BECOMING A STRATEGIC LEADER OF THE ORGANIZATION€¦ · Bidwell, assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, showed that external hires don’t demonstrate

BECOMING A STRATEGIC LEADER OF THE ORGANIZATION

UNIFIED TALENT MANAGEMENT FOR K-12

Superintendents and School Boards Think HR and Talent Teams Are "Just Getting By.".................................................pg 3

Taking the Lead on Succession Planning.........................................................................................................................................pg 6

How Can District Administrators Get in Front of Succession?...................................................................................................pg 7

Making Competencies Central to Talent Management................................................................................................................pg 9

Tie Competencies to Development and Performance................................................................................................................pg 11

Delivering Prescriptive Analytics........................................................................................................................................................pg 12

How Can HR and Talent Teams Deliver Better Information to their Superintendents and Their Boards?.................pg 14

Becoming a True Strategic Leader Requires True Talent Management Tools....................................................................pg 16

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BECOMING A STRATEGIC LEADER OF YOUR DISTRICT

Today’s senior school leaders don’t hold HR in very high esteem: according to Deloitte,

“42 percent of leaders believe their HR teams are underperforming or just getting by,

compared to the 27 percent who rate HR as excellent or good when assessing HR and

talent programs.”1

For HR and talent teams, this is demoralizing news. Amid economic ups and downs, a

very real talent shortage, the Baby Boomers exodus, and rapidly changing technology

(which EdTech vendor acquired whom, again?), HR and talent teams have their hands

full without the specter of a dissatisfied school board and community.

Yet it is precisely these challenges that are a�ecting HR’s ability to do its job—and

do it well. And all of these challenges are far beyond any HR administrator's—or

superintendent's—control. The Baby Boomer exodus isn’t slowing any time soon,

Millennials will continue to change—and challenge—the workplace, and the economy

is anyone’s guess.

There is one key factor within HR’s control, however. Employee Engagement.

Improving engagement can help organizations transcend poor economies, attrition,

and talent gaps by creating a rich employee experience, one that powerfully

influences retention, performance, loyalty, motivation, and performance.

PRODUCT LIFECYCLEUNIFIED TALENT MANAGEMENT FOR K-12

Amid economic ups and downs, a very

real talent shortage, the Baby Boomer

exodus, and rapidly changing

technology, HR and talent teams have their hands full

without the specter of a dissatisfied school

board and community.

“

”

1 SUPERINTENDENTS AND SCHOOLBOARDS THINK HR AND TALENT TEAMS ARE “JUST GETTING BY”


Teacher attrition has grown by 50 percent over the past 15 years—which costs roughly

a year.”3

“”

Engagement isn’t small potatoes financially either: for an organization of 10,000

employees, transforming low engagement into high engagement can “have an impact

of over $42 million.”2 Teacher attrition has grown by 50 percent over the past 15

years—which costs roughly $7 billion a year - as districts and states recruit, hire, and try

to retain new teachers.3

Making employee engagement a priority is also how HR teams can prove their worth as

strategic partners with the superintendent, school board, and the community. Working

with senior leaders to improve engagement—and along the way delivering a more

consistent, comprehensive picture of the district's talent—lets HR teams play a pivotal

role in the organization’s success. Instead of being viewed as simply the department

that takes care of paperwork, and payroll interviews, HR teams can be instrumental in

helping senior leaders and public o�cials visualize a successful future for the district.

$7 BILLION


WHAT ARE THE TOP THREE KEYS TO HELPING HR AND TALENT DEPARTMENTS BECOME STRATEGIC INFLUENCERS IN THE DISTRICT?

Making competencies central to

success/talent management.

Delivering powerful analytics,

not just data.

Taking the lead on succession planning.


TAKING THE LEAD ON SUCCESSION PLANNINGThe exodus of Baby Boomers retiring from teaching should mean a hiring vacuum to replace them. However,

enrollment in teacher training programs is down 53% in California, with New York and Texas su�ering similar

numbers; in North Carolina, enrollment has shrunk 20% over three years.4 For schools across the country,

recruiting is made di�cult by the fact that there is no one to recruit. When districts do find teachers, they can often

be their own worst attrition enemy – 37% of educators leave due to a weak administration, with 20% saying

principals never worked with sta� on the curriculum, and 30% saying principals were roadblocks to professional

collaboration.5 These issues highlight why succession planning is so important – attrition and recruiting

challenges dovetail to make rounding out school sta�s more di�cult than ever.

Yet succession planning simply isn’t being done in a consistent, measured way. So what’s the solution? Focusing

resources on professional development and succession opportunities. However, one study found that less than

25% of teachers were satisfied with the PD available to them,6 and 66% of teachers deemed “irreplaceable” felt

no one in the administration encouraged them to return7. To stave o� the $2.2 billion nationwide costs of

attrition,8 districts must create a culture that encourages teachers to build their skills so they don’t feel like they’ve

plateaued, or that their next career step might be at another school.

Organizations that don‘t practively build their talent pipeline through development, performance management,

and succession planning may rely on external candidates in time of need. Research conducted by Matthew

Bidwell, assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, showed that external hires don’t

demonstrate the same level of commitment to the organization as internal hires. In addition, external hires were

21 percent more likely than internal hires to leave a job “on their accord.”9

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HR can lead the charge in

ensuring the district values and

prioritizes learning and

ensures leadership candidates are

developed over time.

“

”

HOW CAN DISTRICT ADMINISTRATORS GET IN FRONT OF SUCCESSION AND BUILD A TALENT PIPELINE?1. Become expert talent identifiers at the beginning of the

employee lifecycle.

Superintendents and school boards are counting on their HR teams to identify

high potential, high performance employees. Which means HR must have an

e�ective way to identify talent from the beginning of the employee lifecycle

(recruiting and onboarding), not the middle (performance). True succession

planning begins with sourcing, as organizations identify current and future talent

needs and target hiring to meet long-term district goals.

2. Champion a formal development process.

The adage “great leaders are made, not born” has never been more apt. The

world of work, the economy, and technology move at lightspeed, and even the

most talented succession candidate needs training. HR can lead the charge in

ensuring the district values and prioritizes learning and ensures leadership

candidates are developed over time.

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True succession planning begins with sourcing, as districts identify current and future talent needs and target hiring to

meet long-term goals.

“”

As an adjunct, putting formal learning in place can also help districts attract better

talent in the first place and engage the people they already have. Employees value

growth opportunities: in the 2012 Employee Job Satisfaction and Engagement

study, 63% of employees thought the ability to use their skills and abilities fully was

most important to job satisfaction10, and 36% rated an organization’s commitment to

professional development as very important to job satisfaction.11


MAKE COMPETENCIES CENTRAL TO TALENT MANAGEMENTDistrict administrators need to make competencies a central focus of their talent

management initiatives. Competencies help establish goals and develop a

framework for how an educator can be successful. Smart districts should establish

competencies for every role.

By making competencies a centerpiece of talent management, districts will be able

to gain visibility into the skills of their educators and measure their potential for

future roles. Over 37% of teachers change schools due to administrators that are

weak and don’t invest in their teachers,12 so districts that direct budgets towards

developing educator competencies will see an increase in their retention rates,

which leads to a decrease in recruiting costs.

Establishing competencies leads to districts being able to engage in smarter

recruiting, more proactive succession planning, and a stronger ability to o�er

learning opportunities. Knowing what skills are needed for each role helps districts

search for - and attract - better talent. Administrators can also determine which

educators have the skills needed to take on more leadership-oriented roles, as

well as who may need additional training to prepare them for the next step.

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of teachers change schools due to administrators

that are weak and don’t invest in their teachers12

37%Over


89% of organizations think employees jump ship for more money.

Yet in reality, only 12% of workers leave for a bigger paycheck.13

“”

Developing teachers by providing them with training opportunities has a profound

impact on career happiness, which positively a�ects districts’ attrition rates.

One study found that less than 25% of teachers were satisfied with the professional

development opportunities available to them, while 45% of dissatisfied educators felt

frustrated and unappreciated.14 Among teachers who quit after their first year, 38% cite a

lack of administrative support as their primary reason for leaving.15

“

”UNIFIED TALENT MANAGEMENT FOR K-12

TIE COMPETENCIES TO DEVELOPMENT AND PERFORMANCEDistricts can use their budget most e�ciently by linking

competencies to learning and performance. The first step is to

define competencies for every role – what skills are needed? What

are the position’s goals? How is success measured? Step two is to

let those competencies drive the professional development and

training initiatives that teachers and sta� members receive. The

result is administrators who are able to more accurately assess

which educators are performing to the established competencies,

and which ones will need additional development opportunities.

Fifty-six percent of schools with high levels of leadership influence

report high levels of teacher commitment.16 When educators are

more engaged, they’re less likely to be part of the $2.2 billion in

attrition costs that plague schools every year.17

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of schools with high levels of leadership

influence report high levels of teacher

commitment.16

56%

Yet research by Hewitt shows that fewer than 10% of organizations surveyed “measure the effectiveness

of talent management programs, track the quality

of talent, or use specific quantitative frameworks to align human capital investements with their

organizational strategy.”20

“

”UNIFIED TALENT MANAGEMENT FOR K-12

DELIVERING PRESCRIPTIVE ANALYTICSStudies show senior leadership has a much more optimistic outlook on

engagement levels than other employees. Among stakeholders, more than

20% thought their employees were more engaged when compared to

other organizations; only 7% of respondents outside the C-level thought

the same.18

Teacher attrition has jumped 50% over the last 15 years, leveling o� at a

rate of nearly 17%.19 The costs related to educators leaving reach well into

the billions, as solving the problem requires more than just replacing one

exiting teacher salary with another. To combat these expensive losses,

districts should incorporate an analytics-based approach to quantify who

their highest performers are, predict who has the potential to become one,

and even how long their tenure may last.

Research by Hewitt shows that less than 10% of organizations surveyed

“measure the e�ectiveness of talent management programs, track the

quality of talent, or use specific quantitative frameworks to align human

capital investments with their organizational strategy.”20 According to

studies by Deloitte, only 4% surveyed said they had “predictive talent

analytics” in place, and only 14% had any program in place.21

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A lack of an analytics program can be directly correlated to a similar lack of a unified

talent management system. HR teams still relying on discrete talent management

processes—multiple systems tracking di�erent phases of the employee lifecycle—

simply can’t deliver the big picture of talent to district leadership. Both the

superintendent and HR must have access to more sophisticated analytics to grasp

the reality of their current talent landscape and subsequently make the kind of talent

decisions, from hire to retire, that maximize performance and success.

According to Bersin, access to powerful analytics requires advanced talent

management strategies—and systems that deliver a unified view of every phase of

the employee lifecycle. The benefits are significant. Organizations that have

“intermediate or advanced strategies”

lower voluntary turnover rates and 41% lower turnover rates among

high performers

17%Have

more capable of “hiring the best people”

87%Are

better at “responding to current

economic conditions”

92%Are

more capable of retaining high

performers

109%Are

better at “planning for future

talent needs.”22

144%Are


HOW CAN HR AND TALENT TEAMS DELIVER BETTER INFORMATION TO THEIR DISTRICT LEADERS AND THEIR BOARDS?1. Take analytics beyond absenteeism and turnover rate.

True talent management analytics encompass more than attrition rates.

Driving better decisions means giving district leadership prescriptive data,

not standalone facts. Prescriptive data is the result of all the facets of talent

management, the unification of recruiting, learning, performance,

compensation, and succession information into comprehensive analyses.

2. Ensure the veracity of data.

Consulting firm DDI discusses the three “Vs” of Big Data—velocity, variety, and

volume—and recommends adding “veracity.” Data is “low veracity” when it is

either data that isn’t “logically associated with talent behaviors” or data that

“requires additional cleaning steps before they can be used.”23

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Prescriptive data is the result of all the

facets of talent management, the

unification of recruiting, learning,

performance, compensation, and

succession information into comprehensive

analyses.

“

”

DDI recommends organizations create a data structure that “parellel[s] the employee

lifecycle to ensure analytics are prescriptive in nature.”24

“”


DDI recommends organizations create a data structure that “parallel[s] the

employee lifecycle to ensure analytics are prescriptive in nature.”24 HR and talent

teams must ensure any analytics take into account all aspects of the talent

management lifecycle to ensure district leaders see the big picture, not just part of it.

3. Deliver analytics in a readable, accessible format.

Forty-three percent of companies are unsatisfied with their ability to filter out irrelevant

data, while 46% have made poor business decisions due to bad or old data.25 This

highlights the di�erence between data and analytics. To become e�ective strategic

leaders, HR and talent teams must learn how to position information for the Board,

namely providing decision makers with not just numbers but analyses that show the big

picture of the workforce.

BECOMING A TRUE STRATEGIC LEADER REQUIRES TRUE TALENT MANAGEMENT TOOLSIn a survey of global executives, only 34% thought their HR teams were ready to tackle

new talent strategies post-recession; 9% thought HR wasn’t prepared at all.26 Yet HR

teams can reestablish their strategic worth by playing a key role in succession planning

with formal identification and development strategies; taking the lead in transparent,

universal competecies/competency measurements; and delivering true, prescriptive

talent management data that transcend traditional HR metrics.

However, for HR and talent teams to function e�ectively as the crucial link between talent

and senior leadership, they must have access to true talent management tools. For too

long, HR teams have been hobbled by ine�cient talent management processes:

spreadsheets-based reviews, multiple learning management systems, separate recruiting

and applicant tracking applications, all of which prevent HR teams from gaining—and

sharing—the big picture view of talent so crucial to a district's success.

Becoming a strategic leader requires instead a truly unified talent management (UTM)

strategy designed to deliver the full story of an organization’s talent. UTM provides a

seamless experience, connecting every phase of the employee lifecycle on a single

platform, with one login—and access to one support team. UTM empowers HR leaders to

help superintendents and school boards plan for the future with powerful, unified

recruiting, onboarding, learning, performance, compensation, and succession tools.

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UTM empowers HR leaders to help superintendents

plan for the future with powerful,

unified recruiting, onboarding, learning,

performance, compensation, and succession tools.

“

”


Powerful talent management requires powerful talent management tools.“ ”Used by more than 2,200 organizations worldwide, Cornerstone OnDemand is the

only truly unified system designed to enable comprehensive talent management,

from one platform, with one login.

As a result, school districts can place more focus on engaging every educator and

employee while spending less time managing multiple systems. Cornerstone helps

school districts improve performance and positive outcomes by delivering key

insight into the entire employee lifecycle:

CORNERSTONE

RECRUITING

CORNERSTONE

ONBOARDING

CORNERSTONE

CONNECT

CORNERSTONE

LEARNING

CORNERSTONE

PERFORMANCE

CORNERSTONE

COMPENSATION

CORNERSTONE

SUCCESSION


See how Educators, Leaders and District Administrators benefit using a Unified Talent Management approach.

The Educator The Leader The District Administrator

Learn more csod.com/k-12

1 Cathy Benko, Udo Bohdal-Spiegelho�, Jason Geller, Hugo Walkinshaw. “The Reskilled HR Team.” Deloitte

University Press. Deloitte. March 7,2014. Accessed on October 27, 2014, at http://dupress.com/arti-

cles/hc-trends-2014-reskilled-HR-team/.2 Richard S. Wellins, Paul Bernthal, Mark Phelps. “Employee Engagement: The Key to Realizing Competi-

tive Advantage.” DDI. Page 5. Acessed on October 27, 2014, at https://www.ddiworld.com/DDIWorld/me-

dia/monographs/employeeengagement_mg_ddi.pdf?ext=.pdf. 3 Kopkowski, Cynthia. "Why They Leave." National Education Association. Date published: April 5, 2008.

Date accessed: July 18, 2015. http://www.nea.org/home/12630.htm.4 Westervelt, Eric. "Where Have All the Teachers Gone?" NPR. Date published: March 3, 2015. Date accessed:

July 17, 2015. http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/03/03/389282733/where-have-all-the-teachers-gone5 Fisher, Molly. “Factors Influencing Stress, Burnout, and Retention of Secondary Teachers.” Current Issues

in Education. Date published: 2011. Date accessed: July 1, 2015. http://cie.asu.edu/ojs/index.php/cieata-

su/article/view/658/165.6 Giacometti, Karen S. "Factors A�ecting Job Satisfaction and Retention of Beginning Teachers." Date

published: Nov. 8, 2005. Date accessed: July 19, 2015. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/avail-

able/etd-11152005-172907/unrestricted/final.pdf7 Wu, Melissa; et al. "THE IRREPLACEABLES: Understanding the Real Retention Crisis in America’s Urban

Schools." Date published: 2012. Date accessed: July 20, 2015. http://tntp.org/assets/documents/TNTP_Irre-

placeables_2012.pdf8 Scha�hauser, Dian. "The Problem Isn't Teacher Recruiting; It's Retention." Date published: July 17, 2014.

Date accessed: July 9, 2015. http://thejournal.com/articles/2014/07/17/the-problem-isnt-te-

acher-recruiting-its-retention.aspx9 Silverman, Rachel. “Is It Better to Promote from Within?” The Wall Street Journal. April 3, 2012. Accessed on

October 23, 2014, at http://online.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304750404577320000041035504.10 Victor, Justina, et al. "2012 Employee Job Satisfaction and Engagement." SHRM. Date published: October

2012. Date accessed: Sept. 27, 2014. http://www.shrm.org/research/surveyfindings/articles/docu-

ments/shrm-employee-job-satisfaction-engagement.pdf11 Ibid. Page 11.12 Fisher, Molly. “Factors Influencing Stress, Burnout, and Retention of Secondary Teachers.” Current Issues

in Education. Date published: 2011. Date accessed: July 1, 2015. http://cie.asu.edu/ojs/index.php/cieata-

su/article/view/658/165.13 Leigh Branham. “Seven Reasons Executives Leave.” ASAE. The Center for Association Leadership.

Accessed on October 28, 2014, at http://www.asaecenter.org/Resources/EUArticle.cfm?ItemNumber=11514.


14 Myers Giacometti, Karen S. “Factors A�ecting Job Satisfaction and Retention of Beginning Teachers.” Virginia

Tech. Date published: Nov. 8, 2005. Date accessed: July 1, 2015. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/avail-

able/etd-11152005-172907/unrestricted/final.pdf.15 Graziano, Claudio. “Public Education Faces a Crisis in Teacher Retention.” Edutopia. Date published: Feb. 9,

2005. Date accessed: June 29, 2015. http://www.edutopia.org/new-teacher-burnout-retention.16 Myers Giacometti, Karen S. “Factors A�ecting Job Satisfaction and Retention of Beginning Teachers.” Virginia

Tech. Date published: Nov. 8, 2005. Date accessed: July 1, 2015. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/avail-

able/etd-11152005-172907/unrestricted….17 Scha�hauser, Dian. “The Problem Isn't Teacher Recruiting; It's Retention.” The Journal. Date published: July 17, 2014. Date

accessed: July 6, 2015. http://thejournal.com/articles/2014/07/17/the-problem-isnt-teacher-recruiting-its-retention.aspx18 “Compensation Programs and Practices 2012.” World at Work. October 2012. Page 23. Accessed on October 26,

2014, at http://www.worldatwork.org/waw/adimLink?id=65522. 19 Carroll, Thomas G. “The High Cost of Teacher Turnover.” NCTAF. Date published: 2007. Date accessed: July 13,

2015. http://nctaf.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/NCTAF-Cost-of-Teacher-Turnover-2007-policy-brief.pdf20 No author. "Defining High-Performance HR." Aon Hewitt. Date published: Aug. 8, 2011. Date accessed: Oct. 27,

2014. http://www.aon.com/attachments/human-capital-consulting/2012_Defining_High-Performance_HR.pdf21 Bersin, Josh, et al. "Talent analytics in practice: Move from talking to delivering on big data." Deloitte. Date

published: N/A. Date accessed: Aug. 31, 2015. http://www2.deloitte.com/global/en/pages/human-capital/arti-

cles/talent-analytics-in-practice.html22 No author. "The Amazing Business Impact of Superior Talent Management." Bersin by Deloitte. Date published:

July 9, 2009. Date accessed: Oct. 28, 2014. http://www.bersin.com/blog/post/2009/07/The-Amazing-Busi-

ness-Impact-of-Superior-Talent-Management.aspx23 Evan Sinar, Jill George. “Six (Avoidable) Blind Spots That Cripple Talent Management Analytics Initiatives.” Point

of View. Development Dimensions International, Inc. 2014. Page 3. Accessed on October 26, 2014, at http://ww-

w.ddiworld.com/DDI/media/pov/sixavoidableblindspotsthatcrippletmainitiatives_pov_ddi.pdf?ext=.pdf24 Ibid25 No author. "Global Survey: The Business Impact of Big Data." Avande. Date published: Nov. 2010. Date accessed:

Sept. 1, 2015. http://www.avanade.com/~/media/documents/research%20and%20in-

sights/big%20data%20executive%20summary%20final%20seov.pdf.26 “The Talent Challenge: Adapting to Growth.” PWC 17th Annual Global CEO Survey: Transforming Talent Strategy.

PWC. Page 15. Accessed on October 26, 2014, at http://www.pwc.com/gx/en/hr-management-services/publica-

tions/assets/ceosurvey-talent-challenge.pdf.

Documents

BECOMING A STRATEGIC LEADER OF THE ORGANIZATION€¦ · Bidwell, assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, showed that external hires don’t demonstrate