Selecting a Diverse Workforce - how to manage diverse organizations

Selecting a Diverse Workforce Discussion

Selecting a Diverse Workforce with the Needed Talents

Last week you reviewed how to manage diverse organizations. This week you will expand your knowledge by looking at how to recruit and select talent within a diverse workforce. As discussed in this week’s reading, the focus of talent management is on finding individuals who have specific skills and have the ability to support the company in achieving results. The scope of “talent” is different from company to company. Almost all are looking for leaders and potential leaders that could include all levels of operation.

When selecting talent, companies can focus their search outside of the company, or inside the company, based on what they are trying to achieve. For example, Microsoft talent focuses on the top 10% of performers at all levels and functions. Such a company might benefit from looking externally to find top performers wherever they are located. In contrast, GE looks for high performers who have high potential and display key GE values. GE might prefer looking internally to see who best displays the GE values they seek.

For this discussion, compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of drawing talent from internal versus external labor markets, especially in the areas of overcoming biases in organizational decision making, and in selecting a diverse workforce.