Talent Management for Healthcare

When it comes to talent management technology, healthcare is playing catch-up. But the times they are a-changing.

In the last few years, our old pals at Bersin & Associates argued that healthcare has lagged behind other industries in adoption and implementation of talent management automation and processes and that many healthcare organizations are working to make up for lost time. (Bersin & Associates 2009 Talent Management Factbook)

Any healthcare organization looking to jump-start a talent initiative should keep a few things front of mind:

Readiness in the Face of a Talent Crisis

Talent Management and Succession Planning in Higher Education

America’s higher learning institutions educate and develop society’s future thinkers and leaders. It’s ironic, then, that it seems many don’t develop their own administrative staff or leadership talent.

Administrator Talent Crisis

Research shows talent and succession planning is lacking at America’s colleges and universities. The American Council on Education (ACE), for example, reports in a survey that the talent pipeline of potential administrative leaders in academia is getting short shrift, as ACE reports that less than a third of all sitting chief academic officers are aspiring to presidencies or chancellorships.

That’s not good, but it gets worse. Research also shows that many tenure-track faculty members also are deciding to stay in the classroom, reluctant to pursue new challenges as administrators.

Here are some startling statistics that fortify the notion that academia’s talent pipeline needs serious tending. For example:

Credit Unions: Preparing People Resources for Growth in 2012

Efficient processes for training and performance management are essential for supporting long-term financial growth within this highly regulated industry

Bank Transfer Day had a significant impact on credit unions. Not only did the movement generate more public awareness of CUs, it also resulted in new member gains. According to the Credit Union Times, the one month spike of 210,000 new members was “incredible” compared to recent years. In fact, membership growth in September and October 2011 represented 75 percent of CU’s 2010 growth. 

Experts estimate that this growth opportunity for CUs will extend into 2012, and those who have the right resources in place to take advantage of it will be rewarded with increased memberships and loans.

Skilled Workers Shortage in the U.S.: Who’s to Blame?

Investing in employee development and encouraging talent mobility are two ways employers can address what some suggest is a “false skills shortage” in America

Peter Cappelli’s Wall Street Journal piece about “Why Companies Aren’t Getting the Employees They Need” drummed up a lot of fervent replies to the author and exposed the frustration associated with the chronic under-employment in the U.S. economy.

In the article (and a couple of follow-ups, including one in Human Resource Executive), Cappelli argues that the perception of a shortage of skilled workers in the U.S. is mere illusion. It’s not the fault of the national education system, but instead of employers and their hiring practices and failure to invest properly in employee skills and alignment.

Stopping the Exodus

Findings from the Cornerstone OnDemand / Harris Employee Performance Management Study

The last few years of dire economic news and high unemployment have instilled fear in employees and bred complacency in managers. A recent article in CFO magazine quotes Leigh Branham, a consultant at Keep the People: “I have a friend who is a CEO, and he says all of his CEO friends are high-fiving each other because the war for talent is over and employees are tree-hugging their jobs,” Branham says. “Personally, I don’t think that’s a lot to celebrate. It just disguises disengagement.”

Of course, all that would change if there was actually mobility in the workplace.

Six Ways Technology Can Help Cure What’s Ailing Healthcare Organizations

Automating processes can help employers improve compliance, address skill and leadership gaps, and create common processes across dispersed health systems  

Healthcare providers are up against it today. Critical challenges include compliance (Joint Commission audits, HIPAA), industry consolidation (expansion can be very tricky), and competition for talent (always a factor). Add them all up, and it’s pretty daunting.

Briefly stated, healthcare employers must:

• Deal with tighter, less-predictable regulatory processes 

• Address talent shortages in crucial areas

• Identify and develop tomorrow’s leaders

• Navigate industry consolidation

Five Steps for Moving from Basic Employment and Robotic Execution to True Empowerment

While there are no easy routes to an empowered workforce and culture, there are some basic guidelines to follow. Here are five best practices that will help get your organization on its way.

We’ve covered a lot in our Empowerment series. Need a quick recap?

• Part 1: What is empowerment?

• Part 2: What are the business benefits of empowering your workforce?

• Part 3:  How does it impact people at different levels of an organization?