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6 chances not to miss on talent management

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Talent management is a continual ongoing process that requires an organisational learning culture.

With a reported global shortage of talent, L&D teams have an important role to play in helping to attract talent and keep hold of it, and by using their influence to embed the learning culture needed.

The Chartered Institute of Personal Development (CIPD) defines the six stages of the talent management journey as:

  1. Attract
  2. Identify
  3. Develop
  4. Engage
  5. Retain
  6. Deploy

How digital learning delivers in all 6 phases

The following real life stories show how digital learning has been used with great success from the beginning to the end of the talent management process.

Attract – This is an unusual but innovative example of how a digital game can be used to attract people with the desired skills. Uber taxis sent passengers in selected US cities with a large concentration of tech companies a ‘Code on the Road’ game via their rider app. Passengers would receive a notification inviting them to play. If a participant did well, they were given the option to click a button to get in touch. Uber then sent them an email with a link, offering them the chance to book a job interview.

Identify – Sponge developed an award-winning induction programme for a frozen food retailer, which employs over 4,000 people at its 330+ stores across the UK. The programme combined both induction and talent management training accessible 24x7 on multiple devices. In a survey of the learners, 60% said they chose to complete additional learning above what was required for their role to broaden their skills. This allowed the retailer to identify employees with the motivation to progress to leadership roles.

"L&D teams have an important role to play in helping to attract talent and keep hold of it, and by using their influence to embed the learning culture needed."

Develop – As part of a pan-European induction programme, Toyota used interactive video  to immerse new starters in the company’s business ethos, the core principle of which is ‘Customer First’. The video took the learners on a virtual tour of the customer journey so they could understand the customer experience from start to finish. The video moves each employee through the journey with clickable bite-size insights such as video clips from experts. The aim was to show employees how each business function links together and how they work for the customer. Quizzes enabled the learners to check their knowledge throughout the journey. The interactive video provided engaging, consistent learning at Toyota centres across Europe and was so successful that it’s also being used as a refresher for existing staff.

Engage – Sponge worked with Coca Cola to deliver brand awareness training to the company’s European partners, which employ over 25,000 people. The challenge was to keep the training consistent, fun and engaging. Gamification was used to increase knowledge and confidence. The learning also tapped into the social and sustainability values that Coca Cola employees recognise as important and rewarding. The fully responsive programme used quiz-based techniques, knowledge checks and scenario-based questions that replicated situations the Coca Cola Ambassadors would face on the job. Correct answers won hearts, which were converted into cash in each country and donated to a chosen charity. The gamification linked knowledge to reward, introduced friendly competition to motivate, and a sense of community to inspire. 

Retain – At a time when talented people are quick to move on if they see no career progression, development of your talent has never been more important. A recent study reported in the Harvard Business Review found that the main driver of employee turnover was career stagnation and lack of a career path. To retain talent, you need an ongoing skills and development plan for them. The UK’s Royal Mail was keen to develop its 6,500 managers who had to deal with difficult conversations. This required a programme that increased knowledge, self-confidence and that aligned behaviours to new values.  A bespoke interactive video experience based on real-life scenarios  was developed – with overwhelming success.

Deploy – How do you make sure that the right people are working in the right jobs and have the right skills? Personalised and adaptable microlearning has produced excellent results in identifying and filling knowledge gaps and ensuring people have the skills they need to do their jobs. This culture of continuous learning ensures everyone always has the skills they need.

Crucially, digital learning aligns with pre-defined business goals and allows for measurable results. It has global reach and allows learners to complete self-development  where and when it suits them. It works. When it comes to talent management, digital learning really is a no-brainer.