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Talent Management & Maximising

Potential Conversation Tools

Implementation/Pilot Guide for Organisations

July 2014

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Contents Page Implementation Guide Overview 2 Introduction to the Talent Management & Maximising Potential Conversation Tools 3 Implementation Step 1 - Get Organised 1.1 Identify you Talent Management/Maximising Potential Tool Champions 4 1.2 Champion Development 4 1.3 Preparation

- Which tool to use in your organisation 5 - Frameworks & development opportunities 5

1.4 Resourcing the implementation/piloting process 6 1.5 Develop your Project Initiation Document (PID) or Project Charter 6

Implementation Step 2 – Customise the Approach 2.1 Agreeing Your Organisational Vision for Implementing/Piloting the tool(s) 7 2.2 Develop your Organisational Tool(s)/Framework 7 2.3 Develop your own marketing and engagement materials 7 2.4.1 Rating Performance: Linking to Appraisal 8 2.4.2 Rating Behaviours 8 2.5 Getting Ready for Talent Development Offerings 9 2.6 Aligning Wider Organisational Strategies 9 Implementation Step 3 – Implement & Assess 3.1 Piloting the approach before implementing wider 10 3.2 Engaging your Entire Workforce 10 3.3 Training for your managers and staff 10 Implementation Step 4 - Capturing the Data 4.1 Evidence Base from Early implementation/Piloting the tool(s) 11 4.2 Quality Assure and Apply the Talent Data You Obtain for your Workforce 11 Implementation Step 5 -

5.1 Incorporating the Talent Management / MPC Tool Outcomes into your Strategic Organisational Talent and Workforce Plan 12 5.2 Acting on Your Plan 12 5.3 - Measuring Impact and Return on Investment 12

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Implementation Guide Overview

These are guidelines for organisations when implementing the NHS Leadership Academy Talent Management and Maximising Potential Conversation Tools. The guidelines are intended to cater for different sized organisations with varying levels of familiarity with talent management processes. As such all of the guidance may not be relevant to your organisation, however we thought it necessary to be comprehensive and allow you to determine what is useful and relevant for your organisation when implementing the Talent Management and Maximising Potential Conversation Tools.

As well as this guide there is additional resource of the learning from our pilot organisations which is available in both film and documented format on our NHS Talent Management Hub www.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/talent

Following an Introduction to the Tools this guide is split into the following sections designed to help you implement the tools in your organisations:

1. Get Organised - For Successful Implementation of the tools

2. Customising Your Approach - Fitting the tools to your specific organisational needs

3. Implement & Assess – Pilot/test the tools in your organisation

4. Review Data - What does it tell you? 5. Develop Strategic Plan - Subsequent

actions and Return on Investment

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Introduction to the Talent Management & Maximising Potential Conversation Tools

A comprehensive overview of each tool is provided in the documents “Talent Management Conversation Tool – A Guide for Manager and Employees” and “Maximising Potential Conversation Tool – A Guide for Manager and Employees”. These documents explain how the tools are different and what we are looking to achieve. Both are available on the NHS Talent Management Hub www.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/talent

A key point to take from both Conversation Guides is that we recognise that if we

foster a culture where we care for our staff, they will feel valued and care for our patients.

This implementation guide builds on the rationale and practice of the tools by

detailing how organisations can effectively become organisationally ready and able to successfully implement or indeed pilot the tool(s).

Our end vision is to capture the learning and evidence based practices from organisations that implement our Talent Management and Maximising Potential Conversation tools via our NHS Talent Management Hub. This learning will enable other NHS organisations to implement tried and tested tools to energise our staff and to help develop our staff to reach their full potential. You can post your learning via the NHS Talent Management Hub at www.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/talent

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Implementation Steps

1.1 - Identify your Talent Management / MPC Tool Champions

Once you have decided which tool (s) you wish to use, you need strong champions to help realise the maximum benefit for your organisation or the team you are implementing or piloting the tools within. Depending on the size of your organisation/team you may wish to have champions at 3 levels, one to champion at executive level, operational champion(s) and staff champion(s):

Executive Champion(s): An ambassador, who will be able to articulate the vision for the rationale for implementing Talent Management and Maximising Potential processes and assure on-going Board commitment.

Implementation Champion: An ambassador and credible clinical/non-clinical leader, who can understand the approach and contextualise this for the teams within your organisation. They will have a wide networking ability and have access to resources and support to ensure organisational buy-in.

Staff champions: In order to obtain organisational support for your approach, you may also wish to consider a Staff Stakeholder Group comprising of key staff from across your organisation at all levels who can assist your champions with implementing or piloting the tool(s).

1.2 – Champion Development

It is essential that the Champions fully understand and are able to articulate the principles of the tool(s) and pilot when implementing within your organisation.

This Implementation Guide will help support these individuals in their understanding of the principles and approaches they could adapt to fit your organisation.

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1.3 – Preparation Which tool to use? The first consideration of an organisation is to determine if you will be using one of the tools or both of the tools in practice. This decision should be made by considering how the specific tools will link into existing talent or appraisal processes. You may wish to use only 1 tool or a combination of both to suit the needs of different levels of employees for example: You may decide to use the Talent Management Conversation Guide and 9 Box Grid approach with more senior leaders e.g. Band 7 and above and use the Maximising Potential Conversation Tool with the rest of your organisation.

Frameworks and Development Opportunities Four key organisational elements need to be in place in order to progress with implementing/piloting the tool(s). You may have these already, however if you don’t, you may need to develop a short term solution to enable implementation/piloting to be undertaken:

• An organisational behaviour framework (e.g. linked to your organisational values, the NHS Constitution, the Healthcare Leadership Model – www.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/leadership-model

• A good performance management framework onto which the tools can be linked to (e.g. core business objectives, linked to team objectives, linked to individual objectives and performance appraisal)

• Alignment of Learning & Development opportunities to the potential outcomes of the conversations (e.g. Identifying what is/could be on offer for staff in all areas of the tool)

• The reward and recognition strategy – how the organisation will make people feel valued following their talent conversations? How will it strategically link to this?

If these are not in place already then an important first task will be develop these elements to provide a solid framework in which to implement/pilot the tool(s).

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1.4 – Resourcing Implementation/Piloting process Depending on skills and resource available in your organisation you may identify training or support that will be needed when implementing/piloting the tools. Examples may include training managers in how to hold effective, difficult and challenging conversations (this can be complimented by the Effective Conversation Module available via the NHS Talent Management Hub). Support may be available via the Leadership or Learning & Development Leads in your organisation. Organisations may want to pilot the tool on a small scale first to limit any resource requirements and to generate valuable learning in the first instance. Given that each organisation will be different we encourage you to develop an approach that is appropriate for your local circumstances.

1.5 - Develop your Project Initiation Document (PID) or Project Charter

If a PID or Project Charter is required this does need to be a long and complex document

It does need to cover some basics to secure a sustainable, inclusive and fully integrated approach:

o Project overview and vision o Objectives and deliverables o Critical success factors o Key dependencies, assumptions and risks o Project governance and project team o Integrated implementation plan o Stakeholder engagement and communications

Ideally, this document should be signed off at Executive Team level

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2.1 - Agreeing Your Organisational Vision for Implementing/Piloting the tool (s)

We recognise the important differences that exist between the range of NHS organisations and that this may imply differences in your implementation of the tools. Therefore it is essential that you define what implementing/piloting the tools means for your organisation and agree what you want to achieve before moving forward.

Your Champions should lead this and ensure that there is discussion at Board / Executive level to agree your vision. You may want to undertake staff engagement / focus group sessions also to generate discussion and champions at all levels of your organisation.

Consider:

How does this link to our strategic vision, values and organisational business priorities?

How do we use it to support our staff, make it accessible to all staff, learn and adapt the tool, pass on the learning etc.?

2.2 - Develop your Organisational Tool(s)/Framework

If you are developing and additional local supportive materials to compliment the

Academy tools they will need to be tested out before going forward with implementing/piloting on a larger scale.

Consider linking the tools to your Appraisal Process for seamless integration, or bolting it on to existing management and staff engagement tools.

2.3 - Develop your own marketing and engagement materials

Implementation of the tool(s) may mean cultural change and it is therefore essential that your managers in particular are fully aware of what the deployment of the tool means for them, and what they need to do.

You may want to consider developing further marketing and engagement materials at this point, for example flyers and leaflets for staff, ready to engage your workforce.

Training managers and briefing staff will also be important

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2.4.1 - Rating Performance: Linking to Appraisal

All organisations have a performance appraisal approach where individual performance is rated generally in terms of: o Exceeding Objectives o Meeting Objectives o Partially meeting / Underperforming on Objectives

Deployment of the tools within a Talent Management framework depends on

accurate inputs: o Performance ratings based on fair objectives o Face to face dialogue between manager and staff o Realistic career expectations o Honest exploration of development opportunities

How will you need to enhance your performance appraisal process?

2.4.2 - Rating Behaviours

This is likely to be the more complicated part for organisations, as not all organisations have behavioural frameworks in place.

You will need to have a behavioural framework in place and a way for staff/managers to easily rate behaviours as part of their Talent Management or Maximising Potential Conversations. Ideally, you should have:

o Organisational values: developed and understood by the whole organisation, detailing what your aspirations are.

o Behaviours linked to values: detailing what it should be like to work around here.

If you don’t have this in place you can consider interim options such as existing behaviour frameworks - Please refer to the Healthcare Leadership Model www.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/leadership-model

Unbiased rating is also important: o Simple approach: Assess potential in terms of someone’s time in post,

demonstrated ability to develop and ambition to move. o More complex approach: Assess potential through demonstration of

Professional Behaviours to understand if staff deliver objectives in a way that supports organisational values. Use a wider range of perceptions (e.g. 360 degree feedback) to gauge this fairly to place staff on your mapping grid.

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2.5 - Getting Ready for Talent Development Offerings A key point to note is that engaging your workforce with talent management initiatives such as our tools will raise expectations. Staff and managers will expect a menu of development programmes ready to slot into based on the outcomes of your talent mapping.

You therefore need to start thinking about your High Potential Talent programme of development both in terms of skills, knowledge, behaviours through to management and leadership development. Given that this approach is inclusive, it needs to consider everyone in the organisation, no matter the level they are working Do you have, for example:

A management and leadership framework and associated programmes?

A coaching and mentoring framework and pool of coaches?

Framework engaging staff on ‘stretch assignments’ or development secondments?

Learning and Development Plan of programmes and offerings based on your Training Needs Analysis?

A Learning and Development Team ready to support the outcomes of your Talent Management (TM) data?

2.6 - Aligning Wider Organisational Strategies

It is important to take the time to consider and plan for how all of your organisational processes align to and support implementation of the Talent Management / Maximising Potential Tools and vice versa. For example:

Corporate Strategy and Objectives: Do these foster a culture where staff are valued?

Reward and recognition: How does the organisation make people feel valued following their talent conversations?

Learning and Organisational Development: Do your L&D and OD strategies and operational plans align and support your tool implementation and help to develop talent and maximise potential of all staff?

Performance Appraisal: Is this where your TM activity and data capture takes place operationally?

Workforce Planning and Service (Re) Design: Does workforce planning and service redesign need to been taken into account for the implementation/pilot planning?

Staff Retention: Once you have invested in talent through deployment of the tools, do you want to lose it? What strategy will you use to hold onto your talent and maintain competitive advantage?

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3.1 – Piloting the approach before implementing wider

If piloting before rolling out - your role is about creating our evidence base.

Remember that this is a pilot so don’t be afraid to test out your own ideas and

innovate as part of the project and share your learning internally.

Select a service (or services) with a cross section of employees, across a range of

professions and bands to ensure compilation of a rich data set for analysis. The

tool(s) should ideally be piloted by both managers with experience of using Talent

Management tools and those with no prior experience (in order to gauge usability

across differing levels of experience)

Consider also using services and champions that have engaged in any previous Talent

Management development processes, as they will already be eager and engaged.

When you have piloted your approach, take time to review any lessons learnt and

amalgamate this learning with any existing TM framework.

3.2 – Engaging your Entire Workforce

Employee Engagement will be vital to ensure that all involved understand the

reasons for the implementation/pilot, what’s in it for them and the intended

benefits for the organisation and the wider NHS.

Your champions should lead this. Consider use of focus groups, marketing flyers and

awareness sessions.

Use the short booklet resources available from the NHS Talent Management Hub

and make these available for employees and managers who will be engaging in the

process

3.3 - Training for your Managers and Staff

Service managers and your staff will effectively become your organisational

practitioners for the tool(s). Full understanding of the organisation’s TM vision, the

tool(s), outputs and expectations of them is essential to success.

Key training for managers should cover how to hold effective and challenging

conversations. This can potentially be linked to appraisal training.

Make the “Talent Management Conversation Tool – A Guide for Managers and

Employees” and / or the “Maximising Potential Conversation Tool – A Guide for

Managers and Employees” available to your service managers and staff to assist

them.

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4.1 - Capturing the Data –

Evidence Base from Early implementation/Piloting the tool(s)

To support evaluation you can view the blank data capture sheets and the learning from the pilots which were undertaken in 2013-14 by a range of NHS organisations at www.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/talent

Remember when capturing your own data that this is all a learning experience and

there is no expectation the tools will stay the same after implementing them. You will also want to:

o Capture your story and journey on how you implemented the tools o Understand what worked o Understand what didn’t o Understand what changed o Understand how you enhanced the approach with local tools and materials.

This will allow you to provide the evidence base for the tools working across your

wider organisation.

4.2 - Quality Assure and Apply the Talent Data You Obtain for your

Workforce

In addition to the evidence base for your pilot, you will begin generating talent data for your

workforce.

Consider ways to ensure the data is quality assured to remove bias and ensure organisational consistency of application of the tool(s)

Consider peer review groups where similar service managers can review and compare tool outcomes together, and/or a grandparent sign off approach to ensure consistency

Talent data compiled from use of the Talent Management / Maximising Potential Tools are sensitive and need to be handled confidentially

Implementiion/Piloting of the tools will generate a whole new set of data for your service and strategic leads. You now need to make sense of it to inform your subsequent actions

The key question to ask yourself first is: “what does this tell me I need to do to further my business strategy and organisational objectives?”

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5.1 – Incorporating the Talent Management / MPC Tool Outcomes into your Strategic Organisational Talent and Workforce Plan

Following organisational discussions around your data, you need to capture this into

your strategic Talent and Workforce plan. If one does not exist then now would be a

good time to develop a tangible plan.

This plan will likely have impact on other organisational processes that are

supportive to TM, for example you will need to ask what effect your data has on:

o Business strategy

o Learning and Development Plan

o Workforce Plan

o Recruitment Strategy

o Reward, Recognition and Retention etc.

Build in KPIs and ways to measure Return on Investment.

5.2 - Acting on Your Plan

Your plan will need to be performance managed. This should be through your champions and also performance monitored (where applicable) by the Executive Team with progress accountable to the Board.

5.3 - Measuring Impact and Return on Investment

At a set interval you will need to measure the Return on Investment and evaluate

the impact of the Implementation/Pilot within your wider TM plan.

Use the KPIs and outcome measures that you developed as part of your

Implementation/Pilot and wider TM plans to evaluate success.

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...and Start Again...

At this stage you will realise that like any other effective organisational tool,

implementing and developing the tools and your approach is a cyclical process.

Consider how you may need to refine use of the tools and tributary organisational

processes to continually enhance your overall TM Framework.

Finally, the cycle starts again, embedding on-going informative data which will help

continually steer your organisation’s fully supported and talented workforce.

For further information and supportive materials please go to the

NHS Talent Management Hub:

www.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/talent

Join in the talent conversation via twitter #NHSTalent