places and the majority of these applications are strong. The BMAT allows the universities to filter out the strongest candidates based on exam performance. The BMAT exam lasts for 2 hours and is split into 3 sections. The examination test date is 31st October 2008. This article will aim to provide you with some advice and give an overview to students who are planning on taking the BMAT exam. †¢ aptitude and skills (1 hour) †¢ scientific knowledge and application (30 minutes) †¢ writing task (30 minutes) The†¦show more content†¦Analyse all data given carefully not leaving anything out. The data analysis subset involves extracting certain points out of the data and using these to make suitable conclusions, to give the answer. Depending on the starting data you are provided with this could include using statistical methods, interpreting graphs, curve fitting or even eradicating unwanted information and prioritising said data. Scientific knowledge and application This section attempts to make students utilise their scientific knowledge to help them answer questions. Again this section is multiple choice, so make informed guesses when there is a need using the data given. This section also requires practice and revision of scientific principles in order to score high marks, so we advise you do some revision covering the basics of biology, chemistry and physics. Writing task The writing task is asking you to create an essay from a given question. Here are some general pointers to help you achieve a great score. †¢ Read: Read articles, newspapers, journals and book. This will help you to gain an understanding of how to put forward logical thought and will also help improve your English writing skills †¢ Partake in group discussions/debate forums: By

Role of Nurses in Gestational Diabetes Free Essays

The role of nurses in gestational diabetes. (DIABETES CARE)(Brief Article) Journal of Diabetes Nursing | May 1, 2003 | Assignment 2 Research studies, recently conducted in America, have found that diet and exercise play an important role in predisposing a woman for gestational diabetes (GD). This study compared the rate of insulin treatment and perinatal outcome in women with gestational diabetes under endocrinologist-based versus diabetes nurse-based metabolic management. We will write a custom essay sample on Role of Nurses in Gestational Diabetes or any similar topic only for you Order Now A total of 244 participants received endocrinologist-based care and 283 participants received diabetes nurse-based care. A retrospective analysis was carried out comparing maternal characteristics, rate of insulin treatment and perinatal insulin requirements, in comparison with those who had used diet and exercise as a controlling factor for their diabetes. Pregnancy imposes a great amount of stress on most bodily functions and it is certain that glucose metabolism is no exception. Gestational Diabetes Mellitus is a type of diabetes, which occurs during pregnancy, distinct from the condition that already existed. It is defined as a glucose intolerance of variable degrees with onset or first recognition during pregnancy; it will generally develop in the latter half of the pregnancy and will improve after delivery (Colman, 2004). Gestational Diabetes is generally not dangerous to either mother or fetus. The disease itself is usually mild and even asymptotic; however there is an increased incidence of foetal and perinatal complications (Guthrie amp; Guthrie, 2004). In addition, if an unreasonable amount of sugar is allowed to circulate in the mother’s blood and then to enter the fetal circulation, potential problems for both mother and baby are serious. The mother’s pancreas work’s overtime to produce insulin, but it is not enough to lower blood sugar levels. Glucose will then cross the placental barrier, increasing work on the pancreas of the fetus, which uses insulin to convert the glucose into energy. The baby has more energy than is required so it converts this energy into fat stores, resulting in large birth weight babies and all the problems that can be associated with that (http://diabetes. org). At each visit to the doctor a sample of urine is taken, this is then tested for glucose levels. Sugar in the urine may be the first indications of Gestational Diabetes. Also, during the fifth month a glucose tolerance test is now a routine test for pregnant women. A Glucose Tolerance Test is when the women provide a blood sample taken before and after consuming a glucose drink, glucose levels gt;9. 0mmol/l indicate Gestational Diabetes is present. However this may be performed earlier on someone who is considered as being at risk (Colman, 2004). The incidence of gestational Diabetes has increased a significant amount, between35% and 59%, over the past ten years (http://diabetes. rg). Studies have found that the figures have shown an alarming incline in the amount of women being diagnosed with this gestational Diabetes. It is now believed that between 2 and 12% of pregnant women suffer from Gestational Diabetes (Guthrie amp; Guthrie, 2002). Testing has now become routine for pregnant mothers, so it is being discovered earlier in the pregnancy and as a result is now being treated much sooner. Because of this routine testing the chance of miscarriage and perinatal loss has been greatly reduced. The survival rate of these infants has increased from less than 70% a few years ago to nearly 98% now, a figure which has only come about through care specializing in diabetes in pregnancy, routine testing of all pregnant women and the best care available (Guthrie amp; Guthrie, 2002). Even though gestational Diabetes is now being discovered more often and being medically controlled a woman who has had Gestational Diabetes will have a much higher chance of developing diabetes later in life. If insulin was required as treatment, there is a 50% chance of diabetes within 5years, and even if the diabetes was dietary controlled there is still a 60% chance of developing diabetes within 10-15 years (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2007-08). With these alarming figures it is obvious that further understanding of the treatment and control of gestational diabetes is necessary. From the whole number of applicants, researchers then divide participants into stratified samples; containing those who were at risk for gestational Diabetes and those who had no known predisposing factors. Each of these strata was then further divided into halves, with one half continuing their usual daily activities and progress through the pregnancy with current medical assistance available. The other half of the group was required to stick to a strict regime of healthy diet and exercising at least once a week, more if they wish. There was an initial interview conducted between the 6-12 week period of pregnancy, during the first trimester, to ensure that the required information is collected and any information can be supplied and ensure that is understood. The interview incorporated data from the year prior to conception and continued until 2 months following the births of the children. All participants were required to test daily their Blood Glucose Level (BGL) and also test their urine for sugar and record their findings. While there would be an occasional increase in glucose levels during pregnancy, persistently high levels would indicate Gestational Diabetes and a Glucose Tolerance Test was conducted. Weekly follow ups were conducted to ensure all information was recorded accurately, and also permitted time for the participant to discuss any concerns that had arisen. However pregnancy requires a number of checkups, increasing towards the later trimester, so data was also collected through the ante natal clinics. After delivery another Glucose Tolerance Test was performed to evaluate for preexisting Diabetes and it also allowed time for any complications for the newborn to arise. For the purpose of this study I feel that a larger number would be required to make certain that there would be women who are at risk, have had gestational diabetes and have never suffered from this condition before, and would also allow for the inevitable elimination of some of the participants. This was a quantitative research process, there was a need to interview, assess and gather personal information on the study participants. Some participants may deem this an invasion of privacy. To ensure that no emotional or psychological damage occurs to the participants it would be extremely important to ensure that there would be the strictest confidentiality with the information provided and that it would only be shared with those who require the data. The aim of this research is to understand whether gestational Diabetes can be avoided all together, or whether it can be treated more effectively, providing a better health outcome for the fetus and mother. By providing conclusions, which benefit society, the principle of Beneficence can be achieved (Roberts and Taylor, 2002). An even more critical consideration is the health and well being of the participants. All women are naturally concerned that their baby will be healthy and normal; a researcher must be able to ensure that no harm will come to the mother or child. The principle of non-malfeasance, makes certain that no injury will occur to either mother or fetus, that the participants are not exploited in any way and that the benefit to the community outweighs any risk that may be present (Roberts and Taylor, 2002). At all times, the participants were treated with respect, confidentiality and their physical and mental welfare was maintained. The most important point to remember here is effective communication, the participants understood exactly what was being researched, and they received accurate information on when, where, how, why and who. They were given education sessions on how to use any of the equipment that had been supplied. The equipment used were Urine dipstick and BGL machine, requiring only a small amount of training to make sure they were used properly. As the researcher, it is important to be precise and clear about this information to ensure that participants show up, on time and at the right place. (Roberts and Taylor, 2002). By incorporating the interviews and research into their ante- natal care visits, which would normally take place; the researchers avoided any complications arising from data collection. Participants were required to provide accurate, detailed and correct information on their experiences for the research to be valid and have any true meanings. This requires a great amount of trust on the researcher behalf. By ensuring that the participants understood the importance of this study, for their own health as well as the wider community, it would be hoped that the participants would record precise information. For many people, being diagnosed with gestational diabetes can be upsetting. Treatment for gestational diabetes substantially reduces adverse perinatal outcomes and improves maternal quality of life. Optimal proven treatment for gestational diabetes includes review by a diabetes educator, dietitian and physician, with insulin used if glycaemic targets are not achieved with dietary control alone. Screening for gestational diabetes should be offered to all pregnant women. Maternity service providers should ensure that adequate resources are devoted to the detection and treatment of gestational diabetes. References Australian Bureau of Statistics. National Health Survey, 2007-08 http://www. abs. gov. au 10/04/10 Colman, M. 2004, Diabetes and you: An owner’s Manual, Diabetes Australia, Melbourne. Diabetes Australia. Diabetes and Pregnancy, http://diabetes. org/gestational-diabetes 05/04/10 Guthrie, D. A. amp; Guthrie, R. A. , 2004, Nursing Management of Diabetes Mellitus: Fifth Edition, Springer Publishing Company, New York. Roberts, K. L. amp; Taylor, B. J. , 2002, Nursing Research Processes: An Australian Perspective, 2nd Ed. , Nelson Thomas Learning, Southbank, VIC. The role of nurses in gestational diabetes. DIABETES CARE, Journal of Diabetes Nursing, May 1, 2003| How to cite Role of Nurses in Gestational Diabetes, Papers