Misplaced Talent: A Guide to Making Better People Decisions

Lead the Way to Optimal Talent Management and Organizational Growth

In today′s organizations, human resources and talent management are major sources of unrealized value. Business growth, productivity, innovation all of these can be direct results of putting the right talent in the right place. Misplaced Talent is the story of how and why so many organizations fail to capitalize on these opportunities, and it′s your guide for unlocking the potential of talent.

With this book, you′ll be able to sift through the mountain of assessments, tools, and frameworks out there, separating what works from what doesn′t. Author Joe Ungemah is a top thought leader in the world of talent management, known for bringing scientific insights from organizational psychology into the real world.

"In his book, Misplaced Talent, Joe scratches beneath the surface of talent management, encouraging a holistic view of people decisions that are focused on creating impact and value for employees and organizations alike."
KIMBERLEY SEVERINSEN, Head of Assessment and Selection ANZ, Korn Ferry Futurestep

"If we can accurately identify high potential talent, it becomes not only a competitive advantage, but also an engagement, retention, and attraction tool. With Joe as a partner it actually makes it feasible to have a systemic way to differentiate talent and not rely solely on ′gut decisions.′ His book is a must read for any HR professional."
MILENA GASHKEVICH, Global Director Talent Attraction, Anheuser–Busch InBev

"You are guaranteed to be enlightened by the practical tools and insights into how best to place the right people in the right roles. Joe has worked across the globe in multiple sectors which clearly comes across in his one size definitely does not fit all approach."
VANESSA FLYNN, Head of Human Resources at Air–Tec, Inter Ocean Aviation Finance Corporation

"We know that talent management activities can bring huge benefits to individuals and to the organizations they work for. We also see numerous examples where these processes have lost their value and are mere ′tick in the box′ activities or are perceived as being an ′HR thing.′ This book can help managers and HR experts to design and introduce the solutions that can release the power of well–designed talent management processes."
PER CARLSSON, Managing Director, CEB Talent Management, Nordics

"The talent we support and develop are innovating technology with unprecedented velocity. We must use the most effective solutions and approaches to ensure their continued rapid growth and development. Joe will expertly guide you to making the right decisions for your company and culture. The next best thing to having Joe as your partner is having his practical knowledge and wisdom from his book in your back pocket!"
SHAWNA ERDMANN, Executive Talent Management, Intel Corporation

Foreword ix

Preface xiii

Chapter 1. Frameworks 1

Origins of Job Analysis 2

The Art and Science of Job Analysis 8

Behavioral Simplicity 13

The Tradeoffs 17

The Good and Bad of Frameworks 21

Chapter 2. Talent Acquisition 27

More Than a Single Brand 29

Let s Be Realistic 35

Compelling Themes 40

From Message to Market 46

How It s Done 50

Chapter 3. Capability Assessment 57

Evaluating Value and Risk 59

Legal Requirements 66

Assessment by Interview 68

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 77

Work Simulations 88

Where to from Here? 94

Chapter 4. Psychometric Assessment 97

But First, an Experiment 98

Employee Needs 101

Personality Traits 104

Shared Values 112

Motivated Employees Are Engaged Employees 115

Changes in Motivation with Age and Generations 118

Restoring the Balance with Person–Environment Fit 122

Chapter 5. Employee Development 127

Psychological Contract 129

Assessment for Development 133

Developmental Challenges 140

Support Through Coaching and Mentoring 146

Moving Together or Apart 151

Chapter 6. Change 155

Breaking the Psychological Contract 157

Succession Planning 159

High Potentials and the Learning Agile 163

Driving Performance 168

Big Data and Monitoring Change 173

From a Balanced to a Transactional Contract 175

Conclusion 177

About the Author 181

Acknowledgments 183

Resources 185

Index 195

JOE UNGEMAH helps his clients identify and implement critical transformations in the HR function and has led professional services groups for CEB in the US, Australia, and Ireland. Using his background as a registered psychologist, Joe translates the science behind selection and development decisions into easy to implement actions. He is also a skilled trainer, facilitator, and speaker.