Steve's Soda Co. Case Study

The development component of talent management focuses on preparing high-potential employees for future leadership roles. Stewart et al. (2012) defines employee development as “activities that influence personal and professional growth” (p. 376). The key to effective employee development is aligning activities that enhance leadership competency to business objectives. Steve’s Soda Co. uses a development strategy that directs leadership behaviors toward the company’s core values and strategic elements. Silzer et al. (2010) contends that this strategy has two objectives: “to indoctrinate leaders to the company 's core vision and the cultural values and to facilitate career transitions by involving leaders in a dialogue about their upcoming …show more content…
Steve’s Soda Co. embraces this philosophy. Steve’s Soda Co. focuses its talent management strategy on aligning leadership talent with its strong culture. To this end, culture is another company asset that cannot be copied. Maintaining a high-performing culture requires the company to align talent management components with business strategy. According to Hanselman (2010), “a focus on culture should be at the core of your reward systems, feedback systems, appraisal processes, promotion criteria, recruitment and selection processes” (para. 16). The socialization strategy of development at Steve’s Soda Co. is particularly crucial for competitive advantage. This strategy focuses on aligning employee development programs with the company’s core values and business objectives. The goal of this strategy is to build a brand that will differentiate itself from the …show more content…
In regards to Steve’s Soda Co., the business will double in size in the next five to six years. The growth will require the company to make changes to the current talent management strategy. The company’s focus on a strong culture will not change, however. The changes to the talent management strategy will include adding a buy strategy and a pay-for-performance compensation plan. First, Steve’s Soda Co. values its “make” strategy and plans to stick with this strategy as the company grows. The company invests significant time and money into developing its leaders and aligning their values and behaviors with the company’s strong culture. However, the company’s future growth will take operations into global markets. Currently, the company’s talent pool does not have the expertise to meet the needs of supporting a multinational corporation. Therefore, the company will have to include a “buy” strategy to its talent strategy. A buy strategy enables Steve’s Soda Co. to recruit the talented individuals who have the knowledge and expertise to facilitate future global operations. However, the company will have to upgrade its current recruiting practices in order find and attract the best external candidates. According to Silzer et al. (2012), “A buy strategy requires companies to have robust talent sourcing,