The Business Case for Unified Talent Management

7/27/2019 The Business Case for Unified Talent Management

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Copyright Ventana Research 2012 Do Not Redistribute Without Permission

The Business Case for

Unified Talent Management

Identifying Benefits and Justifying

Investment

Research PerspectiveSponsored by

Aligning Business and IT To Improve Performance

Ventana Research2603 Camino Ramon, Suite 200San Ramon, CA 94583

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Ventana Research The Business Case for Unified Talent Management

Ventana Research 2012 Page 2

More than two-thirds oforganizations said it is

very important to havea comprehensive viewof performance, butfragmented systemsand processes work

against developing one.

Fragmentation in Talent Management

To retain skilled talent and attract new recruits, organizations must showclearly that the work these individuals do or will do has value that it willalign with and further the goals of the business. Creating this picture requirescohesive workforce management processes and easy access to information

about employees work and how they are evaluated and rewarded. Ourbenchmark research on managing performance to motivate talent confirmedthat this is important: More than two-thirds of organizations participating inour research said it is very important to them to have a comprehensive viewof performance. However, fragmented systems and processes work againstdeveloping one.

Most organizations operate with a disparate array of systems to managerecruiting, compensation, performance assessment, succession planning,learning, workforce analytics, contingent labor management and otheraspects of employment. This collection of tools, which often work together

only after customization, impedes coherent end-to-end talent managementprocesses. It also has the potential to undermine employee engagement, Asemployees may be frustrated by difficulty in finding information important totheir careers and understanding how their work contributes to businessgoals.

Organizations operating with heterogeneous systems for aspects of workforcemanagement should assess the benefits of migrating to a common platformthat integrates all their talentmanagement applications andensures that all relevant informa-tion is readily available to every-one who needs it. Doing so alsocan reduce the costs and effort ofmanaging applications separatelyand improve the quality and con-sistency of data.

In addition, unifying talent man-agement can make it easier tointroduce new tools to boost pro-ductivity and encourage talent. This is particularly important with the adventand increasingly important role of social media. Participants in recent

research said that using social media-based methods and tools to shareknowledge (cited by 49%) and to collaborate (37%) is important to achievingtheir workforce goals. A stable platform can enable these tools and providethe information to feed them; it also will support accessing them throughWeb browsers and mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, whichare important to the new generation of workers.


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Keep in mind thatin realizing benefitsfrom any newsystem, users arethe key; they mustbe willing to use it.

The Business Case for a Unified Approach

Making a case for investing in a comprehensive approach to talentmanagement should begin with an analysis of the drawbacks of the currentsituation. These typically include inaccurate data or data conflicts acrossapplications, duplication of effort needed both to use and maintain them,

separate costs for each software license, and wasted time and frustration foremployees. Then determine the benefits you want to gain by bringingtogether disparate applications; these will include eliminating issuesidentified in current systems, integrating them to share the same sources ofdata, establishing a common, easy-to-use interface for all and enablinginteraction among employees and managers. Once these two analyses are inhand it will be possible to evaluate cost benefits.

The analyses also will enable you to specify with precision your technical anduser requirements for a unified talent management system. Be sure to

validate the ability of the applications to

support the range of roles and technicalskills needed by your organization, bothcurrently and foreseeably in the future.

To sharpen the evaluation, werecommend that you create metrics thatwill enable you to measure the successof the anticipated investment. Theseshould include changes in productivity,

time savings and quantifiable improvements in employee satisfaction. Ourresearch shows that the top-ranked workforce metric for talent managementactivities is employee satisfaction and engagement, according to 69 percentof organizations.

Throughout the development of the business case, keep in mind that usersare the key to maximizing the benefits projected to be realized from any newsystem; they must be willing to use it. Therefore include in the productidentification and evaluation process representatives of all stakeholderswhose buy-in will be necessary for approval and adoption.

Talent Is the Reason for Investment

Smart managers at all levels and in all lines of business know that acquiring,

engaging and retaining the right talent can reduce the risk of failing toachieve business objectives. Skilled people who are in demand seldom staywhere they dont feel appreciated. On the other hand, employees whounderstand how their jobs support business goals and believe they are beingevaluated fairly and compensated appropriately remain satisfied and loyal.

In todays distributed and geographically disparate workforce, communicatingand collaborating are essential to engage and retain talent. Having a unified


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management environment can make this easier to provide and can savetime, improve workforce productivity and contribute to employee satisfaction.With respect to the most tangible aspect of managing human capital, pay,more than three-quarters of organizations in our research on totalcompensation management said it is important to integrate that aspect withother talent management applications.

Tighter integration of applications and elimination of the time lost innavigating across products from multiple vendors make it easier foremployees to feel in control of their work environment to get what theyneed to complete tasks and understand the relation of their jobs to thecompanys goals. Unified talent management thus can promote strongerengagement and satisfaction on the part of the people you rely on to improvebusiness potential and deliver business results.

About Ventana Research

Ventana Research is the most authoritative and respected benchmarkbusiness technology research and advisory services firm. We provide insightand expert guidance on mainstream and disruptive technologies through aunique set of research-based offerings including benchmark research andtechnology evaluation assessments, education workshops and our researchand advisory services, Ventana OnDemand. Our unparalleled understanding

of the role of technology in optimizing business processes and performanceand our best practices guidance are rooted in our rigorous research-basedbenchmarking of people, processes, information and technology acrossbusiness and IT functions in every industry. This benchmark research plusour market coverage and in-depth knowledge of hundreds of technologyproviders means we can deliver education and expertise to our clients toincrease the value they derive from technology investments while reducingtime, cost and risk.

Ventana Research provides the most comprehensive analyst and researchcoverage in the industry; business and IT professionals worldwide aremembers of our community and benefit from Ventana Researchs insights, asdo highly regarded media and association partners around the globe. Ourviews and analyses are distributed daily through blogs and social mediachannels includingTwitter,Facebook,LinkedInandGoogle+.

To learn how Ventana Research advances the maturity of organizations useof information and technology through benchmark research, education andadvisory services, visitwww.ventanaresearch.com.
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