Expert Insights on Talent Management
In this month's issue, we welcome HR Consultant Özay Ünsal, who has extensive experience in Human Resources. We will discuss her experiences in Talent Management processes and the impact of ongoing developments in today's HR practices on business results.
Observations on Talent Management in Turkey
ICAGLAR: "What are your observations on talent management in Turkey?"
ÖUNSAL: Today, companies are thinking much more about talent management than before. Talent management strategies, policies, talent pools, succession plans, High potential selections, 9-box performance matrix, and similar concepts are already present in almost all company agendas.
At the same time, it cannot be said that these topics have a practical application. A company can show you its 9-box performance matrix and procedures, but this doesn't mean it's being implemented effectively.
This is one of the biggest challenges companies face today.
The problem is not the awareness of talent management concepts, but that they are still not being implemented effectively.
Common Mistakes in Talent Management
ICAGLAR: "Can you tell us about the mistakes made in Talent Management?"
ÖUNSAL: One of the most common mistakes is confusing performance and potential. These are actually different concepts that should be evaluated separately. An employee can have high potential but low performance. This is probably a management problem. Their manager or team might be suppressing the employee's potential. A position change might be needed for the potential to emerge. The opposite situation, high performance but low potential, is also possible. For example, an employee who has been doing the same job for decades, doing it quite well, but can no longer advance in their career ladder might fall into this category.
Your talent management system model is open to manipulation.
What I mean is: managers not marking high-performing people as high-potential to avoid losing their position. Or giving high scores to low performers to avoid creating a negative perception, or a recruiter giving high scores to familiar candidates regardless of whether they are suitable for the role being sought.
These unhealthy ratings also lead to unhealthy conclusions in all related matters.
Another common problem is not taking a holistic approach to talent management. Companies that generally consider talent pools and succession plans as important items can treat the recruitment process as if it were an unimportant process.
This means one of the strategic legs of the table is missing.
Healthy Talent Management Process
ICAGLAR: "In your opinion, how does the Talent Management process work most effectively in a company?"
ÖUNSAL: It's important to identify potential well, evaluate and manage performance effectively. In addition to this, it's essential to back it up with a strong human resources strategy, set goals and metrics accordingly, and execute and monitor these with discipline.
You need to handle the entire process from hiring to exit with care.
Job analysis, competency models, career paths and development plans, performance evaluation and reward systems, exit process management... None of these are topics to be included later. When designing your talent management strategy, you need to design it to cover these processes and ensure they all relate to each other in a way that conveys the right message and serves the right purpose.
The Role of Recruitment
ICAGLAR: "You say Recruitment is also an important part of Talent Management. What kind of recruitment process should be followed?"
ÖUNSAL: Recruitment is not an activity where you simply replace someone who left. There are things you need to plan and understand correctly to catch talent, just as there are things you offer to retain talent. For example, you need to know your own company well.
Most importantly, recruitment is somewhat like an organ transplant.
In case of incompatibility, the body can reject the organ. Therefore, to find a profile that will be compatible with the organization, you also need to have self-awareness. You need to know the strengths and weaknesses, what presence or absence affects success.
"In a company, the vegetation is whatever the climate is. When you think about this, who shines and who disappears in your ecosystem?"
You also need the right employer branding strategy to attract talented candidates. This is also related to self-awareness. You need to be able to convey the right message to potential candidates. Of course, creating expectations beyond what is said while conveying the message is also a separate risk.
Recruitment and Talent Management Integration
ICAGLAR: "When supporting companies on Recruitment, do you also guide them on the Talent Management side?"
ÖUNSAL: I mentioned the importance of a holistic approach. I think we need to proceed without losing the talent management perspective in recruitment as well. Especially in candidate research processes for critical positions, beyond evaluating the candidate's competencies, I also try to understand the setup at the current company and the employee's career journey. Because especially interviews in recruitment can be very momentary and artificial.
I also add an evaluation section for candidates on the shortlist: "which one will probably work how long" and "probably for what reason they will leave."
Thus, while hiring, we also think about exit scenarios together. This helps the company make the right decision not only for today but also for the future.
Conclusion
Talent management is critically important for companies to effectively manage their most valuable resource - human capital. As Özay Ünsal emphasized, this process requires a holistic approach from hiring to exit. Successful companies treat talent management not just as an HR function, but as a strategic business priority.