Case Study - Talent Development - State Government

Overview

Like many organisations, this government agency faced issues around identifying and developing talented leaders within the business. To put it simply, in the absence of clear definitions around how leadership effectiveness was defined, managers were nominating all of their team members for accelerated development. While there were likely cases where this was a justifiable outcome, the organisation approached Peter Berry Consultancy (PBC) to assist in understanding and identifying their key talent in order to drive the business forward.

Approach

In consultation with senior leaders responsible for organisational and talent development, PBC developed a survey that captured essential information regarding individuals and enabled the organisation to determine likely talent potential. As there were no existing metrics or strategies in place, PBC included both broad and specific assessments of talent, as well as self-ratings and evaluations from stakeholders. The key characteristics of the program included:

• Identification of career goals by individuals
• Self-assessment of strengths and opportunities
• Responses to behavioural questions assessing leadership capability potential
• Aspiration for accelerated leadership development
• Fulfilment at work
• Alignment with organisational strategy, vision and values

Outcome

The talent management tool was utilised effectively by the organisation and was well-received by individuals and managers. The information was used to inform internal development actions to identify the most suitable candidates for accelerated development, and also enabled managers to have specific information to inform their discussions with all the team members. Feedback from senior leaders within the organisation has been highly positive, with individuals taking part in the process reporting more targeted developmental discussions and greater engagement with the process.