A Belief in Talent

Talent is the most important source of competitive advantage in the new economy, and market-leading companies are struggling to realize its potential, rather than simply measure its cost. The first step is instilling the leadership belief we call a Talent Mindset.
To transform traditional management practices, leaders must understand and truly believe in the value of a new paradigm. This belief can be measured in terms of leadership behavior, cultural expectations and organizational activities. HCI's Talent Mindset can benchmark an organization's knowledge and commitment to best practices in talent acquisition, development and management.

The Talent Mindset Index
The McKinsey Organization originated the concept of a talent mindset in their 1998 report, "The War for Talent". The report suggests six action steps:

1.Establish a gold standard for talent
2.Get actively involved with people deep within the organization
3. Drive a simple, probing talent review process
4. Instill a talent mindset in all managers through out the organization
5. Invest real money in talent
6. Hold leaders accountable for the strength of the talent pools they build

While these 6 activities are a good start, they are not specific or comprehensive enough. In 2004, The Human Capital Institute identified 28 key talent practices and developed the HCI Talent Mindset Index as a fast, standard method for collecting, measuring and reporting their presence and impact across organizations and industries.

The Talent Mindset Index evaluates the implementation of talent practices from the leader's viewpoint, and is designed to survey managers, directors and executives in corporations, government agencies, non-profit and academic organizations.

Management and Employee Surveys
The Talent Mindset Index is comprised of two surveys--one for management and one for employees. The management survey includes 28 detailed questions on specific talent management practices in corporations, government agencies and non-profit organizations.
The employee survey is a ten question, five minute snapshot of how talent practices are perceived by employees. The employee and management suverys can then be compared to determine areas of consensus and discord.