Talent Mapping: Identifying Key Employees
13 January 2009
Read by 2173 persons
This American method helps find and retain key employees.
Identifying key employees is a difficult task for HR managers. To do it right, they need several evaluation tools, making it costly for the company. One effective tool is "talent mapping," a technique not widely used in Morocco due to its demanding nature.
It helps identify key employees and highlight their skills and even personality traits, which are also important factors.
How can you benefit from talent mapping and find key employees to retain? This tool precisely analyzes and measures employee talent. In the US and recently in France, HR professionals have embraced this method. Employees and their supervisors complete a questionnaire, positioning them on a grid based on four criteria: skills, personal qualities, work commitment, and performance. This approach is appealing because these four factors are easy to understand and resonate with managers. "After all, aren't we all looking for technically skilled, enthusiastic, committed employees who perform well?" says one consultant.
Talent mapping is currently the best way to map employee talent, benefiting career managers. Due to its cost, it's mainly used for top management or key positions with scarce talent (e.g., logistics technicians). If you're a manager and want to know your "talent capital," free online tests are available, especially helpful if you're considering a salary increase.
"Keeping talent protects a company"
Expert Opinion • Mohammed Benouarrek
What is Talent Mapping?
The war for talent has led to many tools for attracting and retaining top performers. While best practices can be benchmarked and duplicated, talent can't be copied. To identify and retain internal talent, companies use this US-based technique, evaluating employees on four axes: technical skills, personal qualities, commitment, and performance. Evaluation involves assessment centers, 360° feedback, performance reviews, and engagement surveys.
High scores identify key employees or talent. Talent needs more than a minimum wage; technical skills and mastery are essential. However, true talent also includes exceptional personality traits such as leadership, pragmatism, and optimism. Motivation and commitment are also crucial. Ultimately, performance is central to talent mapping because it's the company's goal.
Is Talent Mapping Used in Morocco?
Talent mapping is rarely used in Morocco, primarily due to a lack of awareness, the resources needed (psychometric tests, technical skills tests, 360° evaluations, etc.), and the multiple stakeholders involved. France is more advanced in implementing talent mapping. For Morocco, it's a matter of time and a maturing job market that encourages valuing and retaining key human resources.
Benefits for a Company
Talent mapping is a proactive approach to identify talent, creating a system for career management and retention. This allows for positive discrimination and merit-based differentiation. Retention efforts become more targeted and efficient.
The Supervisor's Role
Supervisors have several roles: They need to evaluate employees neutrally and professionally (participating in 360° evaluations), identify key employees, and monitor them to retain and leverage their talent.
Is Talent Mapping for All Employees?
Talent mapping isn't limited to top management; all employees are eligible. However, it's currently costly to apply it universally. Nevertheless, employees shouldn't be excluded based solely on their job title; some lower-level employees hold critical positions.
It's recommended to move beyond traditional, limited evaluation methods. Mass talent retention is inefficient. Retaining talent shields a company from competition; losing it is a weakness.
Nadia Dref
Posted April 20, 2009
lematin.ma
Identifying key employees is a difficult task for HR managers. To do it right, they need several evaluation tools, making it costly for the company. One effective tool is "talent mapping," a technique not widely used in Morocco due to its demanding nature.
It helps identify key employees and highlight their skills and even personality traits, which are also important factors.
How can you benefit from talent mapping and find key employees to retain? This tool precisely analyzes and measures employee talent. In the US and recently in France, HR professionals have embraced this method. Employees and their supervisors complete a questionnaire, positioning them on a grid based on four criteria: skills, personal qualities, work commitment, and performance. This approach is appealing because these four factors are easy to understand and resonate with managers. "After all, aren't we all looking for technically skilled, enthusiastic, committed employees who perform well?" says one consultant.
Talent mapping is currently the best way to map employee talent, benefiting career managers. Due to its cost, it's mainly used for top management or key positions with scarce talent (e.g., logistics technicians). If you're a manager and want to know your "talent capital," free online tests are available, especially helpful if you're considering a salary increase.
"Keeping talent protects a company"
Expert Opinion • Mohammed Benouarrek
What is Talent Mapping?
The war for talent has led to many tools for attracting and retaining top performers. While best practices can be benchmarked and duplicated, talent can't be copied. To identify and retain internal talent, companies use this US-based technique, evaluating employees on four axes: technical skills, personal qualities, commitment, and performance. Evaluation involves assessment centers, 360° feedback, performance reviews, and engagement surveys.
High scores identify key employees or talent. Talent needs more than a minimum wage; technical skills and mastery are essential. However, true talent also includes exceptional personality traits such as leadership, pragmatism, and optimism. Motivation and commitment are also crucial. Ultimately, performance is central to talent mapping because it's the company's goal.
Is Talent Mapping Used in Morocco?
Talent mapping is rarely used in Morocco, primarily due to a lack of awareness, the resources needed (psychometric tests, technical skills tests, 360° evaluations, etc.), and the multiple stakeholders involved. France is more advanced in implementing talent mapping. For Morocco, it's a matter of time and a maturing job market that encourages valuing and retaining key human resources.
Benefits for a Company
Talent mapping is a proactive approach to identify talent, creating a system for career management and retention. This allows for positive discrimination and merit-based differentiation. Retention efforts become more targeted and efficient.
The Supervisor's Role
Supervisors have several roles: They need to evaluate employees neutrally and professionally (participating in 360° evaluations), identify key employees, and monitor them to retain and leverage their talent.
Is Talent Mapping for All Employees?
Talent mapping isn't limited to top management; all employees are eligible. However, it's currently costly to apply it universally. Nevertheless, employees shouldn't be excluded based solely on their job title; some lower-level employees hold critical positions.
It's recommended to move beyond traditional, limited evaluation methods. Mass talent retention is inefficient. Retaining talent shields a company from competition; losing it is a weakness.
Nadia Dref
Posted April 20, 2009
lematin.ma
