The University of Michigan-Dearborn is at the cutting edge of talent management — the strategic approach to ensuring that the university has the right people, in the right positions, with the right skills to have high performance. Technology to support talent management ensures employees are engaged with the university through clear job descriptions, aligned with key goals through regular check-ins, and have quick and easy access to performance tools. These tools drive high performance and excellence, all ensuring student success.
Rima Berry-Hung, director for Human Resources, shares that “it is a responsibility and a privilege for supervisors to provide developmental feedback to their employees. Just as importantly, every employee is entitled to receive an annual review.” To support this, the university launched an easy-to-use performance appraisal tool for all staff three years ago via a consistent paper process.
The paper process was integrated this summer into a talent management software suite from Oracle. Oracle was selected after a competitive bid process as it offers the flexibility to scale, has clear and graphical user inputs, is cloud-based, mobile friendly, and integrates nicely with U-M core HR systems (PeopleSoft). The integration was a collaboration across several months between UM-Dearborn Human Resources, ITS, Oracle, Oracle Consulting Services, and U-M Ann Arbor Human Resources and ITS. The new performance process was piloted across several divisions and the feedback has been very positive.
Over the next year, UM-Dearborn will be launching a new recruiting module in the talent management system that will help to further align job descriptions with success. “Our job descriptions drive our high performance” shares Berry-Hung. “We are launching goal planning campus-wide this fall through the new system. All staff will be able to create and track annual strategic goals through the talent management system.”
It is no coincidence that UM-Dearborn is also completing its first-ever campuswide strategic planning process. The new talent management system supports this process, especially in the coming months and years as the recruitment and succession planning modules are enabled. Staff will have the ability to work with their supervisors to clearly define development opportunities, and to track to future job needs and wants.
Want to learn more? Contact Marc Brigolin, senior manager for Business Affairs at mabrigol@umich.edu.
