Best people now worth even more

By Dr. Drake Beil
President, Solutions Inc.

Have you ever been part of a merger or acquisition? Or perhaps a downsizing?

Changes in a company's makeup require a new way of looking at people. Firms planning organizational changes must assess the value of the people involved. A sound approach is to take inventory of the executive and managerial talent available, and determine where you need to import or export people.

According to Cisco System CEO John Chambers, it's much more difficult to "graft on" an intact team to an organization than it is to add a single individual.

Team members who have worked together for years develop norms, guidelines and work values that are not readily apparent to others cannot easily be discarded.

From 1994-97, Cisco purchased 19 new companies as a means of acquiring new product development expertise.

Such wholesale acquisitions of talent present a major challenge to any company struggling to build a solid work culture.

Employees also have different expectations: job analyses, cultural fit assessments, resume development, video profiling, Web-based assessment tools and screening, along with traditional interviews.

In short, top talent is more mobile than ever, and companies must be attentive to this. The best people have never been worth more.

Dr. Drake Beil can be reached at drake@60secondsonbusiness.com.