Case Study - Talent Management

Ardea 'mapped' the UK mental health and learning disability market to identify the leading managers and value creators.

The situation

A client needed to know who was where and who was good in the mental health and learning disability sector.

The newly acquired client, had appointed a new chief executive from the elderly care sector. He had a very clear mandate, opportunity and agenda for growth. For this he needed the strongest possible team. The stability and quality of the previous senior management team had for many years denied growth opportunities to 'new blood'. As a result they faced significant issues around succession planning and their ability to grow further.

The Ardea solution

Ardea identified and mapped all the senior management across a cohort of direct and indirect competitor organisations. The map disclosed any areas where we had a client relationship and therefore a conflict of interest. The remaining companies' management teams received an informal assessment based on our sector knowledge and analysis of financial outcomes.

The client then compared the results with their own segmental review of the market and a common view was reached. From this a 'wish list' of approaches and targets was compiled.

The result

The map, updated on a six monthly basis, provides a strong adjunct to talent management within the company. The best people for any particular task or plan can be identified, benchmarked to the sector and either promoted from within or recruited from outside. The map enables swift and effective head-hunting of the most capable talent and provides a useful opportunity both to strengthen the team and to disadvantage the competition.