Why TDRp: Manage Talent for Bottom Line Impact

Dave Vance

September 25, 2013

Talent Development Reporting principles (TDRp) is an industry-led initiative to run talent like a business in order to deliver measurable, planned impact with greater effectiveness and efficiency. Historically, many human resource professionals have not had the background, experience or confidence to approach talent from a business perspective. Moreover, many CFOs and CEOs, unsure of what really can be expected from HR, have not demanded that it be held to the same management standards as other functions.

Run HR like a business

TDRp supporters believe otherwise and have implemented the framework to help HR department heads, directors, and program managers run their function like a business:

Starting with business outcomes and then designing initiatives to help achieve them;
Working with senior leadership to establish the expected, measurable impact of key HR initiatives on business outcomes;
Establishing effectiveness and efficiency goals in support of the key strategic and department initiatives;
Executing with discipline to review progress against goals and proactively take action to ensure planned results are delivered;
Reporting high-level progress against plan (goals) at least quarterly to the CEO, including a forecast of how the year is expected to end.

The components of TDRp

TDRp provides standard statements and reports as well as definitions for more than 600 measures, much like GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) or IFRS (International Financial Reporting Statndards) does for accounting. TDRp, however, also provides guidance in how these reports should be used by talent leaders to manage the function like a business. The TDRp framework has been developed for all important HR processes including learning and development, leadership development, talent acquisition, capability management, performance management and total rewards.

The framework includes:

Standard outcome, effectiveness and efficiency measures
Three standard statements employing these measures:

Outcome Statement
Effectiveness Statement
Efficiency Statement

Three recommended management reports employing key measures from the three statements:

Summary report for the department head, CFO and CEO
Program reports for the department head, directors, and program managers
Operations report for the department head and directors

Detailed implementation guidance:

How to conduct discussions with the CEO to establish priorities and goals
How to conduct impact discussion with the sponsors
How to create and use the TDRp statements and reports

The benefits of TDRp

The statements, reports and management practices of TDRp are designed to help you run talent like a business, even if you have no prior business experience. The benefits of implementing TDRp include:

Better alignment of HR initiatives to company goals
Better planning of HR initiatives, especially with regard to expected impact and value
Better execution of HR initiatives
Greater focus on outcomes, effectiveness and efficiency

In short, TDRp helps your HR department deliver more value with a greater focus on impact, effectiveness and efficiency. TDRp also significantly enhances transparency and accountability.

TDRp events

The Center for Talent Reporting (more information below) is hosting two exclusive events this October to help bring you up to speed on the benefits of TDRp, and to explain how to implement TDRp within your organization:

Center for Talent Reporting Two-Day Workshop - October 15 - 16, 2013 in Atlanta, GA
First Annual TDRp Conference - October 16 - 17, 2013 in Atlanta, GA

The Center for Talent Reporting, the home of TDRp

Hundreds of organizations are now implementing TDRp. The Center for Talent Reporting, a nonprofit 501c6 organization, was established in October 2012 as the home of TDRp. The Center is supported through memberships, sponsorships and workshop income. The board of directors is composed of industry leaders:

Kent Barnett, CEO, Knowledge Advisors
Laurie Bassi, CEO, McBassi and Associates
Carrie Beckstrom, VP of Learning & Perf., ADP
Josh Bersin, Principal, Bersin by Deloitte
Jac Fitz-enz, CEO, Human Capital Source
Jeff Higgins, CEO, HCMI
Kevin Oakes, CEO, i4cp
David Kuhl, SVP of Talent, First Data
Claudia Rodriguez, VP of Learning, Motorola Solutions

David Vance, former President of Caterpillar University and Chief Economist for Caterpillar, serves as Executive Director. Peggy Parskey is Assistant Director.

More information is available at CenterforTalentReporting.org including white papers, definitions of measures, sample statements and reports, and implementation guidance. Certification for practitioners and software, and accreditation for consulting companies and implementing organizations, is now available to ensure that practitioners and consultants are able to demonstrate competence in TDRp and that software meets TDRp standards. Monthly webinars are conducted to introduce TDRp and two-day workshops are available for an in-depth understanding.