Effectively realigning talent management programmes
Are your group-wide talent programmes failing to meet their recruitment targets, disproportionately representing certain regions or business units, or failing to reliably deliver the required hires? We can help you analyse the root causes using data and realign your programmes so that target groups, resource allocation and expected contribution are properly aligned. Together, we’ll develop a robust basis for decision-making: from analysing your talent pipeline, through a testable programme design, to a business case for scaling up.
When is a redesign worthwhile?
A redesign is particularly relevant if at least one of these questions remains unanswered:
- Are our programmes achieving the agreed staffing and development targets?
- Are participants and opportunities distributed appropriately across regions and business units?
- Is it clear who is responsible for placement and development after the programme?
- Are the effort and costs in a reasonable proportion to the expected benefits?
- Do the programmes still align with our strategy and the talent we will need in the future?
If the answer to several of these questions is ‘no’ or ‘unclear’, the current situation should first be assessed. This will help determine whether individual programme elements need to be adjusted or whether programmes need to be fundamentally redesigned.
What will you gain from the redesign?
The specific scope depends on your specific requirements. Typical outcomes include:
- a fact-based assessment of existing talent programmes and their bottlenecks
- coordinated goal-setting and prioritisation of target groups
- a programme design with clear roles and selection, development and placement processes
- a pilot scheme that tests new elements before wider roll-out
- a robust cost-benefit analysis and a decision-making proposal for scaling up
This results not only in a new concept, but also in a framework that enables HR and line organisations to make decisions regarding scope, investment and implementation.
How HR and line organisations work together
A talent management redesign requires a shared understanding of needs: HR contributes programme, process and talent data; the business units clarify which skills and roles are crucial to the strategy. We structure this collaborative process so that hypotheses are tested at an early stage, options are made comparable, and outstanding decisions are specifically referred back to the relevant managers.
At the outset, we work together to clarify which programmes are the focus, what data is available and who makes the key design and investment decisions.
What sets the undconsorten approach apart?
We link talent and programme data with strategic skills requirements and the experience of HR and line organisations. Through genuine collaboration, we develop prioritised options that can be tested in practice and assessed in economic terms. This means you don’t receive an off-the-shelf solution, but rather a basis for decision-making that brings together programme impact, feasibility and investment.
When does a talent management redesign become part of an HR transformation?
Talent management programmes should not be developed in isolation from the rest of HR work. A redesign becomes part of a broader HR transformation particularly when the business strategy, competence requirements, organisational structure or expectations regarding leadership and collaboration change.
In such cases, the question is not merely how an existing programme can be improved. It is also crucial to determine which talents will be needed for which critical roles in the future, how HR and line organisations can jointly take responsibility for development and placement, and what governance framework will enable reliable management.
The redesign of talent programmes can therefore serve as a concrete lever for putting the HR strategy into practice: through clearer target groups, transparent selection and development criteria, appropriate placement processes, and a management framework that considers impact, effort and investment as a whole.
What are the key elements of a talent management redesign project?
A redesign project for talent management programmes typically covers the entire talent lifecycle: strategy & planning, acquisition, identification, development, placement and retention. Key areas of focus usually include branding & attraction, hiring processes, programme design, and the target operating model & governance.
Structuring the project into ‘Foundations’ – the essentials required initially – and ‘Frontiers’ – medium-term developments – can help to prioritise measures and provide clarity on the scope of implementation.
What does a methodologically sound, three-phase approach look like?
A possible approach comprises three phases. The sequence and depth are adapted to the research question, the available data and the organisational context:
1. Analysis phase: An ‘as-is’ analysis conducted through stakeholder interviews and data evaluation, supplemented by external benchmarking. The outcome is a fact-based ‘case for change’ argument that serves as a basis for internal decision-making.
2. Conceptualisation phase: Co-creation of the new programme design in selected pilot regions across the key areas of action. The outcome is a concrete, practical playbook rather than a purely theoretical concept.
3. Validation and scaling phase: Review of the pilot results and development of a scaling plan ready for board approval, including a steering framework for the global roll-out.
A pilot involving two to three regions can test new programme elements under real-world conditions. The results provide a basis for deciding whether and how these elements should be rolled out more widely.
What are the typical weaknesses found in existing talent programmes?
Group-wide graduate and fast-track programmes reveal recurring patterns of weaknesses in practice:
What factors typically determine the success or failure of talent management programmes?
Two perspectives are important when making this decision: HR and Finance consider costs, resources and expected benefits; the line organisations assess strategic fit and feasibility. A joint basis for decision-making should transparently reflect both perspectives.
When selecting an implementation partner, clients can compare proposals on the basis of clear criteria: understanding of the business and talent strategy; quality of the data and evaluation logic; involvement of HR and line organisations; experience with piloting and scaling; transparent cost and resource assumptions; and clear knowledge transfer.
Example application scenario: Redesign of talent programmes within a global industrial group
What do successful talent management programmes have in common across different contexts?
Three questions guide the reorientation: How significant are the strategic recruitment and development needs? What costs and resources do the various programme options entail? Which assumptions can be tested initially in pilot regions? A business case can bring these points together transparently and support the decision on potential scaling.
When is undconsorten the right partner for your talent management redesign?
Our approach is particularly well-suited if you wish not only to review an existing talent programme, but also to make an informed decision about its future contribution. This is especially true if:
- several programmes are running in parallel, but their target groups or impacts are not sufficiently clearly distinguished from one another,
- global standards and regional requirements need to be better aligned,
- HR and line organisations have differing expectations regarding target groups, development formats or staffing,
- the programme is to be aligned more closely in future with strategically critical roles, skills or growth areas,
- or an investment and scaling decision is imminent, requiring robust data and tried-and-tested options.
undconsorten provides support in diagnosing, developing and testing suitable options, as well as in preparing a sound decision on scaling up. In doing so, we work with HR, business units and the relevant decision-makers to develop a shared understanding of needs, impact and feasibility.
If the initial aim is simply to purchase a ready-made standard programme or implement a single training format, a specialised training provider is often the more suitable partner. Our focus lies on the strategic reorientation, piloting and embedding of talent management programmes.
The next step: clarifying the need for action and the scope
During the initial consultation, we’ll look at your current talent pipeline, the objectives of your programmes and the decisions that need to be made. Together, we’ll determine whether a targeted review, a pilot or a comprehensive redesign is the most appropriate course of action. This ensures that the next step is tailored to your specific situation.
