Leadership Talent Reviews free essay sample

An organization is like a living organism. As the organization develops and matures its need for human capital changes. It will require more people due to growth, a wider range of professional diversity, and replacements as employees leave the organization. Leadership Talent Reviews are a way for an organization to prevent the well of leadership talent from running dry. This study will examine the Leadership Talent Review process at a Department of Defense Agency, as it compares to current trends. The Role of the Human Resource Department It is important to define and understand the role of the Human Resources department in the Leadership Talent Review process. We will write a custom essay sample on Leadership Talent Reviews or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The textbook definition of â€Å"Human Resource Management encompasses those activities designed to provide for and coordinate the human resource of an organization. † (Byars, 2011), this definition also applies to the HR role in the Leadership Talent Review process. The Human Resources department is not responsible for independently and unilaterally designing, implementing, and operating the Leadership Talent Review process. Rather, the Human Resources department will provide advice, counsel, research and act as facilitators in the process. The Orlando Agency The Department of Defense agency located in Orlando, Florida has an end-strength of 1,200 employees. Its mission is to research, procure, develop, and ultimately provide state-of –the-art training devices for the United States military as well as, some foreign militaries. The employee professional categories are engineers, logisticians, contract specialists, project managers, staff, and administrative positions. It uses a formal Leadership Talent Review process. This agency â€Å"supports employee participation in Leadership Development Programs. There are internal; JLDP and NLDP programs and there are external programs. Mentoring is another focus area for this command and lots of communication and coordination is accomplished to educate the workforce about the benefits of the Mentoring program†. Journey Leadership Development Program The JLDP (Journey Leadership Development Program) is a program designed to support and enable the development of leadership skills at all levels of the organization and is geared to compliment our masters-level leadership program, the NAVAIR Leadership Development Program (NLDP). The program has a suggested 1-2 year completion program length and does not guarantee promotions, awards, or bonuses† (Commander Naval Air Systems Command, 2011). The JLDP is designed to develop employees in the lower mid-level paygrades. It requires the employee to submit an application and be accepted upon review. NAVAIR Leadership Development Program NLDP (NAVAIR Leadership Development Program) is the name of the headquarters version of a Leadership Talent Review. It is a voluntary program that requires each applicant to submit a very extensive application that hinges on the essay portion. Although it is voluntary, occassionally there are employees that show exceptional potential and are highly encouraged to apply. It is open to personnel in the upper mid-level pay grades. â€Å"The NLDP consists of two tracks – the Management Leadership Track and the Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) Leadership track. Both focus on leadership, and specifically, developing you as a leader. As a core value of this organization, continuous process improvement is a leadership responsibility at every level in NAVAIR. That’s why, in the CPI track, participants will work side-by-side with master black belts on high-profile projects our senior leaders choose and fully support. Along the way, you’ll earn your own black belt certification. For leading and managing complex teams, the NLDP’s Management Leadership track focuses on executive core qualifications (ECQs) and extended rotational assignments, as well as Project Sponsor or Green Belt training. Each program has both CPI and leadership training components. Participants are committed to learning a broad range of leadership, management, and productivity improvement skills. Both tracks share common Leadership Development courses. Both program components also require each person to have a formal mentor to offer career advice and guidance along the way. This program does not guarantee promotions, awards, or bonuses. † (Commander Naval Air Systems Command, 2009) The Management Leadership Track takes three to five years to complete (part time). The Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) Leadership Track takes two to three years to complete (full time). The Headquarters Command in Patuxent River, Maryland that the Orlando agency reports to, reviews all the applications and makes a determination as to who is accepted into the program. The NLDP selection board convenes annually at the headquarters location. It is composed of executive level management personnel. The board reviews applications submitted from personnel that belong to headquarters and all of its subordinate agencies. The number selected each year is determined by the amount of budget available to fund the selectee’s training requirements through the entire program. The board is designed to be independent and advocating for or against any of the applicants is not part of the process. Subordinate agencies are not entitled to board representation. However, the board does attempt to select candidates in equitible numbers from all the subordinate agencies. Although, for completing the program the selectees are not promised a promotion, raise, or a bonus, it is past program graduates that are typically selected for strategic and key upper-level management positions. iMentor Program The iMentor program is a mentoring program open to all employees at all levels. An employee reviews a list of mentors and makes a selection and upon mutual agreement; mentor and protege’ are teamed up. The purpose as stated in the handbook is, â€Å"To enhance mission effectiveness and productivity through the promotion of employee personal and professional development: enhance knowledge transfer, produce higher retention rates, improve employee morale, and yield greater promotion potential. † (Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, 2012). Although the iMentor program is not a part of the JLDP or NLDP program it is a program that can set an employee onto the path of professional development. Current Trends in Leadership Talent Reviews There are several ways for an organization to approach the Leadership Talent Review process. One way would be for Top Management to engage the organization’s own Human Resources department to interactively work with management to design a program. An organization could outsource the process, with management participation. Another way would be for management to develop a process independent of the Human Resources department and without outside consultants that specialize in this kind of work. The last option would not be advisable because management may not be aware of the laws and regulations governing employee relations, diversity in the workplace, as well as many other areas of employment law. Leadership Talent Review Process Overview The first step is to establish a board, with the full support of the organization’s top leader; the Chief Executive Officer, President, etc. Decide how often the board will meet and the purpose and agenda of each meeting. Establish the criteria for consideration. Create a list of employees that are being nominated to the review process. Establish groups of employees with leadership potential with respect to their current position and future potential. The review board should examine each of the employees and assess their talent potential. Once the review of talent is complete, the employees identified for future leadership potential should be placed into a development program. If the Leadership Talent Review process has been successful it should feed into the organization’s succession planning so, that as employees leave the organization there is an existing known quantity of fully developed employees ready to take their place. Smiths Group, 2012) Establishing the Leadership Talent Review Board Establishing a Leadership Talent Review Board is the first step in the review process. It is important to select members that are diverse professionally, culturally, and from different business units. Board members should be mature both emotionally and professionally. The wrong type of personalities on the board can create problems and impede the progress of the board’s agenda. Some examples are as follows: 1. â€Å"The used car saleswoman shows up prepared to â€Å"sell† every one of her employees. 2. The defense attorney, â€Å"I object†! Each possible fault is torn apart and disputed, just like Johnny Cochran and a glove that doesn’t fit. 3. Your Grandmother, everybody’s just wonderful, and nobody could possibly have any weaknesses. 4. The toe tapper has better things to do than to sit around and talk about damn people.