The increasing shortage of talented and skilled employees makes it imperative for HR departments and organizations to find, hire, and retain the best employees. In order to do this, the desired skills first have to be clearly defined. Then, the company has to decide whether to “make or buy”
talent to satisfy their needs – that means to further develop existing employees or to go out and find new ones who already have the required skills.
In the era of strategic poaching, there are four areas of leadership and organizational behavior influenced by talent management and that organizations need to conquer to get a competitive edge. When their contributions are combined together, they form the key to survival and success.
CILS (The Continuous Integration of Learning and Strategy) is a process that defines the relationships between corporate learning and strategic planning as fundamental partners.
It is the key to implementing the full package by “creating” top talent or a culture conducive for “buying” and retaining talent.
The Competitive Edge
1. The Talent War
In the industrial era, the main objectives for employees were compensation, opportunity,
and secure employment. Today, a different set of goals are prioritized – from flexibility and work environment to a reputation as a “development friendly” organization.
Businesses using CILS as an operating model have prioritized learning as a key strategy driver, so their need for people development fuels a marketplace reputation that supports retention and recruiting.
2. The Culture of Excellence.
A true culture of excellence uses CILS to provide an environment where adaptability, preparation, and ongoing support to do a job well are always present. CILS provides an ongoing
investment in training people. As the company benefits, the people benefit. Employees understand that this kind of investment is not common and truly appreciate the commitment the organization shows to their development. This appreciation is minimally expressed through better engagement at work.
3. Manager Effectiveness.
One of the most important benefits of CILS for a company’s competitive advantage is the manager’s effectiveness, which, in this context, is the ability of leaders to communicate, influence, and drive performance. Once an overarching strategic plan is made, business-unit managers are able to provide a competitive advantage through sub-strategy and execution plans and priorities. If they are properly trained, leaders are then poised to create real competitive advantage and value for their companies.
4. Brand Enhancement.
Maintaining a CILS approach not only provides an edge for culture, talent, and management, but it can also dramatically influence the brand value for external and internal stakeholders.
When the external stakeholder that finds out about the company’s extraordinary CILS culture is a client, then a dual benefit occurs. The positive perception of the organization is raised.
Through the dedication to the CILS values of strategic planning, analysis, continuous assessment, and programmatic learning and evaluation, all members of the organization, from the C-suite to the employees, work together to give the company a competitive edge.
Discover the best way to introduce a CILS approach into your organization, consistently connect with your leadership team, and predictably turn them into highly engaged employees. Call me for some complimentary advice. Book an appointment at https://go.oncehub.com/GregNichvalodoff or call me at +1 (604) 943-0800.
