Charting the path to success

In the best-selling book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R. Covey advises readers to "Begin with the end in mind." These words resonate with HR as creating long-term career goals for employees is critical for future business success.

“Career path planning is a proven retention mechanism for employees. It encourages employee commitment, reduces turnover and makes the organisation attractive to potential recruits,” says Che Yaneza, Assistant Vice President, Learning and Development at MediaCorp, one of Singapore’s largest media organisations.

Although an organisation may have new talent coming in, it still needs to grow its existing talent, upskilling them to meet future business needs, says Patria Hyndman, director of talent management at travel retailer DFS Venture Singapore. With this in mind, her organisation conducts total talent reviews twice a year and every employee also has an individual performance plan.

According to Hyndman, talent management should not be left to top executives or HR alone. “There is a need to establish a talent management mindset, which embeds ownership and accountability for optimising talent and potential – every manager needs to be accountable for identifying and developing talent,” she says.

Early engagement

If a company hopes to attract Gen Y job-seekers, career development needs to be at the core of their HR strategies. A joint global survey released by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and Mercer in December 2010 revealed that young professionals in the finance industry expect dynamic career progression where career paths are fluid, changing quickly and continuously evolving.

DFS is an example of an organisation that believes in engaging candidates early. Its management trainee programme fast-tracks fresh graduates into management roles after a year of hands-on experiential learning, says Hyndman. Through the programme employees get the opportunity to experience a variety of roles both at its shop front and back office. For example, a management trainee attached to the company’s merchandising office in Hong Kong will learn about how products are selected, bought and displayed at the shop floor.

“Talented people learn by being stretched,” Hyndman says. Promising management trainees are placed on stretch assignments covering strategic projects like the development of a new store. Those who do really well can expect rapid succession. “Within five or six years, three of our current General Managers were promoted into their roles from joining DFS in the management trainee programme,” she explains.

At MediaCorp, Gen Y employees are given a variety of assignments that enable them to channel their creativity, says Yaneza. They are also assigned “buddies” who work in the same department but have many more years of experience. In addition to classroom teaching, MediaCorp also uses social media tools like internal chats and forums to promote learning. Social media platforms allow employees from its radio, TV and print clusters to share information.

Multiple career tracks

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to career path planning. Instead, successful organisations create personalised development plans to meet the different goals and aspirations of its employees.

Not every employee aspires to become a manager. DFS, for example, runs an “Apprentice to Master” programme for its sales associates. Here, employees receive training in language skills and also partner with vendors to gain category and product expertise, says Hyndman. The programme grooms them to provide “the ultimate customer experience”.

At Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN), employees can choose from a dual career path that offers opportunities for both experts and managers. Those on the expert track are responsible for specialised subject matter and have the opportunity to deepen and broaden their knowledge in those areas. Employees on the managerial track are responsible for people and the business. They are expected to inspire leadership and develop others. “NSN highlights that career enhancement and development includes not only vertical but lateral movements,” says Manish Verma, Global Lead, Talent Management, NSN.

Different generations, different aspirations

There has been a noticeable shift in the career goals and priorities of each generation. Organisations need to understand the key characteristics of each group and find out what motivates them.

At MediaCorp, employees who have been with the company for seven to 15 years come under Gen X. This group is open to lateral job moves and challenging projects, says Yaneza. They appreciate professional training and development. Employees who are keen on building their professional expertise are sent overseas to study the latest developments in areas such as high-definition television, broadcast journalism and movie-making. Upon their return, they share their knowledge through training sessions with colleagues. “When you conduct training, your knowledge of the subject matter becomes deeper,” she says.

Baby Boomers at MediaCorp have typically been with the organisation for 30 years. These employees want to be acknowledged for their contributions and seek stability in their roles, Yaneza says. “Very few of them want additional challenges.” Less academically-inclined, this group of employees has strong craft-based skills, she adds. To tap into their wealth of knowledge, MediaCorp conducts interviews with Baby Boomers to document knowledge about work processes. They are also encouraged to share their expertise in areas like camera and sound operations at the Singapore Media Academy, the company’s training arm.