The question of who should take charge of talent management within an organisation is becoming an urgent one, says Chris Roebuck, a consultant who has held senior roles in UBS, HSBC, KPMG and London Underground. He points out that the structures of large organisations are actually working against effective talent management. Since the 1970s, most organisations have become much flatter – taking out the middle managers who would previously have busied themselves with spotting talent, managing performance and grooming high-flyers for promotion. “We have lost an entire cadre of managers where that sort of thing went on as a matter of course,” he says.

The temptation now, he says, is to hand over talent management to the HR department, which will put in place processes and training courses that give reassurance that the issue is being addressed. And while HR does have an important support and advisory role to play, the danger with this approach, says Roebuck, is that it encourages a box-ticking mentality. Active talent management requires an engaged CEO plus line managers who are prepared to look strategically at their staff’s abilities. Line managers will only do this if there is going to be a benefit, he says. “They will also look at what the CEO is doing. If he has handed over the agenda to the HR department then others will perceive it to be an HR matter, not strategic. This is where a lot of organisations have gone wrong.”

Andy Vickers, UK and Ireland managing director for Canon, the imaging company, agrees that talent management programmes won’t amount to much without involvement from the CEO or managing director. “Unless you’re leading by example they will simply stall,” he says.

Vickers, who heads up 1,800 employees, makes it his business to get to know as many members of staff as possible. “When we have a talent review, I know everyone who’s mentioned. If I’m going to make a decision on a senior manager I need to know about them personally.”

“When Jeff Immelt [GE’s chairman] says he spends 30% of his time on people issues, you know he means it,” says Kevin O’Neill, a finance manager for GE Healthcare. O’Neill, who has a team of 50 reporting in to him from around the world, says that in 10 years with the technology and services conglomerate he has had professional and leadership training, plus direct contact with managers and directors. “I see myself as an operational leader as much as a finance manager. You’ve got to be competitive, a business partner within the business,” he says.

Nigel Mason, GE’s UK CEO, says there has been a change in emphasis at the company. While performance measurement used to be focused on how the firm’s top talent delivered on the numbers or on product development, today there is an interest in how individuals deliver. “We’ve come to understand that teams work well together when they respect the leader and understand the profile of who he’s got in his team.”

O’Neill says that individuals must take charge of their own performance. “You’ve got to be accountable for your career,” he says. “That means building your network across the company, doing a good job and getting yourself noticed.” With an integrated appraisal system and management structure, GE provides scope for career progression. “The thing that keeps you here is that it’s a meritocracy. Everyone has the same sort of opportunity when they walk in the door. When you’ve done a solid job, perhaps in a tough business cycle, you know it’s been recognised.”

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