The talent equation

Alignment and integration are the keys to the success and effectiveness of global talent management.

Every global company, whether it is taking its first steps into new markets or is already a full-fledged international operation, is grappling with the task of building and sustaining an effective international management team.

In many ways, the job is harder for companies coming from the rapid-growth markets. They have less international experience than their developed market rivals do. However, their rapid expansion does at least give them some leeway to make a few mistakes.

Overall, two lessons stand out for emerging multinationals. One is that metrics are important. Numbers are the only true common language. A single set of metrics that can enable firms to compare one region’s talent management process with another helps to provide a yardstick, however imperfect, by which to measure performance.

The second lesson is that without a common corporate culture, the numbers are virtually meaningless. There has to be a single mission statement, and a related organizational approach, that everybody can sign on to, whether in Indonesia or Indiana, China or Canada. This glue holds great companies together.

The talent equation

Every company faces unique challenges and business drivers. No single talent management approach applies to all of them. Yet our research and client work indicate that leading companies adhere to the following principles:

• Alignment and integration are the keys to the success and effectiveness of global talent management and are proven to correlate strongly with superior business performance, both financial and non-financial.
• Talent management must be an integral part of the business strategy to be effective.

This may sound simple, but executing it properly can be a challenge. Managing talent means trying to harness the full potential of your human or people capital – that intangible resource that brings the complexities and connections to human behavior.

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