Lean Six Sigma Transparency and Patient Focus - Take Home Message from Interphex 2012

I had the fortune to attend Robert Lechich's session entitled "Deploying Lean Six Sigma in Global Manufacturing Networks"at the Interphex 2012 Conference on May 3rd. 

The biggest take home message for me was when he painted a picture of the future of the Pharma Industry which includes  an era where technical transfers will be more common.  Companies will then choose CMO's based on similarities to their own organizational culture.  Evolution of Lean Six Sigma, transparency and patient focus are the top items that will drive these partnerships. 

Further development and growth of these areas are at the forefront of the Pillar5 Pharma culture.

Managing Talent at Pillar5

Talent planning is an important objective for any organization.  As a start-up CMO with a world class pharmaceutical legacy workforce, it is particularly important for Pillar5 Pharma to ensure a succession plan is in place.  Anne Graham, Director of Human Resources with P5 believes that talent drives performance and that teams with the best people perform at the highest level.  Accordingly, Anne ensures a yearly talent review is completed to develop and fine tune the organization’s succession plan.

Talent management starts with getting the right people inside the organization, then managing an ongoing process continuous development of individual potential.  The formal talent review process begins with employee evaluations covering 2 major areas:  employee performance and employee potential.  Combining the standard evaluation measurement of employee performance with an evaluation of an employee’s potential to develop skills and increase levels of responsibility creates the basis for identifying employees that align with the organization’s development and succession requirements.

When evaluating employees with high potential, P5 looks for behaviors that are in line with the performance competencies and readiness to take on a more senior role.  Talent management is based on a combination of organizational and job-focused competencies, all of which include knowledge, skills, values and behaviours.

In any organization, people are the difference and talent needs to be managed.  When an organization looks after their talent, it’s a sign of how well leadership is focusing on the future.  For the employees, it’s a key driver of employee retention.  From the organizations’ perspective, succession planning reinforces corporate priorities and shared values.  It links people to the company’s strategic business and develops leadership talent and bench strength.  From the individual’s perspective, it ensures they feel valued by the organization, particularly if they receive coaching and feedback on their personal development as well as career progression opportunities across the business.