Talent Alchemy: Powering Digital Transformation Success

As a CTO, CEO, CDO or CHRO what is the single most challenge which feels tough to crack and is blocking you from executing all your strategic plans ?

If you are saying anything related to Talent, People, Skill then this blog is for you.

For any Digital Transformation, Organization Transformation to be successful, we need line managers to understand the need for Talent Management so that they can be catalysts for DT Initiatives

Below are the important tips in each category of Talent Management which applicable Line Managers / project managers / delivery managers to be followed

Talent Recruitment

• DT project job descriptions when hiring must encompass more than just skills – they should embrace cross-collaboration, learnability, and agility factors.

• Interviews to include hackathons, skillathons, ideathons, case studies, collaboration, co-creation, and open-source experimentation.

• When looking for talent with growth mindset, willing to take risk, innovative mindsets, its most important to consider Salary Parity with market, Diversified groups in terms of age, geo, gender, diversified thinking mindset people

• Understand the frauds, failure patterns in recruitment and update tools, techniques and panel accordingly

• Keeping candidates informed about organization initiatives, newsletters, and tech events attracts the right talent.

Talent Onboarding

• Onboarding programs to be different and on top of Organization Induction / Immersion Programs. These programs to be focused on role based onboarding where best practices, frameworks are focused so that every person dont need to start from scratch, but can build using already researched tools and techniques

• Buddy Programs help in pairing, discussing most trivial, small things and get over the newness fast and move into comfort and innovation space fast

• Exclusive HR, Finance, Operations, Research Teams sessions and support to be provided to teams so that when they work on initiatives with innovation minds, research minds, they dont grapple with operational issues

• Staffing the team on the projects which match career aspirations of team will help teams to deliver best

Talent Development

• Upskilling, cross skilling the team with latest tech trends, product trends, disruption trends to be part of continuous process

• Code-a-thons, Hackathons, ideathons, testathons etc needs to be part of frequent rituals to cultivate innovation culture

• Fail Confs: Conferences where failures are discussed and celebrated as learning lessons will help in innovation culture

• Provide time to teams to learn and contribute to work on POVs, POCs, join Research Labs and innovation incubators.

• Signups with external learning platforms encourages employees to learn and grow with less financial burden

• Higher education programs and Tie ups with B Schools, Tech Schools and some financial aids also helps and encourages learning mindset in org

• Employees to be provided flexibility to off role and on role right projects where their career aspirations are with minimal impact to Product development or Clients engagement

• Encourage cross collaboration culture to bring diversified experience in team and to foster pollination of ideas

• Frequent feedback, speedback culture to be encouraged so that there is no fixed mindset and biases in teams. Everyone is open to learn from each other gaps and failures

Performance Management

• Goal setting is critical part of performance management. Right goals needs to be set which help in DT initiatives. Learning goals to be part of goal setting. Org initiatives, innovative ideas, contributions to POCs, community building to be part of goal setting. Cultivation as culture is very important for innovative culture

• Performance Management Scale and definitions to be clearly shared during goal setting focus to be set for employee success and not penalise for their gaps. Constructive discussions towards growth to be encouraged. Evaluation criteria to be transparent to all employees and no comparisions with each other to be encouraged

• Innovation Metrics to be part of Performance Management

• Creative Reward and Recognition system to be carved out so that high performing teams can be built in the organization. Every employee has a different motivation to achieve goals and respective way of reward and recognition through promotions, new roles, compensation, RSUs etc to be carved out. Innovations whether success or failure needs to be rewards and recognized.

• High Performing Organizations to be encouraged by identifying low performers and growth plans, identifying redundant and obsolete roles proactively and allowing them to move to new and productive roles

Talent Retention and Exit

• Retention process does not trigger after employee has decided to exit the organization. Right motivation to be provided to employees so that they are glued to the organization and do not get to the exit process due to unhappiness.

• Also respectful exit process, without any blames, needs to be encouraged, respecting the decisions of individuals.

• Listening to exit reasons, gathering constructive feedback, and using it to adapt policies and processes is vital for organizational growth.

Above all provide ensure that senior leaders actively support and participate in innovation efforts. Their commitment sends a strong message throughout the organization about the importance of innovation.

Do not forget to identify and cultivate innovation champions within the organization. These individuals can drive innovation initiatives, mentor others, and serve as role models.

If you have any more thoughts do leave comments, happy to collaborate and learn.