Navinchandra Mehta Institute of Technology and Development

Subject : Competency Based HRM

Book Review:- Harvard Business Review On – Finding and Keeping the Best People.

Presented by: Sonali Vasudeo

Roll No.: M9149
Specialization: Human resources
Presented to: Prof. Renuka Savant
 Information about the Book

• Title: Finding and Keeping the Best People.

• Author: Harvard Business Review
• ISBN-13: 978-1-57851-556-1.
• ISBN-10: 1-57851-556-4.
• Publication: Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation.
• Copyright: 1994, 2000, 2001.
• Price: US$22.00.
 SHORT DESCRIPTION

The author’s purpose in writing this book is to educate the people about hiring
the best people and retention of those assets as it is the core requirement for the
success of any business. This book is written with a point of view of providing
the guidance and hands-on advices to the business students and managers and
giving them a clear understanding of how to hire more effectively and increase
retention. This book is a human resource book and it fits well into this field as
it discusses issues such as recruiting the right people, cultivating the right
culture, avoiding employee burnout, and calculating employee turnover.
 Toward a Carreer-Resilient Workforce
IDEA IN BRIEF
Recessions present an unexpected opportunity for companies to snap up the top-level talent needed to drive
growth in better times. But most firms squander this opportunity because their recruitment practices are
scattershot.
To capture the best talent now and retain stars once the recession eases, there is a need to rigorous recruitment
process that includes these steps:
• Anticipating future leadership needs, based on the strategic business plan. Intuit’s deep analysis of long-term
staffing needs has contributed to famously smooth management transitions.
• Identifying the specific competencies required in each position needed to fill. For example, “Does this job
require an entrepreneur, manager, or leader?”
• Developing sufficiently large candidate pool. Considering both inside and outside candidates increases the
likelihood to find the right person for each job.
 IDEA IN PRACTICE
Steps to effective recuriting:
• Anticipating Needs.
• Specifying the Job.
• Developing the Pool: Considering “inside-outsiders” (internal candidates not bound by corporate tradition and
ideology) and “outside-insiders” (former employees, customers, suppliers, advisers, or anyone who’s worked
closely with a trusted insider).
• Assessing the Candidates.
• Close the Deal.
• Integrate the Newcomer.
A Market-Driven Approach to Retaining Talent
To Retain Employees, Focus on Inclusion-Not Just Diversity
LinkedIn data from 2017 shows a worldwide turnover rate of 10.9 percent; the tech sector showed the most
volatility with 13.2 percent turnover rate, based on LinkedIn member data. Certain areas within the tech sector
showed even higher turnover rates, which could indicate an increased demand for these skills, according to
LinkedIn.
How to Retain People?
• Recognizing of retention starts with recruiting.
• Identifying candidates who’ll stay the course.
• Providing ongoing education and clear paths to advancement.
• Offer the right benefits.
• Transparency and openness.
• Leverage technology.
• Putting data (and AI) to work.
• Be prepared for turnover.
 Lines I liked from the book…
• A company must help people explore opportunities, promote lifelong learning, and, if it
comes to that, support no-fault exists.
• Every job description should include the emotional intelligence competencies critical to
getting the work done.
• Creating a partner persona involves three tasks: observing role models, experimenting
with possible selves, and evaluating their results.
• Millionaires come and millionaires go. The best you can do is to keep them while they still
care.
• “Hierarchy never made anyone feel good, except the people at the very top.
• Pessimists not only ignore the potential upside of change, they also usually fail to consider
the downside of doing nothing.
• The traditional parent-child relationship between employer and employee must give way to
an adult-adult relationship.
 MY TAKEAWAYS…

As the economy improves and the number of jobs increase, employees will have more employment
options - thus increasing the need for public sector employers to ensure that they are providing a
positive work experience that affords the opportunity for employees to grow and develop.
Governments perform important and wide-ranging work that has a positive impact on citizens and
communities. To ensure that this continues in the future, government must remain an employer of
choice that is able to recruit and retain the talent it needs.