Human resource alignment and strategy at Porter Novelli

Porter Novelli Communications

Alignment of human resource processes with business strategy

Ever since the Industrial Revolution, the workforce has undergone a complex process of change through which it metamorphosed from the force operating the machines into the most valuable organizational asset. Today, the employees are valued not so much for their technical abilities, but more so for their intellectual capital which creates more organizational value. And this state of events is propagating at higher levels in an economy dominated by services rather than products.

In an industry where the people are the most important assets, it is crucial for the company to focus on their well-being. It is necessary for the employer to safeguard the professional and personal development of the staff members, to motivate them and to reward them. All these efforts are developed by the human resources department, but in order for them to succeed, it is necessary that they are implemented at all organizational levels. For instance, all employees in manufacturing, accounting, marketing, public relations, administration and so on need to be presented with opportunities for professional development and they need to be stimulated. In the case of a contrary situation, internal frictions would arise and the levels of employee satisfaction and performances would decline. Therefore, for the simple reason that employee satisfaction translates into organizational performances, it is necessary for the human resource strategies to be integrated within the business model and aligned with the business strategy.

2. Benchmarking

The means in which the company conducted benchmarking operations is private information and as such not offered to the general public, including the researcher. This virtually means that the benchmarking tools, techniques and methodologies can only be assumed. In this order of ideas:

(a) The performance standards for leadership could have been benchmarked throughout the following:

The identification of a particular Porter Novelli office which registers the highest performances in terms of leaderships and its usage as etalon

The comparison of company performances with the performances and result of the industry averages

The comparison of company results and performances with the industry leaders and with Porter Novelli's main competitors, such as Daniel J. Edelman Inc., Fleishman-Hillard Inc. Or Waggener Edstrom Worldwide Inc. (Hoovers, 2010).

(b) The client-facing operations could have been benchmarked based on:

The identification of a particular office which registers the highest performances in terms of client-facing and its usage as etalon

Comparison of company results with results of consumer surveys of input retrieved through other sources

(c) The specialty / support functions could have been benchmarked as follows:

The identification of a particular office which registers the highest performances in terms of specialty / support functions and its usage as etalon

The comparison of the expected results of the organizational processes with the real outcomes of the operations.

4. Objective measurement

In order to ensure that the pre-established goals are attained, it would be necessary for Porter Novelli to measure the degree to which the goals have been attained. This measurement could be achieved through the following:

(a) Comparison between the levels of productivity before the talent management programs have been implemented and three months after their implementation has been completed. Elements which could be addressed at this level include the spending with commodities, the consumption of resources, the volume of production or the changes in the quality of the manufactured items / delivered services.

(b) Comparison between the levels of customer satisfaction before the implementation of the talent management strategies and in their aftermath. Elements to be addressed at this stage include customer opinions regarding the quality of the items purchased or the nature of the services and the interaction with the company staff members.

(c) Comparative assessment of the financial result of the company before talent management and in its aftermath. Specific elements which could be addressed include employee turnover costs, productivity costs and sales revenues.

5. Impact of talent management

Similar to the system of benchmarking used by Porter Novelli, the direct impacts of their talent management program are not made available to the public. The company limits its statements to arguing that the program has been implemented and that it has brought the company closer to reaching its vision and its goals (Porter Novelli Website). Based on this, as well as on the theoretically forwarded impacts of a talent management program, it is believed that the following impacts were obvious:

Increased employee satisfaction through training programs; the staff members felt that the company was interested and supportive of their professional formation and their levels of on the job satisfaction increased

Increased levels of employee commitment to the firm, which subsequently materialized in lower levels of employee turnover rates, to as such generate cost efficiencies

Improved relationship between the firm and the customers, which materialized in higher levels of customer satisfaction and as such higher levels of sales revenues

Increased employee performances which consequently led to increased organizational results

References:

2008, Talent management impact on employee engagement, Head Light Communications, http://www.head-light.co.uk/Articles/EngagementAndTalentManagement.pdf last accessed on July 23, 2010

2009, 2009: Economic crisis or opportunity, HR Malaysia, http://hrmy.wordpress.com/2009/02/19/2009-economic-crisis-or-opportunity / last accessed on July 23, 2010

2010, Porter Novelli Inc., Hoovers, http://www.hoovers.com/company/Porter_Novelli_Inc/rfhrtji-1.html last accessed on July 23, 2010

Porter Novelli Website, http://www.porternovelli.com / last accessed on July 23, 2010