The impact of Talent management on strategy implementation at Vulcan investments Pty ltd

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MBA- Dissertation

Title:

The impact of Talent management on strategy implementation at Vulcan investments Pty ltd.*

Aim of the study:

The study aims to investigate the impact of talent management on strategy implementation at Trellicor, and thereafter recommend the best effective talent management practices for organisations that are destined for greater heights.

 

Objectives:

 

1.         To evaluate the effectiveness of the current Talent Management Approach at Vulcan in relationship to the current strategy.

2.         To determine the key challenges faced by Vulcan in their approach to Talent Management.

3.         To recommend a practical Talent Management framework for cultivating the skills needed to manage talent effectively.

 

Research Questions:

1.         How effectiveness is the current Talent Management Approach at Vulcan in relationship to the current corporate strategy?

2.         What are the key challenges faced by Vulcan in their approach to Talent Management?

3.         Is there a practical talent management framework that can be recommended to Vulcan investment Pty ltd?

Problem statement:

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of talent management on strategy implementation in order to ascertain inefficiencies and shortcomings so that recommendations maybe made to management so as to ensure the evolution of sustainable operational efficiencies. 

Background and Writing instructions:

Vulcan Investments Pty ltd is a factious company name, done so to protect the identity of the company I work for.Despite having an abundance of talented employees, Vulcan has often failed to achieve certain of its desired strategic objectives more especially so in certain departments. Exceptionally brilliant and well orchestrated strategies often fail at the hands of those responsible (management i.e. junior, middle and senior mgt) for the implementation of such strategies. This failure is not because the employees are technically incompetent but more often than not, it is a situation of  “attempting to fit square pegs in round holes”. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of talent management on strategy implementation in order to ascertain inefficiencies and shortcomings so that recommendations maybe made to management so as to ensure the evolution of sustainable operational efficiencies

Research Methodology

Introduction

During this study, several sources were used to gather information and data that was used to provide guidance to this study. Most of these sources were secondary sources that have conducted research on falls in the past and how these falls can be dealt with.

The information that was obtained from these sources was critically analyzed and presented using the trendiest methods of presentation.

Most of the sources that were used touched generally on impact of talent management in the Vulcan Company and the impact that they have on the strategy implementation in the company.

The study also aided in the suggestion of the appropriate methods that should be used and the things to be implemented for the improvement of Vulcan Investments Pty ltd Company. Therefore, this context can form an important part in conducting further research on the effects of talent management in future.

Research purpose

Despite having an abundance of talented employees, Vulcan has often failed to achieve certain of its desired strategic objectives more especially so in certain departments.

Exceptionally brilliant and well orchestrated strategies often fail at the hands of those responsible (management i.e. junior, middle and senior mgt) for the implementation of such strategies. This failure is not because the employees are technically incompetent but more often than not, it is a situation of  “attempting to fit square pegs in round holes”. Therefore, we conducted a research in finding out this.

The research purpose was to investigate the impact of talent management on strategy implementation in order to ascertain inefficiencies and shortcomings in Vulcan Investment and so that recommendations maybe made to management as this will ensure the evolution of sustainable operational efficiencies, the data that we obtained was according to this. It only addressed these issues.

It was the terminal analysis process. The conclusions were made and their meanings interpreted. This was made possible because the regularities were noted, differences and the similarities of various data were made, and the conclusions were made and possible explanations given. Although the conclusions were made but were not taken as the actual reasons.7

We used qualitative and quantitative analysis in this research. Qualitative data analysis was used in the initial stages but in the later used quantitative.

We majored in the qualitative because it is more concerned with the phenomena and the relationships that they have.

The used qualitative methods were observations and in-depth interviews. Though observations can be used in both summative phase and formative phase, but formative phase was strenuous in the study.

Summative was used to determine the success of the implementation of any recent strategy in the Company.

The technique was useful in the direct examination of how new and old, skilled and unskilled, the employee and the clients in general perceive the new strategy.

Methodology

Research process

The most convenient method was in-depth interview8. This was to obtain the information that are detailed, to enhance the respondent’s reaction and for the sensitivity of the findings. Some of the few merits were; it gives the richest data, detailed, provides new insights and it also provides the opportunity in the exploitation of the topic in depth.

Time consumption and expense were few of the demerits that we noted. The following assumptions had to be made when using the in-depth method;

a) There was no substantial variation in the setting of the interview3.

b) The gap between the knowledge of the respondent and interview’s was too small to be ignored.

The sample of the table is as shown below table 1

excellent good moderate bad worst Don’t know

The respondent was to tick the appropriate box. If two boxes were ticked, then the question was ignored in that paper.

Open ended questions and far-reaching probing was used. This was done through the use of an interview guide. A list of questions/issues that were to be explored and the recommended probes that are used in the follow-up on the main topics was prepared. This was to ensure the interviewing more methodical and comprehensive. It also aided in the pacing of the interview.

The guidelines that were used in the preparation of the interview guides, how the interview should be done with the guide, and the interview writing is as per Lofland and Lofland 1995.

We had familiarized with the projects and the goals that lead us to the impact of talent management on strategy implementation.

The questions that concerned the impact of talent management on strategy implementation on Vulcan Investments Pty ltd Company were administered

8In-depth interview is a dialogue that is between interviewee and interview that are both skilled. The objective is to obtain affluent and detailed materials that can be used in the analysis (Lofland and Lofland 1995). They are to be conducted face to face but in few incidences they can also be through the phone.

3 This gives a restraint on the control that the interviewer has over the environment. This interview may have to be satisfied with the disruptions and other trouble that in the end exhibits the attainment of the data and extent the comparability of interviews

Recording the data

For the efficiency the data that was obtained was recorded using tape recorders and short notes that are detailed were taken. This was after the respondent had given the permit of voice record.

This aided in the development and utilizing theories or hypothesis pertaining to the topic of research. This was to ensure the continuity, wide field and flexibility of the research in future.

Most of these sources were primary sources as they were direct from the respondents but few were secondary as they concerned the research that had been conducted the effect of poor managerial skills in Vulcan Company.

The information that was obtained from these sources was critically analyzed and presented using the trendiest methods of presentation. Most of the sources that were used touched generally on the impact of managerial method on strategy implementation, how the talent management has an impact on the operation system of the Company. This was because the implementation of strategies is directly proportional to the managerial system. Managerial system in the long run has an influence on the implementations of the strategies in Vulcan. We also focused on the way the consistency of the management efficiency across hierarchical levels had impacts on the strategic implementation. Therefore, this context can form an important part in conducting further research.

The respondents were both the members of the managerial system of the company and the general officers in the Company. They were from both the higher and the lower managerial levels. The majority were from lower levels as they could provide more valid information and seemed to be guanine in their replies. The anonymity of the respondents was protected by not identifying them. The form had no identification details and was also randomly issued to them. The voices recorded were not let out to any of the officers of the Company.

Data were collected through the questioners that were issued to forty respondents.

The respondents were divided into three categories and different questioners and interviews given. They completed the questioners anonymously after the interview and submitted them in randomly; this as well protected the anonymity of the respondents.

The duration of the questionnaires was thirty minutes but interview was intensive as probing further was essential. The validity of the data could also be determined thoroughly through the interview method rather than the questioners.

Recipients who refused to participate had the option of returning the empty forms or not being interviewed.

Through this the conclusions could be drawn and verified. It was done through the method of selection, summary; some data were submerged through a larger pattern. This was made possible through incase-analysis or cross-case. Matrices were developed that were used in the organization of data and patterns could be easily denoted from the matrices. Through the cross-case method the data that was not fitting in the objectives of the research was ignored.

Data display

This was the second step. The data that had been reduced was taken and was compressed to the level that the conclusion could be made. The cross-case with matrices worked best in the data display.

The method was used because various factors were under investigation.

Many cases were compared. This could make the data richer than when the within-case analysis was used (Huberman and Miles 1994).

Relationships were obtained from here as this helps in determining the factors that were affected the implementation of strategy.

The following was and example of such a table 2

variable Level 1 effect Level 2 effect Level 3 effect summary

Change in leadership

Decrement in number of officers Increment in number of officers

The summary contained percentage in the effect. If the percentage was negative, it was coded -ve

 Data analysis

The framework that was developed by Miles and Huberman 1994 was adopted in the process of data analysis. This gave a description of the main phases of the analysis of data such as reduction of data, display of data, and the drawing of conclusion and verification of the data. This was the most appropriate due to the bulk of the data.

Data reduction

It involves the organization of data, reduces to meaningful levels and reconfigured43.

The data was selected, focussed (as per the cope of the research), simplified and transformed the data in the detailed notes. This was to ensure their intelligibility in terms of the issue that was addressed. It also aided in the reduction of data to manageable levels.

It eliminated the volumes of data that are not assimilated and cannot be categorised as per the intended study. The data that were singled out were valid, detailed, and answered the research questions. Inductive and deductive data analyses were involved.

All the notes from all the departments were looked at. The watered data was reduced to a meaningful data.

43This was described by Miles and Huberman 1994 who developed it in 1994

Research findings and Conclusions

It has dawned to the researchers that the behaviour of the leader has direct influence on the other groups and the organization and how it behaves. To date less has been known on how the senior leaders make sure that their decisions are implemented by the group and other members in Vulcan Investments Pty ltd Company. This is because it has multiple layers of leaders and each does not have the ability to lead alone. He/she cannot lead in isolation.

In conclusion, managers play a very important role in ensuring that strategies are implemented. Whereas managers may ignored the rest of the management team, always results to faulty systems and in the return the implementation of the strategies be very cumbersome and in most cases they do not turn out. Contrary, all the managerial levels of company should correlate for the effective running of Vulcan Company.

According to our findings, it was clear that when the effectiveness of the leaders at various levels are given consideration at aggregate that the considerable enhancement on the strategy implementation resulted. We discussed the connotation of these findings for headship research, in particular, that the leaders at different levels should be considered collectively to comprehend the influence of leadership talent management which has influence on the strategy implementation.

According to the data that was obtained, though talent management has various impacts in the Vulcan Company but mostly noted, it has a great impact on the running of the Investment Company. The strategies that the company makes over and over are not effectively implemented as the people who formulate them are transferred after a short time.

The projects then are left finished. The lack of maintenance of the company’s employees has also resulted to a greater loss in the company. Their employees who have acquired the skills and knowledge in the company transfer after a short period of time.

The incoming employees take a lot of time in familiarizing themselves with the company and this leads to both lost of time and labor. The frequent recruitment is harmful to the company.

Over the resent past Vulcan though it has tried to give new approaches to talent management but this has had very little impact.

Based on the results and the analysis that was made, Vulcan Investment Company should identify the strengths and weaknesses in the company and the gaps that are in their talent management strategy. They should prioritize their action plans to tackle the gaps that are identified in the Company and align their strategies according to the goals of the company.

They should build their strategies by,

developing talent management strategy

design organization

selecting the talent management

These strategies should be implemented by;

changing the management and communications

implement the new technologies,

Training.

This can also be made possible through the support from other organizations, assessment of the projects and continues improvements of the strategies.

 

 References;

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