Assignment 3: Talent Engagement Exercise

Due: Monday 9 am (eastern), Week 7 (Weight: 15%)

 Introduction

 Jack Welch believed effective talent management could be achieved by dividing employees into three groups: the top 20%, the middle 70%, and the bottom 10%. He used this approach to identify top talent and provide them with challenging professional assignments early in their careers. 

 While team leaders often know "in their gut" which employees are strong performers, a simple analysis can help you know why they are doing well and where you can help them to develop. The use of a Talent matrix tool can make the assessment process very powerful. 

This exercise is designed to give you practical experience in using a Talent matrix to analyze your employees’ performance, as well as their alignment with the organization’s mission and values. For each employee, you will assess their performance, consider how well they align with core values of the organization, and identify areas for improvement or professional development. 

Four Quadrants Chart

One tool used to support the Welch approach to talent management is a matrix based on four different combinations of performance and values. To prepare for this exercise, look carefully at the Four Quadrants Matrix above; then review the Sample Talent Engagement Chart and Sample Rationale statement below. Note how the Talent Engagement Chart provides a snapshot of the performance of your employees and their alignment with the organization’s mission and values, while the Rationale describes in detail each employee’s performance and level of alignment with the company’s core values, and also indicates the manager’s plans for supervising each employee in the future. 

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Sample Talent Engagement Chart  

Sample Rationale 

Katelyn and Jacquelyn are both incredibly ambitious and talented, and I consider them to be the top talent on this team. They align with our company’s results focus, as they always over-deliver on their goals, and they also fit well with our focus on continuous learning, as they are always looking for ways to learn more. They both demonstrate our core value of flexibility, as they are keen to take on new challenges and to experience different roles. They have both stepped up to help keep the wider team connected during the pandemic, while all staff in our group have been working remotely. I think it will be important to challenge these employees and to give them some management experience, by putting them in charge of a project or a small team in the near future.  

Sabrina and Shannon are both well aligned to the team in terms of core values, but they are currently not performing up to their potential. They have struggled to maintain their motivation since moving to work from home. Although both still complete their work in a timely manner, in our one-on-one weekly meetings, I have noticed a. decreased sense of engagement. Both have the ability to be productive employees, but they are not highly passionate and engaged in their current roles. 

Sabrina has been with the team less than a year; she is still learning and not positioned in exactly the right role. She does not yet have the confidence to perform up to her potential, but she adheres to our core value of team orientation, supporting her coworkers and always putting the customer first. She needs to be given new challenges in a step-by-step manner. I believe that, in time, she will gain confidence, improve her performance, and be a productive team player. 

Shannon is more experienced than Sabrina and more confident. Even though Sabrina exhibits the core value of dependability, she sometimes needs an extra push to get the job done. She is fully capable of doing a great job if placed in the right position. She is a steady worker, but she is not performing up to her potential in her current administrative role. She is coasting along and does not seem keen to learn new skills and get to the next level. I believe the key to enhancing her performance is to find a customer-facing position for her. She has excellent people skills, and this type of role would use her abilities better, as well as most likely leading her to want to develop professionally. 

Cherie has managed purchasing and vendor relations for the team for four years. I became her manager 4 months ago. She is efficient and productive but can be brusque with co-workers and she rarely attends office events. Since the work-from-home mode was introduced, she has missed multiple online business meetings without sending any message to explain her absence.  Cherie does not align with our core value of flexibility. She is inflexible when working with team members and shows little interest in professional development. She attends team meetings but rarely contributes to team discussion. I provided candid feedback in our month three review meeting about the behavior changes I am looking for: particularly, better teamwork and willingness to learn new skills. If I do not see significant changes in the next 6 months, I will not wish to keep her on the team. 

Glenn was assigned to my team nine months ago, to provide data analysis for our team. He is a capable data analyst, but he does the minimum amount of work needed to fulfill his tasks. In addition to his lack of motivation, he does not adhere to our core values of professionalism and team orientation. He is often late to work and sometimes leaves early, without informing me. Since he started to work from home, he is often slow to respond to emails and voicemails, which calls into question his adherence to our online office hours. At our month three and month six review meetings, I was candid with Glenn and told him I needed to see regular attendance, more support of his coworkers, and better communication, but I have seen no change. I believe it is time to let go of this employee; I am meeting with HR next week to discuss the next steps to put this decision into effect. 

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Instructions

Use the Four Quadrants Matrix above as a framework to assess your direct reports in your current workplace. If you have no direct reports, use a group of individuals with whom you are familiar. Create a Talent Engagement Chart, like the sample chart below, with a row for each employee.

•        Include an Introduction and a Conclusion 

•        Include 4 to 6 employees from your workplace in your chart, using first names only

•        List and clearly define the core values you will use to assess your employees

•        For each employee, create a row in the chart 

Your task is to select one Quadrant for each employee and to indicate the placement that you chose in the Type column. Think carefully about the core values of your company and use them to assess these employees. Use the format below to organize your assignment: 

Introduction

•        Briefly explain the purpose of the overall Talent Engagement exercise. 

•        Describe the company’s core values that you will use to assess your employees. 

Chart

•        Include your Talent Engagement Chart here. See the sample below for the chart format. 

Rationale Statement

Write a Rationale statement of 4 to 6 paragraphs. For each employee: 

•        Explain why you positioned them in the selected quadrant

•        Assess their work and describe how well they align with the core values

•        Identify areas for improvement or professional development

•        Indicate your plans for managing the employee in the future

Note: In writing your Rationale, use the sample statement on the next page as a guide. 

Conclusion

•        Reflect on your experience using this Talent Matrix tool. Was the exercise beneficial?

•        Would you use some similar tool as a manager in the future? Why or why not?  

Formatting Requirements

•        The assignment is typed and double-spaced, with a professional font (size 10 – 12) 

•        The assignment is submitted in MS Word document format 

•        Includes a Cover Page with the assignment title, your name, the professor’s name, course title, and date 

•        Includes an Introduction and a Conclusion  

•        Includes a Talent Engagement Chart, with a row for each employee. 

•        Includes a Rationale statement of 4 to 6 paragraphs

•        The assignment is written in a formal manner, with correct spelling and grammar 

•        References are included and provide appropriate information that enables the reader to locate the original source.  

•        Citations and references must follow the formatting instructions found in the JWMI Writing Standards Guide. Check with your professor for any additional instructions. 

  RUBRIC – Assignment 3: Talent Engagement Exercise