How to Maximize Your Talent Development Program

Talent development and management systems address the challenge of putting people on a pipeline that maximizes their contribution to the organization. Some tools address individual elements of the employee life cycle, others address the whole system. Either way, the notion of sustainability is essential to the overall use of any one tool, as Diane Lujan, Senior Manager of Global Learning and Development at Western Union, points out in part IV of the Video Series. After all, what’s the point of investing in a tool or program if it doesn’t pay for itself through implementation?

Emergenetics has been built into the talent development strategy at Western Union via a full blended learning approach. They started with a single application in 2006 when it was introduced as an aid for team formation and expediting decisions with senior leaders during the spin off from their parent company. The results from the leadership training were positive, and quickly led to individual business units implementing Emergenetics as a tool for communication and problem solving during strategy and summit meetings.

Now, in addition to dedicated Emergenetics programs like their global Employee Development Program, they have sustained momentum for Emergenetics by employing it as a supplemental resource for existing programs. Whether it is part of a new leadership program or corporate university program, Emergenetics complements everything that they already have in place or custom build to address new challenges.

Why is that?

Insights from the Emergenetics Profile work for the individual, for teams, and for organizations as a whole. As an employee, I benefit from knowing where my strengths lie and how I can directly contribute them to my daily responsibilities. It helps with self-management and motivates me to improve my personal performance. Teams often find that it helps to strengthen interpersonal relationships through enlightenment of what others bring to the table, and fosters a cognitively diverse approach to projects and solving challenges. It has helped groups develop mutual trust and appreciation.

As an organization, Western Union has benefited by making Emergenetics part of the corporate culture. According to Diane, it’s embedded in who they are as a company. Emergenetics became the common language spoken throughout all business functions and is manifested on a daily basis. Employees proudly post their Profile on their office door, and they actively seek collaboration and optimized work flow by creating WEteams. It is a tactic used to facilitate meetings and ensure effective communication. The application of Emergenetics as a cultural model is a daily function across all departments.

And they’ve found it to be a sustainable learning tool because it could be easily applied to any challenge, work situation or audience. Diane says it comes down to balancing relationships and tasks. Emergenetics helps others understand themselves, understand others, and understand how to come together as a team to drive business results.

Emergenetics will continue to be supported in Western Union’s more formal programs, like the Employee Development and the Manager Director Programs, and in experiential learning programs. There are opportunities with onboarding new talent to set them up for success with a 30, 60, 90 day plan. Ultimately, Western Union seeks to take the awareness- for self & others, teams, and the business- delivered by Emergenetics and its deeper translation into emotional and social intelligence.

So how do you go about making Emergenetics a sustainable learning solution? How do you take it from an enlightening tool to an integral part of the corporate culture? There is no one right answer. But what Western Union has taught us is that when an organization embraces individual strengths and truly views each Profile as brilliant and perfect in their own right- good things happen. Get creative. The opportunities are endless and no challenge is too complicated.

Emergenetics seeks to be thought partners in your business. Speak with an expert today to address the challenges your organization faces.