January 2009

Employee Development
Strategic talent management

Talent management and succession planning had taken a prominent role prior to the current economic downturn. In its wake, succession planning has taken somewhat of a secondary role, and talent management has been brought to the forefront as a strategic response. While a more strategic view of talent management is indeed mission critical, succession planning cannot be ignored; instead, it should be incorporated into an overall talent management program. Read more…

Learning and Development Trends
Results and accountability

For almost every one of us, 2008 was a rollercoaster that impacted our jobs, our companies and our personal lives. Among the massive waves of dramatic change that have swept us over, one trend that continues and will not abate is the push toward increased results and accountability from learning and development. Read more…

Organizational Development
Innovations and flexibility are keys to the future

Necessity is the mother of invention. Plato, the famous Greek philosopher, had it right more than 2000 years ago when he discussed the impact of necessity. As 2009 begins, we will see an increased application of his famed quote as companies tap into the necessity brought about by disruptive waves of change. Read more…

Kirkpatrick’s Column
Tools for promoting accountability

Most organizations solicit some sort of customer survey information either from their efforts or from a third party. At First Indiana, we do both. This data provides an important measure for many of our balanced scorecards under the Customer Measures category. This data also provides an excellent opportunity for accountability. Unfortunately, many managers of sales areas discount this valuable source of information, usually when the measures are lower than they’d like. Read more…