B237 Talent Acquisition and Management

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L01 Lecture 1

Get Started!
Strategic Staffing - It’s all about placing the right people in the right positions
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Specific Learning Objectives

• Explain why staffing is critical to an organisation’s performance.

• Contrast strategic staffing and non-strategic staffing.

• Describe the seven components of strategic staffing.

• Explain how different staffing strategies support different

business strategies.

• Propose staffing decisions based on the components of strategic

staffing.

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Module Framework
L01:
Introduction

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Video
The War for Talent
Ask Staffing (2019) The War for Talent. Retrieved on 3 September 2021
from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijgHc-93018

The War For Talent Does Not Exist

Smart Recruiters (2019) The War For Talent Does Not Exist. Retrieved
on 3 September 2021 from Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRts0ccO2ss

So which is it?

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Place your votes!

Do you think the

War for Talent
exists? Why?

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Lecture 1 ■ STRATEGIC
STAFFING
■ BUSINESS
STRATEGY
■ TALENT
PHILOSOPHIES

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The Staffing Context

Staffing is not
just a HR
Human capital –
Effective staffing Department
in many ways –
is an important responsibility. To
could be seen
element of truly contribute
as the most
successful to the firm, there
important asset
human resource must be strong
of any
management. partnership with
organisations.
the business
units.

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What is Strategic Staffing?

Definition:

“The process of staffing an organisation in

future-oriented and goal-directed ways that
support the organisation’s business strategy
and enhance organisational effectiveness.”
Jean M. Phillips and Stanley M Gully, Strategic Staffing (2012).

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Strategic vs. Non-Strategic / Traditional

Strategic Non-Strategic
Longer-term Immediate / Shorter
Time Horizon planning term planning

Aligned to business Reactive – likely in

Alignment strategy, HR and response to job
market opening
Evaluate staffing
Lacks continuous
Evaluation outcomes against pre-
improvement effort
identified goals

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Strategic Staffing for Competitive Advantage

A competitive advantage is something that a company can do

differently from its competitors that allows it to perform better,
survive, and succeed in its industry.

Staffing outcomes determine who will work for and represent the
firm, and what its employees will be willing and able to do.

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How to gain a Competitive Advantage?

Strive to be the lowest cost producer for a

particular level of product quality
• Competitive advantage based on
operational excellence: maximising the
efficiency of the manufacturing or
product development process to
minimize costs.

Develop a product/service Focus of a niche market and deliver

that has unique unique and customisable products to
characteristics valued by Focus
meet customers’ needs
customers • Competitive advantage based on
• Competitive advantage customer intimacy through
based on product customisation of products/service.
innovation.
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What is Business Strategy?

■ A company’s business strategy defines how the firm
will compete in its marketplace.
■ Michael Porter’s generic strategies – 4 generic
business strategies are derived from the 3 sources of
competitive advantage:
Source of Competitive Advantage
Competitive Scope

Cost
Differentiation
Industry-wide Leadership

Single Cost Differentiation

Segment Focus Focus
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Staffing Implications:
Competencies Required (1/2)

Business Description Staffing Implications:

Strategy Competencies required
Cost • Target a broad market and offer • Efficiency and tight control
Leadership the lowest possible price. • Favour routine tasks
• Efficient production and delivery • Trainable
of products. • Willing to follow
• Objective is to lead industry in standardised procedures
both price and convenience • Cost-conscious mindset
• Streamline processes to
maximize profits.

Differentiation • Target a broad market and offer • Top research talent

products or services with • Entrepreneurial mind-set
unique features • Creativity, Innovative
• Provide a continuous stream of • High tolerance for
new cutting-edge products ambiguity
• Objective is the fast • Interested in and
commercialisation of new ideas. motivated by learning and
discovery
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Staffing Implications:
Competencies Required (2/2)
Business Description Staffing Implications:
Strategy Competencies required
Cost Focus • Target a niche market (little • Efficiency and tight control
competition, ‘focused market’) • Favour routine tasks
and offer the lowest possible • Trainable
price. • Willing to follow standardised
• Understand the dynamics of the procedures
market and the wishes of the • Cost-conscious mindset
consumers to ensure that the • Customer centric
costs remain low • Relationship management

Differentiation • Target a niche market (little • Top research talent

Focus competition, ‘focused market’) • Entrepreneurial mind-set
and offer unique features. • Creativity, Innovative
• Involves strong brand loyalty • High tolerance for ambiguity
among consumers. • Interested in and motivated by
• Important to ensure that product learning and discovery
remains unique, in order to stay • Customer centric
ahead of possible competition. • Relationship management
• Networking skills 14
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Refer to Activity 1 in Worksheet 1

Describe the unique business strategy and positioning
strategy for the following companies.
What makes each company different from their
competitors? What are competencies that would make a
candidate ideal for that particular organisation?
• Nike
• McDonald’s
• Air Asia
• Jollibee
• Ferrari
• Singapore Airlines
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Business Strategy and Competencies

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Staffing Strategies

Human
Talent Staffing
Resource
Philosophy Strategy
Strategy

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Talent Philosophy
■ A system of beliefs about how employees should
be treated.

■ Key Considerations:
1. Filling vacancies or hiring for long term careers
2. Commitment to Diversity
3. Applicants / employees as Assets or Investors
4. Commitment to Ethical Behavior

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Talent Philosophy and its Implications

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Refer to Activity 2 in the Worksheet 1.

The following are Talent Philosophies:
A. Wants employees to contribute to the firm over long term
B. Values the ideas and contributions of people with diverse
ideas and perspectives
C. Views applicants and employees as investors of their time
and effort
D. Has high ethical standards regarding the treatment of its
applicants and employees
Identify the talent philosophy for each of the scenarios.
Explain your answers.

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Scenario A
In a bid to brand ACE international as a business that
cares, Sarah, the Talent Acquisition Director, has been
working with a human resource consulting firm to
implement an applicant tracking system that is user
friendly and sends auto reply messages to assure the
applicant that his/her resume has been received and to
expect a response in 7 days’ time. The consulting firm has
also provided Sarah with a competency mapping tool in
order to determine the suitability of candidates.

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Scenario B
Sue Tang identified 5 High Potentials (strong performing junior
employees who can be groomed to take on larger roles). She
wants the Human Resources team to develop a career
development plan for these 5 employees that includes training,
assigning coaches to them and mapping out required
competencies they need to develop over the next 6 years in
order to take on different positions in her organisation.

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Scenario C
In order to ensure that employees have a fair performance
appraisal, Nick Taylor of QED Corporation introduced a
performance initiative that will require Team Managers to
conduct and document the monthly tracking of their team
member’s performance. Each team member will counter-sign
the monthly document as well to demonstrate their agreement to
the manager’s evaluation. QED hopes that this will ensure that
a detailed overview of each employee’s performance throughout
the year is available for fair year-end evaluations.

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Scenario D
James King, owner of Security Alliance, strongly believes
sending his key managers on expatriate international
assignments. He feels that it is only through exposing his
managers to other cultures and business environments that
innovation can become part of the company’s culture.

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Scenario E
Samantha Tan will be conducting a New Product brainstorming
session this afternoon. She has sent invitations out to her
product team, the sales and customer service teams as well as
the retail store managers. She intends to involve all customer-
facing staff in the brainstorming session to ensure that she has
heard from all teams. She feels that this is an important step in
generating innovation for the company.

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Concept Map

4 types of Influences
Business Talent Philosophy
Strategies
Leads to

Strategic Staffing

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Resources and References

Website Resources
• Fernandez-Araoz, C., Groysberg, B., & Nohria, N. (2009). The definitive
guide to recruiting in good times and bad. Retrieved September 4, 2021,
from the Harvard Business Review website: http://hbr.org/2009/05/the-
definitive-guide-to-recruiting-in-good-times-and-bad/ar/1
• Anum Hussain. (2012). 10 Companies That Totally Nailed Their Taglines.
Retrieved September 4, 2021, from the HubSpot Inbound Hub website:
http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/33535/10-Companies-That-
Totally-Nailed-Their-Taglines.aspx
• Ask Staffing (2019) The War for Talent. Retrieved on 3 September 2021
from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijgHc-93018
• Smart Recruiters (2019) The War For Talent Does Not Exist. Retrieved on
3 September 2021 from Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRts0ccO2ss

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Resources and References

Website Resources
• Tarkett Official(2017) Talent Philosophy at Tarkett. Retrieved on
September 4, 2021 from Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7cM4JNdMnM
• Kuijk, A. (2018). Porter’s Generic Strategies. Retrieved on
September 4, 2021 from ToolsHero:
https://www.toolshero.com/strategy/porters-generic-strategies/
• Miranda Eaton, Strategic Staffing (2015). Retrieved on September
4, 2021 from: https://slideplayer.com/slide/5916193/
• Woodruff, J. (2018). Four Generic Strategies That Strategic
Business Units Use. Retrieved on September 4, 2021 from Chron:
https://smallbusiness.chron.com/four-generic-strategies-strategic-
business-units-use-496.html

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Resources and References

Textbook Resources
• Jean M. Philips, Stanley M. Gully. (2012). Strategic Staffing. London:
Pearson Education.
• Arthur, D. (Greenberg, J. (2012). Recruiting, Interviewing, Selecting
& Orientating New Employees (5th ed.) New York: Amacon.
• Grout, J., & Perrin, S. (2005). Recruiting Excellence. London:
McGraw-Hill.
• Robert M. Grant. (2016). Contemporary Strategy Analysis. UK:
Wiley.

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