Talent Edge Weekly - Issue #253

Ageism in the workplace, GenAI as a development accelerator of high potentials, succession planning, ethical AI in the workplace, and studies on talent hoarding.

Author

Brian Heger
August 11, 2024

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Welcome to this week’s issue of Talent Edge Weekly!

A special shout-out to Jason Boltax, VP, Human Resources at ENT and Allergy Associates, for referring new subscribers to Talent Edge Weekly. Thank you, Jason, for your support of this newsletter!

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THIS WEEK'S CONTENT

Below is a quick overview with links and brief descriptions of the topics covered in this issue. If you're interested in my deep dive, including bonus resources, continue reading the rest of the newsletter.

Also, check out my job cuts tracker & Chief HR Officer hire of the week.

Let’s dive in! ⬇️

THIS WEEK'S EDGE 

AGEISM IN THE WORKPLACE

Shares a five-part framework with 25 questions to identify if ageism practices exist in the workplace and determine necessary changes.

When new subscribers sign up for Talent Edge Weekly, they often request coverage on topics such as workforce planning, skills-based talent practices, remote work, succession planning, and performance management, to name a few. Recently, however, there has been a surge in requests to cover ageism in the workplace. In response, this new article introduces a five-component framework to help organizations identify and eliminate ageist practices. It includes 25 targeted questions across five key areas to uncover hidden ageism and offers specific examples. For instance, in the workplace practices category, questions include: 1) Do our recruitment and retention strategies effectively target older workers? 2) Are there robust safeguards against age discrimination in our HR processes? 3) Does our corporate culture genuinely welcome and value older employees? 4) Are our training programs adaptable to diverse learning styles and experiences? 5) Do our benefits and policies address the specific needs of older employees? Examples of ageist practices range from limiting leadership programs to younger employees to enforcing mandatory retirement policies regardless of an individual’s capabilities. Tackling these and other hidden biases is a critical step toward fostering an inclusive culture that not only combats ageism but also bridges talent gaps by leveraging the strengths and experience of older workers.

AI AND HIGH POTENTIALS

Shares 10 ways to use GenAI to accelerate the development of high potentials. Bonus resources shared.

One finding from the recent 2024 High Performer and High Potential (HiPo) Development report by the Talent Strategy Group reveals that while 50% of HiPos have development actions identified during talent reviews, 75% of companies report that less than half of their HiPos have high-quality development plans. To help organizations improve the quality of development planning for their HiPos, a new article by Dave Ulrich, Scott J. Allen, and Brian Fishel offers 10 ways to use GenAI to accelerate HiPo development, complete with sample prompts. For instance, one example is Real-Time Feedback and Performance Analysis, with a sample prompt: “I have uploaded the feedback from my most recent 360-degree evaluation and my latest performance evaluations. Based on your analysis, what areas should I focus on to develop as a leader?” Another example is Skill-Building Modules, with a sample prompt: “As I consider applying for a new opportunity, what skills have those who succeeded in this role mastered, and how can I acquire them?” The insights are also applicable to employee development in general, not just HiPos. As HR practitioners look to leverage ChatGPT for various aspects of talent management and HR, I am resharing my 14-page PDF with 10 prompts related to topics such as internal mobility, talent reviews, workforce planning, and employee onboarding. Each slide includes a prompt and a sample output.

SUCCESSION PLANNING

My consolidated one-page cheat sheet with questions and metrics that can help organizations shape their succession practices.

This one-page PDF summarizes 11 succession planning (SP) questions and 11 SP metrics that can help organizations evaluate various aspects of their SP practices. Although I’ve shared these resources separately in previous issues of Talent Edge Weekly, I’ve consolidated them into this one-page cheat sheet for a more comprehensive view. While not exhaustive, the questions and metrics provide a solid foundation to build upon. Sample questions include: What is the purpose of our SP? Based on the purpose, what is the scope of our SP? Should we focus on roles at certain levels, critical roles regardless of level, or something else? Are there areas where SP will be based on ‘successor pools’—where similar roles share a pool of potential successors? If so, what are they? How do we prioritize successor development if an individual is on multiple succession plans? Some SP metrics listed are: the percentage of non-ready-now successors with a development plan, the percentage of successors deemed high retention risks, and the success rate of successors after assuming the role (e.g., at the one-year mark). I hope this cheat sheet proves to be a valuable resource as you work to strengthen your organization’s SP practices.

AI IN THE WORKPLACE

Highlights the challenges of implementing AI ethics programs due to varying cultural contexts and emphasizes the need for a contextual global AI ethics model.

As organizations implement AI in the workplace, ensuring the highest ethical standards, this new HBR article offers valuable insights. It discusses the challenges of establishing AI ethics programs across diverse cultural contexts and underscores the importance of a global AI ethics model that accounts for these differences. The article argues that many organizations overlook cultural variations in ethical considerations, leading to ineffective AI ethics policies. It points out that Western perspectives often dominate emerging global AI ethics standards, which can result in biases that inadequately represent diverse populations. To address this, the article outlines three key steps for developing a contextual AI ethics policy: 1) establishing global guiding principles, 2) setting up relevant regional teams, and 3) fostering continuous dialogue between global leadership and regional teams to adapt policies to local contexts. It highlights Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) as an example, where the company successfully implemented a global AI ethics model by involving local teams and building automated processes for continuous engagement. HPE’s compliance team created a matrix of principles that considered both global guidelines and region-specific regulations, allowing the company to navigate AI ethics complexities effectively across its global operations. Other ideas are discussed.

TALENT MANAGEMENT

Shares two studies from the scientific literature on the impact of talent hoarding on internal mobility.

Internal mobility—the movement of employees across different roles within an organization—is a core component of a firm's talent strategy. However, organizations often face barriers to internal talent movement, including talent hoarding, where managers prevent or discourage employees from pursuing internal opportunities. As requests for research-based studies on the impact of talent hoarding on internal mobility increase, here are two notable examples: A study in the Academy of Management Journal by JR Keller (Cornell University) and Kathryn Dlugos (Pennsylvania State University) demonstrates that supporting direct reports' career development attracts high-quality, functionally diverse internal applicants, while talent hoarding leads to recruitment challenges and higher turnover. Another study by Ingrid Hägele, Professor of Economics at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, shows that when managers temporarily stop hoarding talent, workers’ applications for promotions increase by 123%. Given this backdrop, one idea is for organizations to establish a "net exporter of talent" metric that captures the extent to which managers share talent (especially top talent) within their organizations. I will be writing more about this metric in future newsletter issues. If you are an internal HR practitioner who uses this metric in your organization and wants to be featured in Talent Edge Weekly, you can send me a message using the contact form on my website.

MOST POPULAR FROM LAST WEEK

TALENT STRATEGY

Includes 3 of my worksheets for creating a narrative that connects business strategy, talent needs, and talent actions.

These worksheets cover: 1) Business Strategy, which sets the business context by addressing the overall vision, business objectives, and potential scenarios, to name a few. 2) Talent Needs, exploring required capabilities and the roles and skills essential for executing the business strategy, etc. 3) Talent Actions, establishing diverse tactics (e.g., build, buy, borrow, bot, etc.) to address talent gaps.

JOB CUTS AND LAYOFF TRACKER

Check out my tracker of announcements from a segment of organizations that have conducted job cuts and layoffs since the start of 2023.

Partial view of tracker on brianheger.com

A few job cuts announced this past week:

  • Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO). The U.S. networking equipment maker is set to cut thousands of jobs in a second round of layoffs this year.

  • Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE: DELL). The global technology company is laying off up to 12,500 employees in a sales reorganization, following 24,500 job cuts in the past 15 months.

  • Paramount Global (NASDAQ: PARA). The media company announced it will cut 15% of its U.S. workforce, affecting about 2,000 employees, ahead of its planned merger with Skydance Media.

Click here to access all listed announcements.

CHIEF HR OFFICER HIRE OF THE WEEK

This past week, 14 new Chief HR Officer announcements were posted on CHROs on the Go, my subscription-based platform, where I track movement in and out of the CHRO role. This week’s CHRO announcement of the week is:

Chevron Corporation (SAN ROMAN, CALIFORNIA) [NYSE:CVX]— one of the world’s leading integrated energy companies— announced that Rhonda Morris, Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, will retire after 31 years of service to the company. Michelle Green, Vice President, Human Resources, Oil, Products & Gas, will succeed Morris, effective January 1, 2025.

Michelle Green

If you want the easiest way to stay informed about who is moving in and out of the CHRO role, join CHROs on the Go. We currently have more than 3,800 detailed announcements, and we add more each day!

If you are already a subscriber to CHROs on the Go, log in here.

FROM ME ON LINKEDIN

Catch up on what you missed from me on LinkedIn this week:

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FROM ME ON X

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

TALENT EDGE WEEKLY REWIND

AI IN HR

IBM’s CHRO, Nickle LaMoreaux, shares how the company started its AI journey by gaining some quick AI wins.

In this article, IBM's Chief HR Officer, Nickle LaMoreaux, shares how IBM started its AI in HR journey. Topics range from criteria for selecting AI in HR use cases to results achieved by introducing AskHR, a digital AI assistant that now answers 94% of HR FAQs and policy questions worldwide, reducing task completion time by over 75%.

THE BEST OF JULY 2024

Did you miss the “Best of July ” issue of Talent Edge Weekly? If so, check out issue #251, which includes 14 of the most popular resources from the month.

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RESOURCE LINEUP

​brianheger.com provides free access to +1,300 curated articles, research reports, podcasts, and more that help practitioners drive better business results through strategic human resources and talent management.

CHROS on the Go is a subscription that provides the easiest and most convenient way to stay informed about Chief Human Resources Officer hires, promotions, and resignations in organizations of all sizes and industries.

​Talent Edge Weekly is a free weekly newsletter that brings together the best talent and strategic human resources insights from various sources. It is published every Sunday at 6 PM EST.

Talent Edge Weekly is written by Brian Heger, an internal human resources practitioner. You can connect with Brian on Linkedin, X, and brianheger.com