In Spring/Summer 2009, Titan Talent undertook a survey on the views of HR and talent leaders into the importance HR assigns to optimise employees’ strengths and talents.
Participants included Saatchi and Saatchi, Abbott Labs, Mothercare and Thomson Reuters. Respondents spanned multiple sectors including Finance, Media, Retail, Pharmaceuticals, Public, Telecommunications and Engineering.
We asked a total of 25 companies the rate the following statements on a scale of 1-5:
1.Our HR department spends more time and energy helping good people optimise their strengths than fighting fires and dealing with problem employees?
2.The biggest opportunity for HR to contribute greater value to the business is by enabling the productive use of individual, team and organisational strengths?
Results showed that only 32% of participants agreed with statement number 1 and 76% of respondents agreed with statement 2.
These results reveal that many senior HR personnel believe that they are currently spending more time fighting fires than actually aiding employees to grow and develop in their roles through optimising their strengths. Results also suggest that the strengths approach to HR is widely regarded as best practice. However, there is clearly a large gap between current practice and how HR practitioners would ideally like to spend their time and effort to maximise value for the organisation.
Respondents were then asked the following question:
In your opinion, what beliefs, practices or processes would need to change for you to spend more time and energy enabling the productive use of employees’ strengths?
The following areas were identified for improvement:
• High level of top management commitment and support for HR.
• Belief systems – focus needs to shift from weakness fixing to strength building.
• More strategic and talent management focus for HR…change within CIPD.
• Stronger line management skills and capabilities to manage and motivate people.
• Recruitment based on strengths rather than narrow competency focus.
• Courage to move away from “tried and tested approaches”, including job design.
• Higher levels of personal accountability.