Talent Pools & HIPOS

The term ‘Talent Pool’ or ‘HiPo’ is variously used to describe people in an organisation who have been identified as having future potential without implying any particular level in the organisation. Thus, an Emerging Talent programme may be targeting Supervisors aspiring to first line management or Directors and VPs being groomed as future Managing Directors. 

The common link is that all these programmes are designed to provide accelerated development and tend, therefore, to be integrated with succession planning and the management of talent within the organisation.

The success of any high potentials programme rests on three key factors:

  • Selection and selection criteria
  • Senior management support and involvement
  • Capacity (and willingness) to absorb the throughput

Getting the right balance is not easy. If an organisation provides too few opportunities it risks disengaging it’s rising stars. However, if selection is not rigorous and focused, then the numbers entering such a programme can be too great for senior management to give the required amount of individual sponsorship and, moreover, the organisation may be incapable of absorbing people into new and exiting roles as they emerge from the programme.

TiA are experienced in helping businesses achieve this balance, and over the past 20 years, have helped develop and deliver talent programmes for a large number of organisations including:

Argos

Accolade Wines

Constellation

Credit Suisse
Ernst & Young

Homebase

Kuehne + Nagel

National School of Government

PricewaterhouseCoopers

Rolls Royce

Sainsbury's

SIG

Sigma Aldrich

NHS

Tetra Pak

Willmott Dixon

WYG Group

For more information or to talk to someone about the design and delivery of talent programmes in your organisation, please contact one of our consultants.