At Taleo World 2009 and at a seminar in Chicago, a Taleo customer presented their story of practice and Taleo technology implementation driving “Success with Succession.” Beyond the benefits of our next-generation user interface, focus on users and managers, tight integration, and self-service configuration, there was an underlying revelation.

The increased visibility that technology brought to their process meant managers could see each other’s people and a company-wide succession pool. That visibility created the need for—and in itself drove—change management. Because the walls of department silos were made transparent. Which in turn broke down each manager’s silo mindset. It made them start thinking of the company as a unified talent pool, not a collection of city states. One talent pool. One company.

This is an example of extended visibility enabling extended thinking. No department is an island. In terms of succession and internal mobility, that visibility creates free talent trade across department borders. You offer people opportunity or risk losing top people to another company. In return, people exhibit stronger engagement with transparent career paths and internal opportunities.

What’s the overall benefit? People work better in glass silos. You get a more holistic approach to talent because you have data, process, and visibility aligned in a unified manner—driven by technology. Got unified data? Get a united company.

Employee volunteer programs make employees feel good by contributing, help positively position the company in the community, and enable development of new employee skills. Volunteer programs can also connect employees to a more diverse social network that can offer referral recruiting opportunities.

A strategy for diversity recruiting will encourage your organization to draw from a wider candidate base, build teams that foster innovation, and more accurately reflect your local as well as global customers.

Likewise, the buzz phrase “employee engagement” is important to your company because your workforce will be happier, more involved, and productive.

Obviously, these are all nice to have. Now think about it this way:

The Impact of Corporate Volunteerism study, which analyzed responses from 450 survey participants, found that a significant correlation exists between high-performing companies and the presence and support of a formal employee volunteer program. Moreover, EVPs are more likely to be seen as an integral part of the internal culture of high-performing organizations, based on self-report data.

Highly engaged employee companies enjoy 26% higher employee productivity, lower turnover, higher talent attraction, and greater shareholder return; see findings in Watson Wyatt’s 2008/2009 WorkUSA Report.

The business performance these kinds of talent management initiatives can drive move them from nice to have to need to have. The ultimate proof is in the execution, which requires the processes and supporting technology platforms for effective talent management.

According to our research, a majority of UK employees have more respect for leaders who have worked their way up through an organization, and two-thirds consider them good or very good leaders. Despite this, the majority of UK companies hire externally for leadership positions. Only 38% have leaders in their companies who are promoted internally, with just 35% of future leaders identified and nurtured through leadership programs.

The new Taleo Research study Grow Your Own CEO examines the attitudes and preferences of UK workers in regard to internally developed and externally recruited leaders, their expectations about leadership and career development programs, and experience in their own organizations. Key findings include:

• Internal promotion is the most effective leadership development strategy. 66% of companies who recruit from inside have leaders regarded as good or very good compared with 51% who generally recruit from outside.

• Mobility and feedback drive engagement. 76% of employees say they will be more committed to their company if they have a clear view of promotion and job opportunities, while 74% say regular appraisals will drive up their level of commitment.

The study uncovers large gaps between leadership development best practices and organizational behavior. The findings show that companies investing in internal talent, mobility, and development programs can maximize their talent assets, improve retention, increase productivity and engagement, and put leadership succession plans in place. A robust talent and performance management strategy enables leaders to be identified, developed, and retained.

The US Federal Reserve announcement and many leading economists recently have provided hints of consensus that the worldwide recession is over. However, there are disturbing talent trends emerging that deserve detailed observation and action.

Two admonitions that fall squarely within the realm of talent management strategy and practices are included in The Corporate Executive Board’s Executive Guidance for 2010 “Confronting Six Enemies of Post-Recession Performance”:

• Productivity Losses Due to Top Talent Disengagement and Flight

• Productivity Losses Due to Misplaced Leaders

In an outstanding teleconference—available in replay—these and four other perils for future organizational performance are described. Among the research findings:

The average organization faces an imminent 7% productivity loss from the combination of departing top talent and undermanaged recruiting pipelines.

Surprisingly, 25% of high-potential employees are looking for a new employer, up dramatically over pre-recession levels.

• Only 21% of employees are fully productive; the rest are not fully mobilized against the right goals.

The analysis supports the caveat: Recoveries are not restorations. Pre-recession plans and assumptions may no longer be relevant in the “new normal”; failure to distinguish between cyclical and structural shifts may permanently derail growth.

At Taleo we concur and explain further in New Solutions for a New Economy.

Talent management in a volatile world economy requires immediate organizational visibility into talent information beyond name, address, and benefits. Without visible promotional slots, who might leave? And who is skilled and interested to fill that role? Which of your employees are looking for new opportunities? How many top performers were lost during kneejerk reductions in force and could be rehired? These are all questions you need to answer.

In A Reluctance to Retire Means Fewer Openings, The New York Times reports that lacking a safety net, many US workers are delaying retirement plans. That means there are fewer openings to fill from Baby Boomer attrition. But in Europe, more comprehensive retirement plans are not affecting the retirement rate in the same way.

An Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) study in the UK says that almost 70% of recently hired graduates will consider new opportunities when the economy rebounds. That bodes poorly for return on investment and shows a lack of engagement.

And a survey of North American employers says that 40% plan to rehire laid off former workers to boost their skill and talent pool.

To know about and impact the actions of your talent, you need a unified view of talent information. Talent analytics around career aspirations and mobility, performance and succession provides a view into which employees you want to stay, go, or return.