Talent Review Dialogues_Sage Solutions

© 2013 Sage Solutions Private Limited
Talent Review
Dialogues
Sieving the seeds to grow your own timber

Overview
While recruiting Leadership Talent
laterally is sometimes inevitable,
organizational research in organizational
excellence, including the one by Jim
Collins, has emphasized on the need for
developing internal talent, especially at
the leadership level.
This has led to most organizations
instituting structured processes of assessing
talent potential across its hierarchy and
building a leadership pipeline. The entire
program is anchored around a leadership
behavioral competency framework. The key
elements of the program include,
 The Leadership Competency
Framework
 Talent Assessment Process - both for
assessing existing talent, as well as a
filter for recruiting lateral hires
 Talent Development Program
While this document's primary focus is on
talent assessment processes, it touches
upon the development related elements as
well since the two are closely interlinked.
Talent Assessment Process
While Performance Management Systems
typically assess the proficiency levels of
people with regard to the expected
competencies for their current role, the
talent assessment process focuses on
assessing people with regard to the
competencies required for potential future
roles. The key challenge in talent
assessment process is to assess an
individual for potential competencies that
he/she may have very limited opportunities
to even demonstrate in their current role.
Broadly, organizations have used two main
methods to address this challenge, namely,
Development Centers and Talent Review
Dialogues. Both these methods provide for
integration of other data points such as past
performance data, Career goals of an
individual and psychometric data etc.
Talent Review Dialogues
Talent Review Dialogues are facilitated
discussions amongst the key people
around the individual concerned,
including the respective manager and the
skip level manager. This process is similar
to the session C in GE and its preparatory
sessions by the respective GE businesses
popularized by Jack Welch.
Talent Review Dialogue uses the paradigm
of ‘Past performance is the best indicator
of future potential’ and uses the principles
of studying the consistent
performance/behavioral patterns of an
employee over a period of time to really
assess whether he/she is capable of taking
on the next level leadership role. The
subjectivity in the evaluation process is
removed by involving various stakeholders
from the eco system the employee operates
in during the process (HR/Skip level leader
etc.), apart from the immediate leader.

COMPARISON BETWEEN DEVELOPMENT CENTERS AND TALENT REVIEW
DIALOGUES
Development Centers Talent Review Dialogues
Definition A method for assessing aptitude
and performance; applied to a
group of participants by trained
assessors using various aptitude
diagnostic processes in order to
obtain information about
applicants' abilities or development
potential.
Facilitated discussions amongst the key
people around the individual concerned,
including the respective manager and the
skip level manager. This is followed by a
Talent development program to enhance
the capabilities of individuals
Reliance on past
data
Limited reliance on past
performance data
Talent Review Dialogue uses the past
performance as an indicator of future
potential
Determining
consistency
Judges the potential based on
demonstrated behaviors in a
simulated environment on a given
day, thus lacking consistency
Studies the consistent
performance/behavioral patterns of an
employee over a period of time to assess
whether he/she is capable of taking on the
next level leadership role
Involvement of
direct manager
No involvement Direct manager plays an important role in
the process
Bias reduction and
objectivity
As the direct manger is not
involved, a fresh perspective can
be brought in the evaluation
The subjectivity in the evaluation process is
removed by involving various stakeholders
from the eco system the employee operates
in during the process (HR/Skip level leader
etc.), apart from the direct manager
Time and Cost
Effectiveness
Assessment Centers need intense
involvement by all the participants
over the course of 2 days,
evaluated by at least 3 assessors
(assuming a group size of 12)
Talent Review Dialogues need minimal time
investment from the assesses (restricted to
self assessment). One facilitator will
moderate the discussion for an individual
employee, with 3-4 individuals being
assessed during a normal working day
While Assessment Center format provides some critical insights in to the competencies of an
individual in the hiring process where there is only a very limited access to the data on her past
performance (through ref checks), and the Development Center format engages an individual
and explicitly show case the organization's efforts towards employee development, there are
several limitations to the Development center process, especially from the Return on Effort/
Investment perspective. Following is a brief comparison between the two:

THE PROCESS
The broad process which is followed as part of this intervention is outlined below:
Finalization of
leadership
competencies to be
used for assessment
along with the
asessment
methodology
Identification of
employees
eligibile to
participate in the
proposed exercise
Detailed
Communication
Exercise for
preparing Direct
Managers to assess
their team members
on the required
'behaviors/competen
cies' as well as
briefing indivdual
leaders on the Self
Assessment Process
Conduct of the
Asessment Process ;
facilitators ensure
rigour and objectivity
behind the ratings
with the Direct
Manager, Skip level
Manager and HR;
Assessment report
includes clear
evidences identified
and recorded for key
competencies as well
as key
Strengths/Develop-
ment Opportunities
for an Individual
leader
Identification of the
High Potential leaders
by studying their recent
performance and
ratings on
'behaviors/comp-
etencies' expected at
Leadership level,
followed by
formulation of a clear
Individual
Development Plan
Talent Development Program
The Talent Development program should be closely integrated with, and made as an extension
to the assessment process, rather than as a distinctive next phase of the program, with active
involvement of the managers and the skip level managers. Given the 70-20-10 rule of
development, that 70 percent of one's development is contributed by on the job activities/
special projects, the talent development program needs more focus on these elements.
Educating, involving and working with the managers and skip level managers to enable them to
enhance/ strengthen/ manifest the capacities of an individual, is essential for the success of the
talent pipeline program.

CREATING A SUSTAINABLE ECOSYSTEM FOR TALENT REVIEW DIALOGUES:
For creating an environment that fosters
growth and development using a Talent Review
Dialogue Process, individuals should be
continuously assessed on the following criteria:
 Ability – Determined via taking into account
the individual’s annual Performance Ratings
/ Performance on key functional and
behavioral parameters
 Awareness and Aspirations – An individual’s
awareness of his capabilities and limitations
(revealed through Self Assessment) needs
to be continually gauged and dialogued,
along with proactive steps to provide him a
conducive environment to realize his goals
and aspirations
 Potential – The manager needs to be
cognizant of consistent patterns of thought,
feelings and behaviors of their team
members to effectively gauge their
potential.
Together they act as the wheel, which form the
building blocks of the Talent Review Dialogue
Process. In the center of this wheel lies the
essence of this exercise, i.e. identifying the
target group. These individuals will be judged
on ability, aspirations and potential, which
should lead to a holistic Development Plan
Continuous communication is the rim that
prevents this wheel from wearing off. This
exercise will result in greater heights of
employee engagement if the employees are
informed about each and every step in the
process.

Case Study: A leading Indian player in the Aviation and Travel Industry
Organizational Context: The group is a diversified player in the Aviation and Travel related
services, with businesses ranging from cutting edge Travel Solutions to BPO to providing IT
support/Ground Support to key international players. Within a span of 14 years, it has a pan
India coverage with a total employee base of 11,000 professionals.
Key Need: To identify business / functional leaders who would take over leadership positions at
the Corporate level as well as within the key Group Businesses. This process is undertaken by
the group every two years.
Methodology adopted for Potential Assessment: Talent Review Dialogue Process was selected
for assessing Leadership Potential considering the return on efforts/ investment in this method
compared to other tools, and also to involve and educate the managers on the competency
framework and competency assessment process in a hands on way. Two rounds of Potential
Assessment have been completed for majority of the group businesses using the Talent Review
Dialogue Process. Consultants from Sage Solutions were involved in both the rounds.
Key Steps - Round 2:
 When we prepared for the second round of the Potential assessment, the key learnings
from the first round were kept in mind while designing the intervention. Some of the
key challenges faced in the first round included:
o Lack of understanding amongst the managers about the competency definitions
as well as the scale being used for Potential assessment
o Lack of rigor on part of the managers reflected in their state of preparedness
while coming for the discussion; there was often a clear lack of evidence for the
ratings been provided and sometimes, incomplete ratings in the assessment
forms
o Tendency of the managers to rate a person basis his Performance, rather than
Potential
o Lack of developmental discussions with individual employees post completion of
the assessment process, leading to ineffective Development Plans
 Round 2 began with a detailed interaction with the key HR leaders within the
organization briefing them about the process to be followed as well as utilizing their
inputs to ensure rigor and timely completion of the process
 Strong emphasis was put on strengthening the initial Communication to the Managers,
providing them an end to end perspective of the intervention, detailed explanation of

the assessment forms being used as well as orienting them to the pre-requisites for an
effective dialogue process along with the importance of their role in this exercise.
 There was Proactive partnership with the HR leaders along with suggested
methodologies for effectively scheduling the intervention in order to maximize the
number of assessments being completed in a particular man-day
 Post completion of the Dialogue process, detailed individual reports were finalized and
shared with the respective managers and HR leaders ; these reports included ratings o
key competencies as well as individual attributes, clear evidence for 3-4 key
competencies relevant for the next level role as well as clear overall evaluation, strength
areas as well as key focus areas to be kept in mind while formulating the Individual
Development Plan (IDP)
 The IDPs were finalized internally by the client team
Key Results: Potential Assessment of 125 leaders was completed within a period of one and a
half months. Average productivity of 4 assessments per man-day was achieved with each
assessment lasting for approximately one and a half hours. The Sage team is now working with
the client team to finalize the L&D roadmap for High Potential Leaders.
Testimonials:
“Effectiveness of the Process: The review meeting involved the Reporting Manager, the
Reviewing Manager and Head of Human Resources. All concerned had a detailed briefing
session on the talent review process by the assessors and were provided adequate time to
prepare for the said meetings. The review process brought out some interesting insights about
the employees being assessed and negated reporting bias’ from time to time by keeping the
discussions focused on evidences of competencies demonstrated. Intensity of the process was
such that sometimes we could complete only 2-3 reviews in a given day and often left us
completed exhausted by end of the day!. The outcome of the process has been very satisfactory.
Quality of Assessors: The degree of experience and maturity that the assessors brought in was
indeed praiseworthy. The way Ganesh and Gita handled our managers and steered the
discussions without offending their egos speaks volumes about their ability to handle senior/top
management.” (HR Leader of the Group Hotel Business)
“As you both know, these discussions are of utmost importance in our “HPHP” assessment
process and in fact are core to the overall process. In order to have fair and objective inputs,
every year we solicit help from an external partner who can help us look at a candidate sans any
biases or influences. I must say that you guys very ably helped us in achieving the objective.
Most stakeholders were also impressed by the way your team helped them understand and look

at “Competency Framework” in the organizational context and also as to how it plays an
important role in the “Potential” aspect of a Manager. Vis a Vis AC /DC, the Talent Review
Dialogue process is more localized and specific. It uses BEI technique to dive deeper into a
person’s Organizational Behaviors and how he / she lives the “Competency Framework”. It also
has time and resource advantage Vis a Vis the AC / DC. Net- net, together we were able to
achieve most of the objectives we had set for this process. We look forward to Partnering with
Sage in next year’s Talent Review process as well.” (HR Leader of the Group Air Transport
Business)
"Sage consultants have been partnering with us for the last three years in our LeadershipNext
initiative which is the identification of the High Performance High Potential talent pool at the
leadership levels. The commitment and approach that both Ganesh and Gita bring on the table
is exemplary. Categorizing the talent through the Competency Assessments through the unique
approach that Sage brings in is not only simple but also almost precise" (HR Leader of the Group
IT Business)

Sample Outputs: Overall Evaluation
Competency Model Rating
Strength /
Development
need
Qualitative Comments
Empowering and Developing 2
Development
Need
Second line is a challenge &
no effective steps have been
taken to develop them
Valuing People 3 Strength
Fair, respectful, equitable
and consistent in dealing
with others
Delighting the Customer 4 Strength
Manages client relationships
well; can be leveraged
further through more
holistic dealing
Aligning Strategies and Systems 2
Development
Need
Can work on system and
policies. However,
development of new process
and system is a challenge
Parameters 1 2 3 4 5 Indicators Evidence
Creating a
Customer
Centric
Culture 4
Models and drives a customer
first culture within
function/unit
One month deadline to
complete a client release,
took the ownership and
created a plan with the
internal team leader,
prioritized requirements and
delivered on time
3
Considers industry trends,
looks ahead to predict future
needs of customers; suggests
relevant strategies
Developed a system for
maintaining individual travel
records, through research
suggested additional features
to clients

ANNEXURE: ABOUT SAGE SOLUTIONS
Sage Solutions Private Limited, Sage as we are known, commenced its journey in September
2010. It was a passion driven decision the Founders took to service businesses to propel
business growth by driving best in class HR processes and programs.
With its vast experience, the leadership team has triggered the most important guiding
principle of Sage; “engagement beyond consultancy and providing solutions, i.e. partnering
with all stakeholders associated with the identified processes and programs for the client”.
Partnership remains the corner stone our engagement with our clients.
Bound by the basic principles of societal consciousness, integrity and authenticity, the diversity
in team energies have helped in looking at reality (client environment/culture) from different
perspectives. With client success as the fulcrum of our existence, we continue to evolve and co-
create, striving towards building a bigger, better future for our clients and partners.
We are run and managed by professionals with a combined experience of more than 100
years. We are now a strong team of 20+ members with high credentials in HR as well as other
operational and business domains. Sage currently has a presence in Delhi NCR, Chennai and
Bangalore.
The following elements make us a trusted partner for our clients:
 Diversity of thoughts, Integrated for providing the best solutions for the organization
 Rich & Wide domain experience
 Global Perspectives; Ability to drive the Strategic and Operational agenda
 Bringing Best in class global solutions to both our client categories
 Capability to offer cost effective solutions, using a combination of Onsite/Off site delivery
model
 Ability to seamlessly integrate and help implement best-fit frameworks, products and
services (both from functional and commercial perspectives) in the given work environment.
Given this, we are continuously combing the market for relevant frameworks, products and
services, so as to bring-in, collaborate and/or recommend them, to address the specific
needs of our clients. This helps us focus our efforts in identifying and implementing specific
scale-up solutions, leveraging the strengths of our partner organizations, akin to a Doctor in
the health care system.

Our range of partnerships helps us in delivering appropriate solutions to our clients in the
following areas:
 Value assessment and building Values Driven organization
 Creating Conscious Business
 Building Leadership Resilience through a holistic Health and Well Being approach
 Behavioral assessment from Talent Acquisition and Employee Development perspective
 Humanizing Data through Talent Analytics
 Employee Motivation through innovative Reward and Recognition
 Online HR Management/Information System
Sage Solutions Private Limited
A35/12 DLF City Phase I Gurgaon 122002
www.sagesolutions.in | connect@sagesolutions.in

Talent Review Dialogues_Sage Solutions

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