Human Capital Strategy & Talent Management for Architecture Firm

Overview

A design firm based in Nashville, Tennessee, needed help with developing a human capital strategy that would allow their employees to grow professionally while contributing to the firm’s success. To address this, they partnered with Thrivence for a comprehensive talent management update.

The Ask

The client had a great culture, and wanted to advance to a higher degree of excellence. They engaged Thrivence to to design a talent program that would help employees understand how to grow in their careers and promote a culture of feedback. The firm faced the following issues:

• Lack of clear job competencies (both technical and leadership skills)
• Unclear career path; employees were unsure how to advance to their careers
• Desire to create a mechanism to align firm and employee priorities
• Manual performance management and feedback system
• Overall need for a cohesive talent management program

Solutions

• Human Capital Strategy and Talent Management Advisory:
  • Ann, a senior consultant for Thrivence, led the initiative and served as a confidante to help leaders translate their vision into a plan.
  • Created a multi-year roadmap to guide program development and system selection.
• Talent Management Program:
  • Implemented Lattice, a leading talent management software, to support the new processes.
  • Fostered a feedback-rich culture to promote continuous improvement.
  • Defined job competencies encompassing both technical and leadership skills.
  • Developed a compensation philosophy and helped design a new incentive plan.
  • Introduced a new approach to performance management and feedback.
  • Transitioned from anniversary date performance reviews to focal point reviews, enhancing talent planning and learning program development.
• Change Management and Culture Enhancement:
  • Created a comprehensive change management plan to sequence and integrate seven major organizational changes.
  • Drafted firm-wide communications and conducted feedback training to reinforce the changes.
  • Supported the hiring of an HR Director to lead the new initiatives. Prescreened 100+ applicants.
• HR Talent Management Software Selection and Integration:
  • Documented the client’s needs to perform a market scan and determine the best-fit HR pipeline software.
  • Selected Lattice for its comprehensive features that support performance management, goal setting, and employee engagement.

Results

• Employees received relevant, actionable, and timely feedback to improve design quality.
• Firm and employees have access to information to plan their careers.
• The organization developed a more self-sustaining approach to talent management.