Accelerating the Performance ofHigh-Potential Leaders

HCI White PaperMarch 27, 2007Thomas V. Durgin

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

One of the critical challenges facing companiestoday is an overall shortage of management talent,and the potential for not having the right leaders inplace to meet future business challenges. Often thebest and most cost effective source for findingstrong leaders is within your own organization. Butthe process for identifying and/or developing newleaders can be daunting and risky.

Duncan Mathison, Managing Director of ExecutiveCoaching at DBM believes that the key to ensuringan organization has the leaders it needs when itneeds them is to accelerate the performance of highpotential leaders, so that their skills and leadershipabilities are as strong as possible when they areneeded.

"We've seen a significant shift in our workforce,"Mathison reports, "a shift driven by three factorsthat are converging to create 'the perfect storm.'"The first factor is the retirement age of many in ourorganizations' leadership1, which is creating ademand to replace current leadership.1 The secondis that there is truly a smaller pool of talent. If youlook at the percentage of unemployed college grad-uates over the age of 25 in just the past three years,it's dropped from three point two percent to twopoint one percent. Finally, organizations arebecoming flatter. The implications of this are the

challenges of being able to prepare individuals tomake the significant leaps in capability that arerequired when someone moves from a functionalmanagement role to a cross-functional leadershiprole. Above all, Mathison believes, these three fac-tors are the strongest argument for the develop-ment of programs that prepare new leaders to stepquickly into leadership positions.

Organizations with effective succession planningpolicies in place have already taken steps to meetthis challenge and curtail its consequences.Forward-thinking companies include leadershipdevelopment as part of their succession strategy, yetthis may not be enough, according to Mathison.

Through a discussion lead by Duncan Mathisonwith several experts in the field of leadership devel-opment, this paper will examine the following top-ics:- The impact of leadership development on share-holder value- Identifying and distinguishing between high-per-formance and high-potential employees- The right investment to prepare high-potentialemployees and realize the best return for yourdevelopment dollar- Development strategies that build leadership skillsas well as those that can hinder performance

STRATEGIC VALUE OF HIGH POTENTIALLEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

The research is clear: better leadership drives bot-tom-line profits. The top 10% of high performingleadership talent accounts for nearly two times theprofit over the middle 80% of leadership, as shownin Figure 12.

The percentage of unem-ployed college graduatesover the age of twenty-fivehas dropped in just thepast three years, from 3.2%to 2.1%.

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The metric shown in Figure 1 underscores theimportance of leadership development. Yet howbest does an organization focus developmentresources? Judith Glaser, CEO of BenchmarkCommunications, Inc., believes, "Most vital in highpotential programs and developing high potentialleaders, is putting together a program and engagingpotential leaders in a way that uplifts them andfocuses them on the strategic initiatives that aredriving the organization's success. It's importantthat they're participating not only in real-life workthat needs to be done, but in work that helps buildthe strategic direction in which the company isheaded." Mathison goes on to say that when consid-ering the creation of assignments in a developmentprogram, "Don't assign them 'make-work' opportu-nities; they really need to be linked to where theorganization is moving, and their talent leveraged

within a very specific context of what the organiza-tion is trying to achieve."

Paul Bly, Senior Manager of Talent Management atthe Thomson Corporation raises another aspect ofa high potential leadership development programthat may be overlooked. "We have to take intoaccount those who are not included in a highpotential program. One of my concerns is whathappens to those people who are high performers -- people we absolutely need to keep in an organiza-tion and are essential to success -- but we don'tthink they're going to advance beyond their currentlevel. One of the things we can do to help managetheir disappointment - often around seeing they'rebeing passed over for new opportunities - is beingvery clear about the criteria and expectations usedfor inclusion in the high potential program, so it'snot seen as some mysterious black box or that somepeople are being given special treatment." Blybelieves that while high performing employeespassed over for a high potential program may stillbe disappointed, with clear criteria and expecta-tions and proper communication, they will under-stand the value they bring to the organization.

Figure 1

High-potential leaders need tobe linked to where the organiza-tion is moving, and their talentleveraged within a very specificcontext of what the organizationis trying to achieve.

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Regardless of the particular leadership develop-ment program chosen in the end, Mathison andothers agree that it has to reach deep enough intothe organization to build bench strength. Figure 2illustrates the importance of high potential benchstrength and its relationship to the return on invest-ment (ROI) for a development program.

On this point, Mathison cautions that disappoint-ment with being passed over for a promotion ordevelopment program may link back to whether ornot these individuals received good career counsel-ing when they accepted their role. "I've worked withexecutives who have failed in their organizationsand have been terminated," says Mathison. "Whenone examines what they really enjoyed and valuedin their career, those aspects may not have alignedwith a higher level of leadership responsibility.

While they may have liked the idea of a senior-leveltitle, when they look at the work involved, it seemsneither satisfying nor engaging, and ultimately isn'tall that appealing to them."

To address this issue, Estrella Parker, Director ofHR Technology and Operations at CloroxCorporation, recommends "A company needs toalready have in place a strong focus on develop-ment of people and a culture of engagement in gen-eral. It's realistic to expect that people can go in andout of being a high potential, depending on theirsituation. You want to be able to engage people con-sistently, so that when they're back on track they'restill with your organization." With a solid founda-tion in development, maintains Parker, employeeswho are high performers but not necessarily highpotential leaders "get the message that the organiza-tion values them and still invests in their develop-ment." Mathison agrees that part of the answer tothe issue of those not included in a high potentialprogram is to "make sure that high performers stillhave a development program and a career track."

Figure 2

A company needs to alreadyhave in place a strong focus ondevelopment of people and a cul-ture of engagement in general.

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One fact that might be discussed with all employeesis that being a high performer doesn't necessarilylead to a high potential for leadership, as illustratedin Figure 3.

HIGH PERFORMERS VS. HIGH POTENTIALS

This discussion leads Mathison to another aspect ofleadership development. He recalls an exampleabout an executive in a fast-food chain who wanted

to move to a greater leadership role in the compa-ny. Her CEO suggested that one way to do this wasto essentially accept a demotion in order to gainexperience by running a field operation. Mathisonobserves that the path to leadership doesn't neces-sarily mean frequent and successive promotions.Mathison and others emphasize the importance of

an on-going dialogue that helps people develop intheir current roles and provides a platform onwhich they can qualify for other opportunities.

"I think perhaps the concept here is the 'career lat-tice' versus the 'career ladder,' says Mark Walztoni,Managing Director of The Center for EffectiveLeadership Change. "In fact as we think of all theexperiences a high-potential needs in a portfolio,some of those experiences may indeed be lateral."This is why Walztoni feels that communication andcandor are critical parts of a leadership develop-ment program. "I think the traditional view of highpotentials is just up and up, and that can lead to apoint where someone is missing a key developmen-tal experience. Then, when they get to that penulti-mate position, the head of a business unit or group,the missing developmental experience nowbecomes their Achilles' heel." Thus, communicat-ing to a high potential that leadership developmentmay not necessarily follow a linear, upward path isessential, "otherwise someone who doesn't under-stand this may simply leave the company," Walztonisays.

Figure 3

"As we think of all the experi-ences a high potential needs ina portfolio, some of thoseexperiences may indeed belateral."

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"We can spend too much time on the labeling,rather than on the comment made earlier abouthaving a developmental culture," observes RichardFluri, Chief HR Officer at Drinker, Biddle, & ReathLLP. "Where you're developing a corps of key man-agers and leaders the labeling can be problematic,because quite frankly things do change, and peopledo move in and out of being high potential. Whenyou label someone as high potential and later not,that's a difficult conversation to have with someone.So I would spend more time on the developmentalprocess to grow leaders." Fluri notes that with moretime spent on development in general, managerscan scrutinize how assignments are chosen for highpotential or high performance employees. "Youmight have a situation in Asia that calls for a highperformer, someone who can hit the ground run-ning, rather than sending a high potential to gainexperience. So I would spend less time on labeling."

Most companies do not have unlimited resources todevelop everyone, not do they have unlimiteddevelopment opportunities. Mathison agrees, "Ihave some concerns about the "high potential"label, because there's all sorts of baggage associatedwith that it. It suggests you've arrived at some levelof performance, but does that really drive or chal-lenge people to the next level? Around this labelingissue, the communication plan has to be more thanjust telling them it's part of an overall developmentstrategy, because people will figure it out if they'rebeing used differently than their peers."

Judith Glaser recommends, "Instead of getting

caught up in labels that have a judgmental nature -you're in or you're out - which creates a sense of'dis-empowerment' to those who fall out of a cate-gory considered 'good,' talk to people about theiraspirations and opportunities. In other words,encourage people to think about where they wantto be, how they want to grow, and how an organiza-tion can find opportunities to let them exercisesome of the leadership skills they'd like to developthat also contribute to the organization. I believethat's a vital conversation, because it looks forwhere there's mutual support and gain with bothparties, and it removes the sense of judgment fromthe conversation."

Yet Mathison has talked to senior executives wholike to define people as high potential and tell themabout high potential leader development programs,because it gives people something to which theycan aspire. "It brings up questions: To what degreeis there a dialogue between an individual and anexecutive team or committee where it's stated thatthe individual will be given specific developmentalassignments? Do you involve the individual, or isthis a more covert activity?

In Walztoni's experience, activity toward undis-closed goals in its extreme can lead to people find-ing out that they are considered a high potentialemployee during the exit interview. Fluri adds thatif a high potential leader who leaves the companyvoluntarily discovers his or her status during theexit interview, then the individual probably wasn'tmanaged properly at all, and the organization failedto meet his or her needs. Avoiding unnecessaryturnover of high potentials through intentionalmanagement and communication is crucialbecause the talent pool for replacing high potentialswill increasingly be one of less capable leaders.

"Quite frankly things dochange, and people domove in and out of beinghigh-potential leaders."

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Mark Walztoni believes that "true high potentialtalent is owned by the organization and not a busi-ness unit." In the example of a high potentialunaware of that status until the exit interview,Walztoni describes this as a case were the unit man-ager was afraid the individual would be tapped fora larger role in the organization outside the manag-er's unit.

Mathison underscores the importance of managerinvolvement in leadership development referencingresearch on employee engage-ment. Employees identified man-ager interest in their careers as akey factor of engagement butconversely rated their managers'ability to support their careers asa "dead last" competency. In otherwords, Mathison observes, "man-agers certainly have insight andinfluence about their peoples'careers, but developing thosecareers isn't perceived to be partof their core skill set."

LEADERSHIP SUCCESS FACTORS

Leadership success as well as careeralignment hinges on three factors: Cando, Will do, and Fit, as shown in Figure5.

Mathison finds that issues around whata potential leader will do and how he orshe fits into a leadership role can beobscured by what a person can do, andfit and ability are behind nearly 100% ofleadership failure.

"Can do" are the competencies of intelligence,knowledge, and experience that drive early careerhigh performers by providing a functional founda-tion for their future growth. "Will do" can vary overthe length of a career. It has a rational component asindividuals weigh where to put their energies andfocus. "Will do" drives the "above and beyond"behavior needed for personal development, but itcan be derailed by a bad boss, the absence of devel-opment planning conversations with talent, or sim-

Figure 43

Figure 5

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ply by being overlooked. "Fit" is the cause of mostfailures of leadership. Critical self-awareness, feed-back, and appropriate action are essential to achiev-ing fit, as are high-quality professional relationshipsbased on the free flow of information. Mathisonidentifies engagement and desire/aspiration as thekey competencies in "will do," and the ability tolearn and adapt as the key competency of "fit."

The importance of communication to high-poten-tials has previously been discussed. Key leadershipconversations refine identified targeted candidates.Mathison provides a four-square model to demon-strate the process [see Figure 6].

The key here is to carefully assess those who arehigh-performers but may not have all the qualitiesassociated with high potentials, in terms of long-term career fit to the organization. "Sometimes theyattempt to become high performers at all costs,"Mathison warns, "and the 'noise' they create can beproblematic." They may or may not change, butthey can create "workarounds" to minimize the

impact of their weaknesses. "The litmus test is thattruly successful people develop because they knowthemselves better, they seek out feedback on theirown, and they act more often on the feedback," saysMathison. When selecting high potentials, identifythose qualities in addition to the "will do" qualitiesessential for the above and beyond behaviorrequired for development.

THE PROS AND CONS OF "CRUCIBLES"

The "70-20-10" rule of career development statesthat 70% of development comes from experience,20% from learning from others, and 10% from self-development, training, and further education4.The issue of developmental "crucibles5," and theirimportance as a testing ground for high potentialleaders relates directly to the experiential aspect ofcareer development. Developmental assignmentsthat have high stakes, i.e. special projects, deliver-ables with tight deadlines, or the necessity to puttogether and lead a team on short notice are essen-tial. "Hardships and challenge matter more to the

Figure 6

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development of high-potential leader than just hav-ing the experience," Mathison observes, "becausesuch experiences keep the best people engaged.Leadership challenge, in fact, can be built in to theassignment's structure."

But Mathison and others caution there are draw-backs. There's resistance to "betting the business"on untried leadership, and too many short rotation-al assignments can actually hurt development. "Wetend to give high potential leaders more of the busywork at the task level and that, in fact, misses thepower of what a high potential initiative should beabout, which is the deeper challenges that are morecomplex," says Judith Glaser. Perhaps the biggestdrawback is that the weaknesses of high potentialleaders in a crucible situation may be diagnosed bytheir failures rather than their successes. One wayto avoid pitfalls is to determine beforehand anassignment's learning potential. Most assignmentshave learning potential, but it's important that thepotential is what the employee needs. For mosthigh potential leaders, assignments need to includepersonal challenges, people, business, and projectmanagement, and provide core job experience.

ACCELERATED PERFORMANCE: LINK IMPROVED LEARNING AND EXPERI-ENCE TO BUSINESS OUTCOMES

High potential leaders can deliver positive contri-butions more quickly with a focused developmentprogram, that is, one that links learning and expe-rience to business results. An organizational cultureof talent development, as Estrella Parker recom-mends above, are crucial. Criteria for selection andentry into the program need to be clearly commu-nicated and consistent with an organization's val-ues. Furthermore, as Mathison and others have

argued, any discussions with high potentials mustbe integrated into a broader talent managementreview process. The key players in an acceleratedperformance program partnership form a"Development Review Board" for an individual.This board would include the high potentialemployee and his or her professional network, amanager, an executive development coach, and adevelopment review board to target developmentalelements interact in concert to affect the four majorsteps of an accelerated performance process:

AWARENESS, ANALYSIS, ACTION, ANDACHIEVEMENT

Checking for the completion of these four steps willincrease the outcomes of personal and businesssuccess for leadership talent and the organization.

AWARENESSMathison observes that self-assessment is rarelyaccurate about the individual's people skills. Thiscuts both ways: Top performers consistently ratethemselves lower than derailed performers. Inaddition to critical self-assessment, then, 360-degree feedback coupled with a discussion of careergoals helps provide the awareness of where an indi-vidual is and what his or her development needsare.

ANALYSISThis step links development needs to assignmentdemands. This is where the insight of a develop-ment review board are crucial, in order to alignassignments with the overall mission of the organi-zation. The alignment exercise also ensures thathigh potential leaders see the value of their assign-ments to the company. The analytical processallows the parties to focus on the high risk of over-

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using strengths, and identifies opportunities for thehigh potential to expand and manage professionalrelationships.

ACTIONThe focus now shifts to an action plan. An actionplan is most powerful when what the developmentreview board wants the high potential to learn andaccomplish in an assignment is linked with thebusiness outcome of the project. In this way thepower and knowledge of the executive coach, men-tor, manager, HR leader, and expanded profession-al network can be leveraged for the best results.

ACHIEVEMENTIn the end, all parties involved want achievement:successful completion of a project, and the attain-ment of improved leadership skills. To this end,Mathison counsels a 6- to 12-month coaching peri-od, but in the context of the assignment at hand.The coach could be a more or less constant pres-ence, or could step in at critical times and then stepback. It's also important to regularly measure busi-ness and developmental success during the courseof the assignment, maintain independent andinformal feedback, and modify the action plan withnew goals and review board feedback.

CONCLUSION

Development of effective leadership is directlylinked to business success. The criticality of thislink, coupled with the inexorable demographicreality of the graying Baby Boomer generation, pro-vide strong arguments for programs that nurturehigh potential leaders and accelerate their integra-tion into organizational leadership positions. Highlevels of performance and low levels of turnoveramong the best leaders provide compelling ROI fig-

ures for investment in leadership development pro-grams.

Yet, as has been discussed, leadership developmentprograms are most effective when they are an inte-gral part of an organization's culture and overalltalent development and succession plans. Many -in fact most - high performer failures are ultimate-ly due to a lack of assessment, proper communica-tion, and appropriate deployment. A company-wide development plan for both high performersand high potential leaders is important, so that allemployees, as Estrella Parker said earlier in thispaper, "Get the message that the organization val-ues them and invests accordingly in their develop-ment." An organization that thinks this way hasalready discerned the value of great leadership.

1 The U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics states that 35.8 million

people will become eligible for retirement during the next

eight years.2 John H. Zenger, Joseph Folkman, The Extraordinary

Leader: Turning Good Managers into Great Leaders, 2002

McGraw-Hill, NY3 ibid4 Linda Hodge, President, Hodge & Associates5 A crucible is a cup-shaped container used to heat chemicals

or metals to very high temperatures.

Based on the Human Capital Institute webcast,Accelerating the Performance of High-PotentialLeaders, March 27, 2007

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PRESENTER

Duncan MathisonManaging DirectorDBMFor the past 14 years, Mr. Mathison has served withDBM consulting to organizations and theiremployees during times of radical change andupheaval caused by outsourcing, mergers, acquisi-tions and restructuring. His expertise includes thedevelopment of organizational change and careertransition programs for workforce reductions,operational shutdowns, M&A's and redeployment.In addition, he has served as an Executive Coachfor derailed and high potential executives. Mr.Mathison has developed and implemented work-force alignment and career transition solutionsacross a broad range of industries, communitiesand organizational levels from non-exemptemployees to top executive level.

PANELISTS

Paul BlySenior Manager, Talent ManagementThompson CorporationPaul Bly is the Senior Manager, Talent Managementat The Thomson Corporation, an information serv-ices company with over 40,000 employees world-wide. In this role he focuses on talent, performanceand succession management processes for the com-pany's top 500 executives. Prior to joiningThomson, he was a senior consultant at PersonnelDecisions International, where he focused on align-ing HR investments with organizational strategy,designing and delivering training courses andassessment centers, and conducting research onpersonality and assessment tools. Dr. Bly has aPh.D. and M.S. in Industrial/Organizational

Psychology from Texas A&M University, and a B.A.in Psychology from Texas Lutheran University

Richard FluriChief HR OfficerDrinker, Biddle & Reath LLPRich is currently Chief Human Resources Officer atDrinker Biddle & Reath LLP located inPhiladelphia Pennsylvania, where he is responsiblefor all H.R. activities within the firm spanning alllawyers and staff. Rich is a member of the DiversityCommittee and for the past year has been instru-mental in helping to craft the Firm's DiversityStrategic Plan. Prior to joining Drinker Biddle, Richwas a managing partner of a consulting firm spe-cializing in executive coaching. Rich's careerincludes Head of Corporate Human Resources atthe Campbell Soup Company and Vice President ofHuman Resources for a chemical company,Hercules Inc. where he led the Global HumanResource organization for this 3.3 billion dollar ayear business and a worldwide staff of over 100 pro-fessionals. Rich has been an adjunct professor atPhiladelphia University teaching InternationalHuman Resource in the MBA program.

Judith GlaserCEOBenchmark Communications, Inc.Judith E. Glaser is an OrganizationalAnthropologist and advisor to CEOs and theirdirect reports to help them develop leadershipcapability for handling new challenges in a world ofmoving targets. As a result of her dynamic execu-tive coaching style, executives are able to move tothe next level of success, better equipped to helpthemselves, their teams and their organizationsaccomplish the following: redefine challenges,rethink strategies, reinvent new products and serv-

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ices, build strong relationships with customers,leverage mergers and acquisitions and create newbusiness models that drive profitability and growth- with a direct line of sight to the customer. Judithis the author of 2 best selling books: Creating We:Change I-Thinking to We-Thinking & Build aHealthy Thriving Organization, 2005 & The DNAof Leadership, 2006; Platinum Press an imprint ofAdams Media, and has been interviewed in themedia on leadership topics including NBC TodayShow, NY Times, WSJ, Fox TV, HarvardManagement Review and many more.

Estrella ParkerDirector, HR Technology & OperationsClorox CorporationEstrella Parker brings fifteen-plus years of experi-ence in Business Transformation and HumanCapital Management. She has held progressiveleadership responsibilities in large organizationsincluding Kaiser Permanente, as VP of HumanResources and Prudential Insurance Co, asDirector of Strategic Change, and has supportedseveral Fortune 500 organizations in businesstransformation as management consultant forGemini Consulting.

Mark WalztoniManaging DirectorThe Center for Effective Leadership ChangesMark Walztoni is the Managing Director of TheCenter for Effective Leadership Changes, a profes-sional services firm that assists leaders to acceleratetheir effectiveness during the critical period afterthey accept a role within a new organization or areredeployed within their current one. His firm'sservices include assisting individual leaders, theirteams, and their organizations to develop the keycompetencies that result in successful life-long pro-

fessional transitions. Effective performance is basedon the foundation of these scalable competenciesthat ensures that stakeholder expectations arealigned, learning and development opportunitiesoccur, and regular candid and actionable feedbackresults in mutual success. Prior to founding TheCenter for Effective Leadership Changes, Mark wasthe Senior Vice President of Global HumanResources for Thomson Prometric where he devel-oped global onboarding and redeployment pro-grams which created a competitive advantage inrecruiting, engagement, and retention. Mark alsoheld senior human resources management roles atAmerican Express Company and Ernst & YoungLLP in business unit, division, and corporate envi-ronments, and was the chief human resource offi-cer for founding entrepreneurs in the consultingand technology sectors. Mark earned a Master ofArts in Organizational Psychology from ColumbiaUniversity, the Senior Human ResourcesProfessional designation, and a Certificate inInternational Human Resources Management. Heis a Certified Executive Coach and internationalspeaker on recruitment, retention, onboarding, andtalent management for leading professional organi-zations including the Human Capital Institute, theSociety of Human Resource Management, theOrganizational Development Network, andFortune Magazine.

MODERATOR

Joy KostaAs Director of Talent Development and LeadershipCommunities at The Human Capital Institute, Joybrings twenty-five years of experience in multiplefacets of organizational development, humanresources and business management with anemphasis in customer satisfaction, service quality,

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process improvement, and applying the MalcolmBaldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence. Asfounder and President of Performance Partners inHealth Care, a company dedicated to building bet-ter patient experiences, she has authored severalcurriculums in leadership and staff development,and co-authored with Harold Bursztajn, MD SeniorClinical Faculty member, Harvard Medical School,Building a Treatment Alliance with Patients andFamilies.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This White Paper is made possible by DBM, spon-sors of HCI's Talent and Career TransitionManagement Track.

ABOUT DBM

DBM (www.dbm.com) is a leading global outplace-ment, coaching, and career management firm pro-viding services to private and public companies,not-for-profits and governments. When companiesmake decisions that impact careers, DBM providesservices to support the organization, the employeeswho stay and the employees who need to leave.DBM also help organizations and leaders improvetheir performance through coaching. DBM has a40-year legacy of creating innovative best practicesolutions, most of which have become industrystandards. DBM has 200 locations around the globeserving 85 countries and has partnered with 70 per-cent of the Fortune 500 and 80 percent of theGlobal 500 companies.

ABOUT THE HUMAN CAPITAL INSTITUTE

The Human Capital Institute is a catalyst for inno-vative new thinking in talent acquisition, develop-ment and deployment. Through research and col-laboration, our programs collect original, creativeideas from a field of top executives and the bright-est thought leaders in strategic HR and talent man-agement. Those ideas are then transformed intomeasurable, real-world strategies that help our members attract and retain the best talent, build adiverse, inclusive workplace, and leverage individ-ual and team performance throughout the enter-prise.

The Human Capital Institute gratefully acknowl-edges the financial and volunteer contributions ofour Underwriters. They include:

- ADP: VIRTUAL EDGE- AIRS- AUTHORIA- AXSIUM- BATRUS HOLLWEG INTERNATIONAL- BERNARD HODES GROUP- BEST SOFTWARE- BROADBOOK TECHNOLOGIES- BUCK CONSULTANTS- CENTER FOR KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT- CENTER FOR TALENT RETENTION- DBM- DNL GLOBAL, INC.- DOUBLESTAR, INC. - HYPERION- FIRST ADVANTAGE CO.- HCR SOFTWARE

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- HEWITT- HR CONSULTING- HUMAN CAPITAL MAGAZINE- HRSMART, INC.- IBM- INSALA- JOBSTER, INC.- JWT EMPLOYMENT COMMUNICATIONS- KELLY SERVICES- KENEXA- LOMINGER LIMITED INC.- MONSTER CANADA- MENTTIUM CORPORATION- MONSTER GOVERNMENT SOLUTIONS- MONSTER.COM- MONSTERTRAK- MONSTER JOBS- MULTI-HEALTH SYSTEMS- MYBIZOFFICE, INC.- ORACLE- PEOPLECLICK- PLATEAU SYSTEMS LTD- PREVISOR- RECRUITMENT AGENCY ASSOCIATION- SABA SOFTWARE, INC.- SEQUENT, INC.- SKILLSNET CORPORATION- SKILLSURVEY- SOFTSCAPE- SUCCESSFACTORS.COM- TALEO CORPORATION- THE RIGHT THING- THE NEWMAN GROUP- TALENTTRACK- TMP WORLDWIDE- TOWERS PERRIN- UNICRU- VANGENT- VELOCITY RESEARCH GROUP

- VURV TECHNOLOGY, INC.- WEBHIRE- WORKBRAIN- WORKSTREAM, INC.