BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - April 7, 2009) - In the new report, "
Assessments in Talent Management: Strategies to
Improve Pre- and Post-hire Performance," Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks
Company (
NYSE:
HHS), found that 61% of all organizations currently use form
assessments in their talent management initiatives, with another 16%
planning adoption in 2009. Obtain a complimentary copy of the
report at
http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=5790.
Aberdeen's research revealed that while nearly 9 in 10 organizations use
assessments for screening and/or selecting candidates, a critical
differentiation is the use of assessments in post-hire applications. This
research report is a compilation of surveys and interviews from
approximately 400 executives collected in February and March 2009. The
study highlights how leading organizations use assessments to recruit,
develop and retain top talent.
"Leading organizations consider assessments more critical in the post-hire
stage than do their counterparts -- especially for employee development and
making promotion decisions," said Jayson Saba, Senior Research Associate
for Human Capital Management at Aberdeen and co-author of the study. "This
makes sense as our research shows that 2009 will see continuing emphasis on
employee engagement and aligning talent with business goals."
The analysis showed that while leading organizations pertaining to the use
of assessments in talent management have achieved superior year-over-year
performance gains, it also shows that, on average, all organizations that
use assessments in talent management achieved average performance gains in
quality of hire, employee performance, productivity, and retention.
"Despite massive layoffs over the past few months, a large skills gap still
persists across the US and around the world," said Kevin Martin, Vice
President and Group Director, Aberdeen. "Couple this skills gap with an
increasingly competitive and global business environment, the importance
and challenge for organizations to find and keep the talent that's best for
their respective companies becomes magnified greatly. Our research shows
that the use of assessments in talent management can help organizations
target their efforts with more accuracy and efficiency."
Aberdeen's research also revealed that, in addition to their sophistication
in using assessments, leading organizations differ from all other
organizations in organizational, process and knowledge management
capabilities:
* Secure support and buy-in from senior leadership, hiring managers, and
supervisors
* Standardize an employee performance management process
* Review the performance of assessment initiatives at least annually
This report also highlights how leading organizations use assessments to
identify competency gaps for recruiting, development and promotion. It
outlines recommendations for all organizations on how to implement and
improve their assessment initiatives by selecting quality talent and
developing workforce competencies.
A complimentary copy of this report is made available due in part by the
following underwriters: First Advantage, SilkRoad technology, inc.,
SumTotal Systems, Taleo, and Vangent.
For additional access to complimentary
Human Capital Research, visit
http://research.aberdeen.com/index.php/-human-capital-management.
About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company
Aberdeen provides fact-based research and market intelligence that delivers
demonstrable results. Having queried more than 30,000 companies in the
past two years, Aberdeen is positioned to educate users to action: driving
market awareness, creating demand, enabling sales, and delivering
meaningful return-on-investment analysis. As the trusted advisor to the
global technology markets, corporations turn to Aberdeen for insights that
drive decisions.
As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in
context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's
analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of
Harte-Hanks (Information - Opportunity - Insight - Engagement -
Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role
Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit
Aberdeen or call (617) 723-7890, or to
learn more about
Harte-Hanks,
call (800) 456-9748.
© 2009 Aberdeen Group, Inc., a Harte-Hanks Company
451 D Street, Suite 710
Boston, Massachusetts 02210-1928
Telephone: (617) 854-5200
Fax: (617) 723-7897
www.aberdeen.com
Contact Information: Media Contact:
Jayson Saba
Aberdeen Harte-Hanks
(617) 854-5224
Jayson.saba@aberdeen.com