Talent management and SFIA
Talent Management (also known as Human Capital Management) is a practice that facilitates the discovery of hidden potential of employees, in the process, increasing their performance and positively impacting the organization’s profits. This theory emerged in early 90s and is now widely adopted in companies across the globe. (Amy Hengst. Talent Management FAQ http://www.hrworld.com/features/talent-management-faq-112007/).
In a time of Global recession and corporate downsizing the issue of determining and managing employees’ skills is one of primary concern. This is especially evident across the ICT industry, where the skills demand is constantly shifting. Moreover, it is widely understood that the costs of hiring new staff are much higher than the costs of training existing specialists. Hence CEOs and CIOs now recognize a need for fostering talent within the organisation.(Jon Ingham’s strategic HCM blog http://strategic-hcm.blogspot.com/).
A good start can be made when assessing your current employees’ skills. An industry proven tool exists to measure professional ICT skills in order to make strategic decisions based on these results. SFIA – Skills Framework for the Information Age – is such a tool. The SFIA Framework was developed by the British government, businesses and industry specialists over 10 years ago (to learn more about SFIA http://www.ensys.com.au/services_sfia.php).
Talent Management implies a broad range of activities, including: recruiting, sourcing, assessment, goal setting, performance, learning, compensation and analysis. Employees’ skills can be assessed with the aid of the SFIA framework which in turn enhances important decision making regarding promotion, training and recruiting. For instance, when recruiting, SFIA simplifies the process by unifying the job descriptions and titles and allowing assessment of candidates against these criteria. As another example, SFIA assessment can reveal the hidden talents of your ICT staff. A staff member from technical support may also possess excellent analytical skills and this knowledge may open up a new career path as a potential Business Analyst. Without SFIA assessment you may overlook tapping into existing hidden talents of your staff.
So how do you get started using Talent Management and SFIA? The first step is to identify the organisation’s current situation and needs. The next step is to gain an understanding of SFIA and develop the strategy for its implementation in your business environment.
Ensys consulting provides a range of professional SFIA services, starting from the introductory “Understanding SFIA” workshop to developing an entire project for SFIA implementation and post-implementation consulting (to learn more about services http://www.ensys.com.au/services.php).
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