Jack Welch believed that effective talent management requires you to divide up your people into three
levels: the top 20%, the middle 70%, and the bottom 10%. He used this approach to identify high
performers — or top talent — and provide them with challenging professional assignments early in their
careers.
Part of the power of understanding your top employees as “Talent” is the ability to assess their potential in
light of their performance and values. The use of a simple Talent matrix can make the assessment
process very powerful. This tool enables managers to assess employee performance and alignment with
the core values of the organization, and to identify areas for professional development.
This exercise is designed to give you practical experience in using a Talent Matrix to differentiate
employees and to make plans for the future in terms of the leadership potential of members of your team.
Type 1:
High Performance,
High Values
Type 4:
High Performance,
Low Values
Type 2:
Low Performance,
Low Values
Type 3:
Low Performance,
High Values
JWI 521: Recruit, Develop, Assess, Reward, Retain
Assignment 3
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JWMI 521 Assignment 3 (1236) Page 2 of 6
One tool used to support the Welch approach to talent management is a matrix based on four different
combinations of performance and values. To prepare for this exercise, look carefully at the Four
Quadrants Matrix above; then review sample Talent Engagement Chart and Rationale below. Note how
the Rationale statement describes each employee’s performance and level of alignment with the
company’s core values, and also indicates the manager’s plans for supervising each employee in the
future.
Employee Positioning
Katelyn Type 1: High Values, High Performance
Jacquelyn Type 1: High Values, High Performance
Shannon Type 3: Low Performance, High Values
Sabrina Type 3: Low Performance, High Values
Cherie Type 4: High Performance, Low Values
Glenn Type 2: Low Values, Low Performance
Rationale (example)
Katelyn and Jacquelyn are both incredibly ambitious and talented, and I consider them to be the top talent
on this team. They are always over-delivering on their goals and looking for ways to learn more. They are
keen to take on new challenges and to experience different roles. I think it will be important to challenge
them and to give them some management type experience by putting them in charge of a project or a
small team in the near future.
Sabrina and Shannon are both well aligned to the team in terms of their values, but they are currently not
performing up to their potential. Both of these employees have the ability to be valuable employees, but
they are not highly passionate in their current roles. Sabrina has been with the team less than a year; she
is still learning and not positioned exactly right at this point. She does not yet have the confidence to
perform up to her potential. I believe that, in time, she will gain confidence, improve her performance, and
make it to the next level.
Shannon is more experienced than Sabrina; she needs an extra push sometimes, but she is fully capable
of doing a great job. She is a steady worker, but she is not performing up to her potential. She is coasting
o Explain why you positioned them in the selected quadrant
o Assess their work and describe how well they align with the core values
o Identify areas for improvement or professional development
o Indicate your plans for managing the employee in the future
Note: In writing your Rationale, use the sample statement provided in this assignment as a guide.
Step 4: Create your Assignment Document.
Use the format below to organize your work into the final assignment document:
Introduction
§ Briefly explain the purpose of the overall Talent Engagement exercise.
§ Describe the company’s core values that you will use to assess your employees.
