t Bristol-Myers Squibb,
part of the business strategy focuses on talent as a major component to success.
The company has broadly defined its talent strategy as the ability to attract, develop
and retain the depth and diversity of talent to successfully execute the strategy.
In an effort to better understand what engages and retains employees, the company
conducted internal research and found that the role of the manager was pivotal to
every key aspect of engagement (career and development, reward and recognition,
quality of management and alignment of work to broader business issues). As a consequence,
Bristol-Myers Squibb believes that the role of the manager is key in executing both
the business and talent strategies.Leadership and
competencies
Suzan McDaniel, senior director of talent management at Bristol-Myers Squibb, says
that the business leaders at the company have played a key role in building management
capability. They believe that developing great managers is critical, and they have
worked on a series of communication and development tools to support managers in
their development. First, they created a set of core behaviors (one of which focuses
on the development of people) that are explicitly defined at different career stages.
This serves to clarify expectations for all Bristol-Myers Squibb employees.
After seeing the results of company research, members of the
leadership team decided to define what it means to be a great leader at Bristol-Myers
Squibb, and to give employees tools to build their skills. This has led to the development
of a program, "What Do Great Managers Do at Bristol-Myers Squibb?" It includes both
education and a tool kit for how to emulate the attributes and actions of great
managers and leaders. McDaniel says leaders in the organization are role models
for the behaviors, and talk about them daily in their divisions.
Communication and competencies
The company not only talks about the core Bristol-Myers Squibb behaviors and how
they are carried out by great managers and leaders every day, but highlights them
in announcements of internal promotions. The behaviors are woven into all key HR
processes at the company. "You can’t let up on this, and you can’t compromise on
its importance," she says.
Measurement and rewards
Because these key behaviors are part of the company’s HR systems, there is a constant
focus on measuring employees’ performance against these behaviors. Whether it is
in selection, feedback tools, promotional considerations or performance management,
employees are constantly being assessed and given feedback to improve their performance.
McDaniel stresses the importance of selecting people for qualities
the company seeks, developing those qualities and holding people accountable. "The
best way to build the capability is to build the foundational skills and provide
role models of what great managers do," she says. "Then you need to let them thrive
in their own work environment and use upward feedback to help managers hone in on
areas they need to improve."
Structure and symbols
As part of establishing its performance management system, the company created a
stretch goal for managers: spend 50 percent of their time doing their work and 50
percent of their time managing others. Like every other organization in the past
decade, Bristol-Myers Squibb sees increasing pressure on managers. Their own work
has not diminished, but their spans of control have gotten larger as the company
operates in a leaner environment. Although aspirational, the goal does communicate
what the company believes is important: good management.
Workforce Management Online, November 2007 --
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