Employment

As part of its strategy to position AngloGold Ashanti as the leading mining company, the global Human Resources team is in the process of establishing a talent pool development system that will ensure that AngloGold Ashanti has the available talent necessary to deliver on its strategic objectives and at the same time allows every individual to contribute to their full capability. An important aspect of this system is that it is a sub-system of a comprehensive human resources system, the System for the Management of People (SMP).

The SMP, including the talent pool development process, is based on the concepts and principles for an effective managerial organisation and managerial leadership, referred to as the ‘requisite organisation’ model of Canadian Dr Elliot Jaques. This system is the result of over 50 years of research by Jaques into a science-based theory of organisational development and managerial leadership. Jaques is considered a leading psychologist and a pioneer in human development theory.

“The establishment of this process ties in with one of AngloGold Ashanti’s values that states ‘People are the business….Our business is people’. We want to ensure that the right personnel are doing the right job at the right time,” explains Gustav van Veijeren, AngloGold Ashanti’s Vice President: Human Resources Africa Region.

The talent management process was first introduced to AngloGold Ashanti’s executive committee in July 2008. It will be cascaded to the rest of the organisation from the first quarter of 2009 for full implementation by December 2010, and involves all employees at all levels of the organisation. Line managers will be trained in the context of the implementation and rollout of the process within their areas of accountability.

Some of the key requisite organisation principles and concepts on which the talent pool system is based are the following:

• All employees are part of the talent pool.
• People's problem-solving abilities develop through youth and into maturity, in predictable patterns. This means that each person has an inherent potential for cognitive development over time. The talent pool development process is designed to align the current and future roles of individuals with their individual potential. Managing talent in the requisite model.
• Line managers are responsible for managing talent, with human resources providing support.
• The manager and manager-once-removed (in other words, a manager’s line manager – see diagram) of any specific subordinate have different accountabilities in respect of the current and future effectiveness of the subordinate:
  • The manager has a coaching role to ensure the employee is effective in his/her current role.
  • The manager-once-removed has a mentoring role to ensure the subordinate develops to his/her full potential.
• Decisions taken as a consequence of the talent pool process are recorded and moderated between managers and their managers-once-removed. Once moderated, each subordinate is given feedback on his or her development plan so as to take account of personal aspirations.
• Career development plans are monitored to ensure these plans are executed.

The talent pool development process for judging capabilities, moderating judgements and reviewing development plans will be conducted annually.

“This system is a different approach to the human resource management systems we currently have in the organisation. Each sub-system: organisation design, role descriptions, performance management and talent pool development will be based on the requisite organisation concepts and principles, all working together to create a flexible work model, within which people will have the opportunity to realise their potential and to ensure that we currently, and in the foreseeable future, have and are able to engage the right people,” says Van Veijeren.