Talent Development Strategy

1. Mission statement
Imperial is a world-ranked university with staff who are recognised for their excellence in a wide number of fields. The aim of establishing an organisation-wide talent management process is to provide Imperial with a focus for investment in staff, contributing to the creation of a high-performing workplace and encouraging a learning organisation. It will also contribute to diversity management as well as adding value to the employer choice and branding agenda. The aim of this Strategy is to: Provide a talent development framework for Imperial College staff; Support Imperials Mission, Values and Strategic Plan; Build on existing Learning and Development provision, and complement College policies and procedures, particularly the Personal Review and Development Planning process; Place a clear responsibility on senior managers across Imperial for the identification and support of talented staff at all levels; Contribute to the succession management agenda; Involve individual staff more explicitly in the planning, monitoring and evaluation of their own development;

2. Clarification of terms
In order to reach an agreed understanding of the concepts involved and for the purposes of clarity: talent the individuals who can make a difference to organisational performance either through their immediate contribution or in the longer-term by demonstrating their potential; potential - someone who shows the aspiration and engagement, as well as the commitment to their own development that indicate their ability to contribute effectively at a more senior level within the organisation; talent management the systematic identification, development, engagement and deployment of those individuals with high potential who are of particular value to the organisation;

3. Goals
The goals of the talent development frameworks are as follows: To identify those staff with the potential to fill key leadership roles in the future; To demonstrate to participants that the College values them and is committed to developing them over the long term; To broaden the experience, awareness and aspirations of participants; To help participants both increase the value they are adding in their current roles; and develop their leadership and management capability for future roles; To see graduates of the scheme applying for and moving into more senior roles. To retain individuals who have participated in the programme; To create an active and supportive cohort of programme alumni;

4. Responsibilities for implementing the Talent Development Strategy

Line Managers/ Heads of Divisions and Departments are responsible for: Proactively developing the talent within their teams and developing succession plans; Identifying those staff who have the potential to benefit from one of the talent development programmes; Supporting them, and facilitating their ability to balance priorities of current workload and programme participation; Working with them after the 12 month programme to identify further options, including secondments and project-based activities even where these might take them away for some of the time from their current workplace;

Individuals are responsible for: Reflecting on their work and future career aspirations in order to assess the extent to which they might benefit from a talent development programme; Once accepted onto a Programme, discussing with their manager and colleagues how best to manage their time and balance priorities in order to maximise the opportunities of the Programme and the Elective; Applying new knowledge and skills in their current role; Taking advantage of the opportunities of the Programme both in the initial 12months and afterwards;

The Talent Development Function is responsible for: Putting in place appropriate systems for identifying talented staff; Leading the design and delivery of targeted talent development programmes; Working in partnership with departments and divisions to support the ongoing development and possible deployment of participants and alumni of the programmes; Engaging line managers to ensure they are committed to organisational approaches to talent management and support; Working in partnership with the Learning and Development Centre and the Equality and Diversity team; Monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness and impact of talent development programmes and processes; Tracking the performance and progress of participants and alumni of the programmes; Continuous review of talent management processes to ensure that organisational requirements are still being met in the light of changing business priorities.

5. The Horizon Programme

The Horizon Leaders Programme is the first talent development programme and is aimed at Level 4 Professional Services staff. While not guaranteeing promotion, it is designed to offer a valuable learning and networking opportunity. Participants will be part of a professional management group that is recognised by senior managers within the College. Horizon runs over a 12 month period, and involves a time commitment of approximately one day per month on average. The programme includes the following: An initial two day diagnostic Development Centre Future Leader Development Modules (Duration 1 day): o Leading and Inspiring Others o Creating a Super-team o Promoting the Diversity Agenda o Networking, influencing and impact o Strategic thinking and decision-making o Career planning Masterclasses there will be a number of lunchtime events with internal and external speaker Development support o One-to-one support from a Coach o Peer group action-learning An elective - which might be one or more of the following: o Project work o Shadowing a member of senior staff or a pro-rector o Attending a College committee meeting linked to the responsibility area of the member of senior staff being shadowed Participants will be required to make a final presentation to senior staff, reviewing the learning and potential impact of their elective, at the end of the 12 month period.

6. Evaluation Process
The Talent Development function is responsible for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness and impact of talent development programmes and processes. The following evaluation mechanisms have been put in place: End-of-module and end-of-Programme evaluation will be carried out by the talent development team through the use of participant questionnaires and 1-1 discussion; Impact assessment at the end of each programme will be carried out through meetings with participants, separate or joint meetings with their managers and focus groups of other stakeholders. These will be co-ordinated by the Talent Development Manager but carried out by colleagues in HR/ L and D Organisational impact will be assessed after the first 12 months through analysis of HR data relating to promotions and turnover.

J.Barnett - September 2009