Business and Leadership Mapping

After long and intense discussions (online, of course) with our colleagues across the globe at AIMS International, AIMS International Lithuania concluded that business intelligence or talent mapping i.e. business and leadership mapping is a topic of keen interest for all organisations these days. Especially with COVID-19 challenging our industries and markets. I would like to briefly present what it is and why it might (and probably should) be of interest to your business as well.

 What it is:

• Identifying specific skills and/or key competencies within target organisations or industries. 
• Locating where the talent your company needs is employed now or previously gained experience. 
• Benchmarking your organisation (vs. competitors, top performers, examples of excellence) with a focus on organisational structures, key positions, compensation policies, skills, etc. 

 When it can be useful:

• To support strategic decisions: When the focus of the organisation or company’s business changes.
• To determine what new positions or competencies are required: To clarify possible business requirements and identify the candidates in the market best suited for such positions. Also, to be sure, as the need for a particular role arises, that an ideal candidate does in fact exist.
• As a preliminary step before search projects: When no immediate executive appointment is needed, but you want a market overview in order to be well-situated for a fast executive placement in the future. As when the company is expanding and needs quick access to good candidates. Or in case a key executive decides to leave and the company faces an urgent search. In other words, it is suited to when you need to strengthen your bench. 
• For a snapshot of key market players: In terms of organisational structure, compensation and benefits, teams, training and development strategies. With or without hiring, the company can better align its pay and benefits structure. Moreover, since in many cases current salary levels are confidential, at least you get to know what the expectation of high value candidates would be.
• For new market entry: To get a good sense of the local talent pool before deciding whether to conduct an executive search locally or expatriate managers for those roles.
• To get feedback on your reputation or brand: Usually such projects require confidentiality on both parts. So, candidates will not know who the employer is and cannot directly comment on its reputation or employer branding. But candidates can be asked, for instance, which companies they would not consider (‘no-no’s’) and what they see as the top 3-5 players in the market, noting how often and where the name of the company comes up.
• For high-level assessment of candidates: You may have several candidates from within your organisation and want to assess and benchmark them against other potential candidates from the market. This helps make well considered decisions for either promoting an inside candidate or hiring someone from outside the organisation. 

Our experience:

We have often employed our research capabilities to map target companies or market segments. That not only helps us identify the strongest and best-suited candidates for a role, but also lets us explore our client’s market and provides them with additional insight on their competitors’ conduct and capabilities. 

If you believe such a service could be of value for your company, do not hesitate to contact us any time. 

While some AIMS offices offer all services in-house, please reach out to your nearest AIMS International partner to find out more about the tailored services they can provide to best suit your specific needs.

Please note that most of our 50+ partners offer all the services mentioned in this article but there are a few exceptions. You are welcome to reach out and we will find the best solution to meet your needs with our 30+ years of experience.