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Pharma talent: paying sales force bonuses within a fixed budget case study analysis & solution, harvard business case studies solutions - assignment help.

Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget is a Harvard Business (HBR) Case Study on Sales & Marketing , Fern Fort University provides HBR case study assignment help for just $11. Our case solution is based on Case Study Method expertise & our global insights.

Sales & Marketing Case Study | Authors :: Michael Taylor, Rocky Campana

Case study description.

This case concerns the bonus structure for a representative sales team. Pharma Talent, a contract sales company for pharmaceutical companies across Canada, promised its clients that its representatives would drive sales at a lower cost than what the client would incur if it had its own sales force. Historically, it had contracts with products that targeted physicians (e.g., prescription drugs or medical devices); however, a new contract in Ontario involved an over-the-counter (OTC) product. Pharma Talent currently had a pay-for-performance bonus structure that had already been revised three times. Nevertheless, due to the structure of the different territories in Ontario, many sales team members thought the bonus was unfair and very discouraging, while its pay-for-performance structure did not meet the clients' needs.

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[10 Steps] Case Study Analysis & Solution

Step 1 - reading up harvard business review fundamentals on the sales & marketing.

Even before you start reading a business case study just make sure that you have brushed up the Harvard Business Review (HBR) fundamentals on the Sales & Marketing. Brushing up HBR fundamentals will provide a strong base for investigative reading. Often readers scan through the business case study without having a clear map in mind. This leads to unstructured learning process resulting in missed details and at worse wrong conclusions. Reading up the HBR fundamentals helps in sketching out business case study analysis and solution roadmap even before you start reading the case study. It also provides starting ideas as fundamentals often provide insight into some of the aspects that may not be covered in the business case study itself.

Step 2 - Reading the Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget HBR Case Study

To write an emphatic case study analysis and provide pragmatic and actionable solutions, you must have a strong grasps of the facts and the central problem of the HBR case study. Begin slowly - underline the details and sketch out the business case study description map. In some cases you will able to find the central problem in the beginning itself while in others it may be in the end in form of questions. Business case study paragraph by paragraph mapping will help you in organizing the information correctly and provide a clear guide to go back to the case study if you need further information. My case study strategy involves -

• Marking out the protagonist and key players in the case study from the very start.
• Drawing a motivation chart of the key players and their priorities from the case study description.
• Refine the central problem the protagonist is facing in the case and how it relates to the HBR fundamentals on the topic.
• Evaluate each detail in the case study in light of the HBR case study analysis core ideas.

Step 3 - Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget Case Study Analysis

Once you are comfortable with the details and objective of the business case study proceed forward to put some details into the analysis template. You can do business case study analysis by following Fern Fort University step by step instructions -

• Company history is provided in the first half of the case. You can use this history to draw a growth path and illustrate vision, mission and strategic objectives of the organization. Often history is provided in the case not only to provide a background to the problem but also provide the scope of the solution that you can write for the case study.
• HBR case studies provide anecdotal instances from managers and employees in the organization to give a feel of real situation on the ground. Use these instances and opinions to mark out the organization's culture, its people priorities & inhibitions.
• Make a time line of the events and issues in the case study. Time line can provide the clue for the next step in organization's journey. Time line also provides an insight into the progressive challenges the company is facing in the case study.

Step 4 - SWOT Analysis of Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget

Once you finished the case analysis, time line of the events and other critical details. Focus on the following -

• Zero down on the central problem and two to five related problems in the case study.
• Do the SWOT analysis of the Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget . SWOT analysis is a strategic tool to map out the strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats that a firm is facing.
• SWOT analysis and SWOT Matrix will help you to clearly mark out - Strengths Weakness Opportunities & Threats that the organization or manager is facing in the Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget
• SWOT analysis will also provide a priority list of problem to be solved.
• You can also do a weighted SWOT analysis of Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget HBR case study.

Step 5 - Porter 5 Forces / Strategic Analysis of Industry Analysis Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget

In our live classes we often come across business managers who pinpoint one problem in the case and build a case study analysis and solution around that singular point. Business environments are often complex and require holistic solutions. You should try to understand not only the organization but also the industry which the business operates in. Porter Five Forces is a strategic analysis tool that will help you in understanding the relative powers of the key players in the business case study and what sort of pragmatic and actionable case study solution is viable in the light of given facts.

Step 6 - PESTEL, PEST / STEP Analysis of Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget

Another way of understanding the external environment of the firm in Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget is to do a PESTEL - Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental & Legal analysis of the environment the firm operates in. You should make a list of factors that have significant impact on the organization and factors that drive growth in the industry. You can even identify the source of firm's competitive advantage based on PESTEL analysis and Organization's Core Competencies.

Step 7 - Organizing & Prioritizing the Analysis into Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget Case Study Solution

Once you have developed multipronged approach and work out various suggestions based on the strategic tools. The next step is organizing the solution based on the requirement of the case. You can use the following strategy to organize the findings and suggestions.

• Build a corporate level strategy - organizing your findings and recommendations in a way to answer the larger strategic objective of the firm. It include using the analysis to answer the company's vision, mission and key objectives , and how your suggestions will take the company to next level in achieving those goals.
• Business Unit Level Solution - The case study may put you in a position of a marketing manager of a small brand. So instead of providing recommendations for overall company you need to specify the marketing objectives of that particular brand. You have to recommend business unit level recommendations. The scope of the recommendations will be limited to the particular unit but you have to take care of the fact that your recommendations are don't directly contradict the company's overall strategy. For example you can recommend a low cost strategy but the company core competency is design differentiation.
• Case study solutions can also provide recommendation for the business manager or leader described in the business case study.

Step 8 -Implementation Framework

The goal of the business case study is not only to identify problems and recommend solutions but also to provide a framework to implement those case study solutions. Implementation framework differentiates good case study solutions from great case study solutions. If you able to provide a detailed implementation framework then you have successfully achieved the following objectives -

• Detailed understanding of the case,
• Clarity of HBR case study fundamentals,
• Analyzed case details based on those fundamentals and
• Developed an ability to prioritize recommendations based on probability of their successful implementation.

Implementation framework helps in weeding out non actionable recommendations, resulting in awesome Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget case study solution.

Step 9 - Take a Break

Once you finished the case study implementation framework. Take a small break, grab a cup of coffee or whatever you like, go for a walk or just shoot some hoops.

Step 10 - Critically Examine Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget case study solution

After refreshing your mind, read your case study solution critically. When we are writing case study solution we often have details on our screen as well as in our head. This leads to either missing details or poor sentence structures. Once refreshed go through the case solution again - improve sentence structures and grammar, double check the numbers provided in your analysis and question your recommendations. Be very slow with this process as rushing through it leads to missing key details. Once done it is time to hit the attach button.

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• Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget
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Introduction to case study solution

EMBA Pro case study solution for Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget case study

At EMBA PRO , we provide corporate level professional case study solution. Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by Michael Taylor, Rocky Campana. The Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget (referred as “Pharma Bonus” from here on) case study provides evaluation & decision scenario in field of Sales & Marketing. It also touches upon business topics such as - Value proposition, . Our immersive learning methodology from – case study discussions to simulations tools help MBA and EMBA professionals to - gain new insight, deepen their knowledge of the Sales & Marketing field, and broaden their skill set.

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Case Description of Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget Case Study

This case concerns the bonus structure for a representative sales team. Pharma Talent, a contract sales company for pharmaceutical companies across Canada, promised its clients that its representatives would drive sales at a lower cost than what the client would incur if it had its own sales force. Historically, it had contracts with products that targeted physicians (e.g., prescription drugs or medical devices); however, a new contract in Ontario involved an over-the-counter (OTC) product. Pharma Talent currently had a pay-for-performance bonus structure that had already been revised three times. Nevertheless, due to the structure of the different territories in Ontario, many sales team members thought the bonus was unfair and very discouraging, while its pay-for-performance structure did not meet the clients' needs.

Case Authors : Michael Taylor, Rocky Campana

Topic : sales & marketing, related areas :, what is the case study method how can you use it to write case solution for pharma talent: paying sales force bonuses within a fixed budget case study.

Almost all of the case studies contain well defined situations. MBA and EMBA professional can take advantage of these situations to - apply theoretical framework, recommend new processes, and use quantitative methods to suggest course of action. Awareness of the common situations can help MBA & EMBA professionals read the case study more efficiently, discuss it more effectively among the team members, narrow down the options, and write cogently.

Case Study Solution Approaches

Three Step Approach to Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget Case Study Solution

The three step case study solution approach comprises – Conclusions – MBA & EMBA professionals should state their conclusions at the very start. It helps in communicating the points directly and the direction one took. Reasons – At the second stage provide the reasons for the conclusions. Why you choose one course of action over the other. For example why the change effort failed in the case and what can be done to rectify it. Or how the marketing budget can be better spent using social media rather than traditional media. Evidences – Finally you should provide evidences to support your reasons. It has to come from the data provided within the case study rather than data from outside world. Evidences should be both compelling and consistent. In case study method there is ‘no right’ answer, just how effectively you analyzed the situation based on incomplete information and multiple scenarios.

Case Study Solution of Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget

We write Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget case study solution using Harvard Business Review case writing framework & HBR Sales & Marketing learning notes. We try to cover all the bases in the field of Sales & Marketing, and other related areas.

Objectives of using various frameworks in Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget case study solution

By using the above frameworks for Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget case study solutions, you can clearly draw conclusions on the following areas – What are the strength and weaknesses of Pharma Bonus (SWOT Analysis) What are external factors that are impacting the business environment (PESTEL Analysis) Should Pharma Bonus enter new market or launch new product (Opportunities & Threats from SWOT Analysis) What will be the expected profitability of the new products or services (Porter Five Forces Analysis) How it can improve the profitability in a given industry (Porter Value Chain Analysis) What are the resources needed to increase profitability (VRIO Analysis) Finally which business to continue, where to invest further and from which to get out (BCG Growth Share Analysis)

SWOT Analysis of Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget

SWOT analysis stands for – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Strengths and Weaknesses are result of Pharma Bonus internal factors, while opportunities and threats arise from developments in external environment in which Pharma Bonus operates. SWOT analysis will help us in not only getting a better insight into Pharma Bonus present competitive advantage but also help us in how things have to evolve to maintain and consolidate the competitive advantage.

- Strong Balance Sheet – The financial statement of Pharma Bonus looks strong and will help the company going forward.

- Experienced and successful leadership team – Pharma Bonus management team has been a success over last decade by successfully predicting trends in the industry.

- Pharma Bonus business model can be easily replicated by competitors – According to Michael Taylor, Rocky Campana , the business model of Pharma Bonus can be easily replicated by players in the industry.

- Low profitability which can hamper new project investment – Even though Pharma Bonus financial statement is stable, but going forward Pharma Bonus 5-7% profitability can lead to shortage of funds to invest into new projects.

Opportunities

- E-Commerce and Social Media Oriented Business Models – E-commerce business model can help Pharma Bonus to tie up with local suppliers and logistics provider in international market. Social media growth can help Pharma Bonus to reduce the cost of entering new market and reaching to customers at a significantly lower marketing budget.

- Lucrative Opportunities in International Markets – Globalization has led to opportunities in the international market. Pharma Bonus is in prime position to tap on those opportunities and grow the market share.

- Customers are moving toward mobile first environment which can hamper the growth as Pharma Bonus still hasn’t got a comprehensive mobile strategy.

- Home market marketing technique won’t work in new markets such as India and China where scale is prized over profitability.

Once all the factors mentioned in the Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget case study are organized based on SWOT analysis, just remove the non essential factors. This will help you in building a weighted SWOT analysis which reflects the real importance of factors rather than just tabulation of all the factors mentioned in the case.

What is PESTEL Analysis

PESTEL /PEST / STEP Analysis of Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget Case Study

PESTEL stands for – Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, and Legal factors that impact the macro environment in which Pharma Bonus operates in. Michael Taylor, Rocky Campana provides extensive information about PESTEL factors in Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget case study.

Political Factors

- Little dangers of armed conflict – Based on the research done by international foreign policy institutions, it is safe to conclude that there is very little probability of country entering into an armed conflict with another state.

- Political consensus among various parties regarding taxation rate and investment policies. Over the years the country has progressively worked to lower the entry of barrier and streamline the tax structure.

Economic Factors

- Inflation rate is one of the key criteria to consider for Pharma Bonus before entering into a new market.

- According to Michael Taylor, Rocky Campana . Pharma Bonus should closely monitor consumer disposable income level, household debt level, and level of efficiency of local financial markets.

Social Factors

- Demographic shifts in the economy are also a good social indicator for Pharma Bonus to predict not only overall trend in market but also demand for Pharma Bonus product among its core customer segments.

- Leisure activities, social attitudes & power structures in society - are needed to be analyzed by Pharma Bonus before launching any new products as they will impact the demand of the products.

Technological Factors

- 5G has potential to transform the business environment especially in terms of marketing and promotion for Pharma Bonus.

- Artificial intelligence and machine learning will give rise to importance of speed over planning. Pharma Bonus needs to build strategies to operate in such an environment.

Environmental Factors

- Consumer activism is significantly impacting Pharma Bonus branding, marketing and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.

- Environmental regulations can impact the cost structure of Pharma Bonus. It can further impact the cost of doing business in certain markets.

Legal Factors

- Health and safety norms in number of markets that Pharma Bonus operates in are lax thus impact the competition playing field.

- Property rights are also an area of concern for Pharma Bonus as it needs to make significant infrastructure investment just to enter new market.

What are Porter Five Forces

Porter Five Forces Analysis of Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget

Competition among existing players, bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of buyers, threat of new entrants, and threat of substitutes.

What is VRIO Analysis

VRIO Analysis of Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget

VRIO stands for – Value of the resource that Pharma Bonus possess, Rareness of those resource, Imitation Risk that competitors pose, and Organizational Competence of Pharma Bonus. VRIO and VRIN analysis can help the firm.

What is Porter Value Chain

Porter Value Chain Analysis of Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget

As the name suggests Value Chain framework is developed by Michael Porter in 1980’s and it is primarily used for analyzing Pharma Bonus relative cost and value structure. Managers can use Porter Value Chain framework to disaggregate various processes and their relative costs in the Pharma Bonus. This will help in answering – the related costs and various sources of competitive advantages of Pharma Bonus in the markets it operates in. The process can also be done to competitors to understand their competitive advantages and competitive strategies. According to Michael Porter – Competitive Advantage is a relative term and has to be understood in the context of rivalry within an industry. So Value Chain competitive benchmarking should be done based on industry structure and bottlenecks.

What is BCG Growth Share Matrix

BCG Growth Share Matrix of Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget

BCG Growth Share Matrix is very valuable tool to analyze Pharma Bonus strategic positioning in various sectors that it operates in and strategic options that are available to it. Product Market segmentation in BCG Growth Share matrix should be done with great care as there can be a scenario where Pharma Bonus can be market leader in the industry without being a dominant player or segment leader in any of the segment. BCG analysis should comprise not only growth share of industry & Pharma Bonus business unit but also Pharma Bonus - overall profitability, level of debt, debt paying capacity, growth potential, expansion expertise, dividend requirements from shareholders, and overall competitive strength. Two key considerations while using BCG Growth Share Matrix for Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget case study solution - How to calculate Weighted Average Market Share using BCG Growth Share Matrix Relative Weighted Average Market Share Vs Largest Competitor

5C Marketing Analysis of Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget

4p marketing analysis of pharma talent: paying sales force bonuses within a fixed budget, porter five forces analysis and solution of pharma talent: paying sales force bonuses within a fixed budget, porter value chain analysis and solution of pharma talent: paying sales force bonuses within a fixed budget, case memo & recommendation memo of pharma talent: paying sales force bonuses within a fixed budget, blue ocean analysis and solution of pharma talent: paying sales force bonuses within a fixed budget, marketing strategy and analysis pharma talent: paying sales force bonuses within a fixed budget, vrio /vrin analysis & solution of pharma talent: paying sales force bonuses within a fixed budget, pestel / step / pest analysis of pharma talent: paying sales force bonuses within a fixed budget, swot analysis and solution of pharma talent: paying sales force bonuses within a fixed budget, references & further readings.

Michael Taylor, Rocky Campana (2018) , "Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget Harvard Business Review Case Study. Published by HBR Publications.

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Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget Case Solution & Answer

Home » Case Study Analysis Solutions » Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget

This case concerns the bonus structure to a sales representative. Pharma Talent, a company selling contracts from pharmaceutical companies across Canada, promised its customers that their sales representatives to promote low cost than what the customer would incur if it had its own sales force. Historically, contracts with medical products (eg, drugs or medical devices) specific, but a new contract involved an Ontario (OTC) over-the-counter. Talents Pharma had a bonus structure performance pay had already been revised three times. However, due to the structure of the different territories in Ontario, many members of the sales team thought the bonus was unfair and very daunting, while the structure of pay for performance does not meet the needs of customers. by Michael Taylor, Rocky Campana Source: Ivey Publishing 9 pages. Release Date: October 17, 2012. Prod #: W12268-PDF-ENG Pharma Talents: Pay Sales Force Bono In case of fixed budget solution

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Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget Case Analysis and Case Solution

Posted by Peter Williams on Aug-09-2018

Introduction of Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget Case Solution

The Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget case study is a Harvard Business Review case study, which presents a simulated practical experience to the reader allowing them to learn about real life problems in the business world. The Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget case consisted of a central issue to the organization, which had to be identified, analysed and creative solutions had to be drawn to tackle the issue. This paper presents the solved Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget case analysis and case solution. The method through which the analysis is done is mentioned, followed by the relevant tools used in finding the solution.

The case solution first identifies the central issue to the Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget case study, and the relevant stakeholders affected by this issue. This is known as the problem identification stage. After this, the relevant tools and models are used, which help in the case study analysis and case study solution. The tools used in identifying the solution consist of the SWOT Analysis, Porter Five Forces Analysis, PESTEL Analysis, VRIO analysis, Value Chain Analysis, BCG Matrix analysis, Ansoff Matrix analysis, and the Marketing Mix analysis. The solution consists of recommended strategies to overcome this central issue. It is a good idea to also propose alternative case study solutions, because if the main solution is not found feasible, then the alternative solutions could be implemented. Lastly, a good case study solution also includes an implementation plan for the recommendation strategies. This shows how through a step-by-step procedure as to how the central issue can be resolved.

Problem Identification of Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget Case Solution

Harvard Business Review cases involve a central problem that is being faced by the organization and these problems affect a number of stakeholders. In the problem identification stage, the problem faced by Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget is identified through reading of the case. This could be mentioned at the start of the reading, the middle or the end. At times in a case analysis, the problem may be clearly evident in the reading of the HBR case. At other times, finding the issue is the job of the person analysing the case. It is also important to understand what stakeholders are affected by the problem and how. The goals of the stakeholders and are the organization are also identified to ensure that the case study analysis are consistent with these.

Analysis of the Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget HBR Case Study

The objective of the case should be focused on. This is doing the Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget Case Solution. This analysis can be proceeded in a step-by-step procedure to ensure that effective solutions are found.

• In the first step, a growth path of the company can be formulated that lays down its vision, mission and strategic aims. These can usually be developed using the company history is provided in the case. Company history is helpful in a Business Case study as it helps one understand what the scope of the solutions will be for the case study.
• The next step is of understanding the company; its people, their priorities and the overall culture. This can be done by using company history. It can also be done by looking at anecdotal instances of managers or employees that are usually included in an HBR case study description to give the reader a real feel of the situation.
• Lastly, a timeline of the issues and events in the case needs to be made. Arranging events in a timeline allows one to predict the next few events that are likely to take place. It also helps one in developing the case study solutions. The timeline also helps in understanding the continuous challenges that are being faced by the organisation.

SWOT analysis of Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget

An important tool that helps in addressing the central issue of the case and coming up with Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget HBR case solution is the SWOT analysis.

• The SWOT analysis is a strategic management tool that lists down in the form of a matrix, an organisation's internal strengths and weaknesses, and external opportunities and threats. It helps in the strategic analysis of Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget.
• Once this listing has been done, a clearer picture can be developed in regards to how strategies will be formed to address the main problem. For example, strengths will be used as an advantage in solving the issue.

Therefore, the SWOT analysis is a helpful tool in coming up with the Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget Case Study answers. One does not need to remain restricted to using the traditional SWOT analysis, but the advanced TOWS matrix or weighted average SWOT analysis can also be used.

Porter Five Forces Analysis for Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget

Another helpful tool in finding the case solutions is of Porter's Five Forces analysis. This is also a strategic tool that is used to analyse the competitive environment of the industry in which Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget operates in. Analysis of the industry is important as businesses do not work in isolation in real life, but are affected by the business environment of the industry that they operate in. Harvard Business case studies represent real-life situations, and therefore, an analysis of the industry's competitive environment needs to be carried out to come up with more holistic case study solutions. In Porter's Five Forces analysis, the industry is analysed along 5 dimensions.

• These are the threats that the industry faces due to new entrants.
• It includes the threat of substitute products.
• It includes the bargaining power of buyers in the industry.
• It includes the bargaining power of suppliers in an industry.
• Lastly, the overall rivalry or competition within the industry is analysed.

This tool helps one understand the relative powers of the major players in the industry and its overall competitive dynamics. Actionable and practical solutions can then be developed by keeping these factors into perspective.

PESTEL Analysis of Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget

Another helpful tool that should be used in finding the case study solutions is the PESTEL analysis. This also looks at the external business environment of the organisation helps in finding case study Analysis to real-life business issues as in HBR cases.

• The PESTEL analysis particularly looks at the macro environmental factors that affect the industry. These are the political, environmental, social, technological, environmental and legal (regulatory) factors affecting the industry.
• Factors within each of these 6 should be listed down, and analysis should be made as to how these affect the organisation under question.
• These factors are also responsible for the future growth and challenges within the industry. Hence, they should be taken into consideration when coming up with the Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget case solution.

VRIO Analysis of Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget

This is an analysis carried out to know about the internal strengths and capabilities of Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget. Under the VRIO analysis, the following steps are carried out:

• The internal resources of Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget are listed down.
• Each of these resources are assessed in terms of the value it brings to the organization.
• Each resource is assessed in terms of how rare it is. A rare resource is one that is not commonly used by competitors.
• Each resource is assessed whether it could be imitated by competition easily or not.
• Lastly, each resource is assessed in terms of whether the organization can use it to an advantage or not.

The analysis done on the 4 dimensions; Value, Rareness, Imitability, and Organization. If a resource is high on all of these 4, then it brings long-term competitive advantage. If a resource is high on Value, Rareness, and Imitability, then it brings an unused competitive advantage. If a resource is high on Value and Rareness, then it only brings temporary competitive advantage. If a resource is only valuable, then it’s a competitive parity. If it’s none, then it can be regarded as a competitive disadvantage.

Value Chain Analysis of Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget

The Value chain analysis of Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget helps in identifying the activities of an organization, and how these add value in terms of cost reduction and differentiation. This tool is used in the case study analysis as follows:

• The firm’s primary and support activities are listed down.
• Identifying the importance of these activities in the cost of the product and the differentiation they produce.
• Lastly, differentiation or cost reduction strategies are to be used for each of these activities to increase the overall value provided by these activities.

Recognizing value creating activities and enhancing the value that they create allow Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget to increase its competitive advantage.

BCG Matrix of Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget

The BCG Matrix is an important tool in deciding whether an organization should invest or divest in its strategic business units. The matrix involves placing the strategic business units of a business in one of four categories; question marks, stars, dogs and cash cows. The placement in these categories depends on the relative market share of the organization and the market growth of these strategic business units. The steps to be followed in this analysis is as follows:

• Identify the relative market share of each strategic business unit.
• Identify the market growth of each strategic business unit.
• Place these strategic business units in one of four categories. Question Marks are those strategic business units with high market share and low market growth rate. Stars are those strategic business units with high market share and high market growth rate. Cash Cows are those strategic business units with high market share and low market growth rate. Dogs are those strategic business units with low market share and low growth rate.
• Relevant strategies should be implemented for each strategic business unit depending on its position in the matrix.

The strategies identified from the Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget BCG matrix and included in the case pdf. These are either to further develop the product, penetrate the market, develop the market, diversification, investing or divesting.

Ansoff Matrix of Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget

Ansoff Matrix is an important strategic tool to come up with future strategies for Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget in the case solution. It helps decide whether an organization should pursue future expansion in new markets and products or should it focus on existing markets and products.

• The organization can penetrate into existing markets with its existing products. This is known as market penetration strategy.
• The organization can develop new products for the existing market. This is known as product development strategy.
• The organization can enter new markets with its existing products. This is known as market development strategy.
• The organization can enter into new markets with new products. This is known as a diversification strategy.

The choice of strategy depends on the analysis of the previous tools used and the level of risk the organization is willing to take.

Marketing Mix of Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget

Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget needs to bring out certain responses from the market that it targets. To do so, it will need to use the marketing mix, which serves as a tool in helping bring out responses from the market. The 4 elements of the marketing mix are Product, Price, Place and Promotions. The following steps are required to carry out a marketing mix analysis and include this in the case study analysis.

• Analyse the company’s products and devise strategies to improve the product offering of the company.
• Analyse the company’s price points and devise strategies that could be based on competition, value or cost.
• Analyse the company’s promotion mix. This includes the advertisement, public relations, personal selling, sales promotion, and direct marketing. Strategies will be devised which makes use of a few or all of these elements.
• Analyse the company’s distribution and reach. Strategies can be devised to improve the availability of the company’s products.

Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget Blue Ocean Strategy

The strategies devised and included in the Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget case memo should have a blue ocean strategy. A blue ocean strategy is a strategy that involves firms seeking uncontested market spaces, which makes the competition of the company irrelevant. It involves coming up with new and unique products or ideas through innovation. This gives the organization a competitive advantage over other firms, unlike a red ocean strategy.

Competitors analysis of Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget

The PESTEL analysis discussed previously looked at the macro environmental factors affecting business, but not the microenvironmental factors. One of the microenvironmental factors are competitors, which are addressed by a competitor analysis. The Competitors analysis of Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget looks at the direct and indirect competitors within the industry that it operates in.

• This involves a detailed analysis of their actions and how these would affect the future strategies of Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget.
• It involves looking at the current market share of the company and its competitors.
• It should compare the marketing mix elements of competitors, their supply chain, human resources, financial strength etc.
• It also should look at the potential opportunities and threats that these competitors pose on the company.

Organisation of the Analysis into Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget Case Study Solution

Once various tools have been used to analyse the case, the findings of this analysis need to be incorporated into practical and actionable solutions. These solutions will also be the Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget case answers. These are usually in the form of strategies that the organisation can adopt. The following step-by-step procedure can be used to organise the Harvard Business case solution and recommendations:

• The first step of the solution is to come up with a corporate level strategy for the organisation. This part consists of solutions that address issues faced by the organisation on a strategic level. This could include suggestions, changes or recommendations to the company's vision, mission and its strategic objectives. It can include recommendations on how the organisation can work towards achieving these strategic objectives. Furthermore, it needs to be explained how the stated recommendations will help in solving the main issue mentioned in the case and where the company will stand in the future as a result of these.
• The second step of the solution is to come up with a business level strategy. The HBR case studies may present issues faced by a part of the organisation. For example, the issues may be stated for marketing and the role of a marketing manager needs to be assumed. So, recommendations and suggestions need to address the strategy of the marketing department in this case. Therefore, the strategic objectives of this business unit (Marketing) will be laid down in the solutions and recommendations will be made as to how to achieve these objectives. Similar would be the case for any other business unit or department such as human resources, finance, IT etc. The important thing to note here is that the business level strategy needs to be aligned with the overall corporate strategy of the organisation. For example, if one suggests the organisation to focus on differentiation for competitive advantage as a corporate level strategy, then it can't be recommended for the Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget Case Study Solution that the business unit should focus on costs.
• The third step is not compulsory but depends from case to case. In some HBR case studies, one may be required to analyse an issue at a department. This issue may be analysed for a manager or employee as well. In these cases, recommendations need to be made for these people. The solution may state that objectives that these people need to achieve and how these objectives would be achieved.

The case study analysis and solution, and Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget case answers should be written down in the Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget case memo, clearly identifying which part shows what. The Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget case should be in a professional format, presenting points clearly that are well understood by the reader.

Alternate solution to the Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget HBR case study

It is important to have more than one solution to the case study. This is the alternate solution that would be implemented if the original proposed solution is found infeasible or impossible due to a change in circumstances. The alternate solution for Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget is presented in the same way as the original solution, where it consists of a corporate level strategy, business level strategy and other recommendations.

Implementation of Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget Case Solution

The case study does not end at just providing recommendations to the issues at hand. One is also required to provide how these recommendations would be implemented. This is shown through a proper implementation framework. A detailed implementation framework helps in distinguishing between an average and an above average case study answer. A good implementation framework shows the proposed plan and how the organisations' resources would be used to achieve the objectives. It also lays down the changes needed to be made as well as the assumptions in the process.

• A proper implementation framework shows that one has clearly understood the case study and the main issue within it.
• It shows that one has been clarified with the HBR fundamentals on the topic.
• It shows that the details provided in the case have been properly analysed.
• It shows that one has developed an ability to prioritise recommendations and how these could be successfully implemented.
• The implementation framework also helps by removing out any recommendations that are not practical or actionable as these could not be implemented. Therefore, the implementation framework ensures that the solution to the Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget Harvard case is complete and properly answered.

Recommendations and Action Plan for Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget case analysis

For Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget, based on the SWOT Analysis, Porter Five Forces Analysis, PESTEL Analysis, VRIO analysis, Value Chain Analysis, BCG Matrix analysis, Ansoff Matrix analysis, and the Marketing Mix analysis, the recommendations and action plan are as follows:

• Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget should focus on making use of its strengths identified from the VRIO analysis to make the most of the opportunities identified from the PESTEL.
• Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget should enhance the value creating activities within its value chain.
• Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget should invest in its stars and cash cows, while getting rid of the dogs identified from the BCG Matrix analysis.
• To achieve its overall corporate and business level objectives, it should make use of the marketing mix tools to obtain desired results from its target market.

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Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget

Subjects Covered Marketing

by Michael Taylor, Rocky Campana

Source: Richard Ivey School of Business Foundation

9 pages. Publication Date: Oct 17, 2012. Prod. #: W12268-PDF-ENG

Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget Harvard Case Study Solution and HBR and HBS Case Analysis

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The Cure for Hiring Pains: Finding the Finest Creatives in Pharma

Creative Staffing Case Study | Pharma Industry

We helped a top biopharmaceutical company build industry-leading creative teams to support contemporary brands, launch novel products, and boost cost savings.

The Challenge

Surpassing industry standards at scale.

With products that treat over 50 million people each year, our client is one of the world’s largest biopharmaceutical conglomerates. The corporation’s 30+ brands create innovative medicines and solutions for patients, physicians, and healthcare clientele.  

As the organization developed products, received FDA approvals, and grew through acquisition, it needed to scale its healthcare professional (HCP) and patient-facing marketing efforts. The corporation’s growing portfolio of brands had to launch and market new identities, branded drugs, generics, treatments, and indications. To support the company’s rapid growth and reduce agency spend, our client set out to expand its in-house production capabilities.

Determined to surpass the pharma industry’s creative standards, the organization required strategic consultants, fractional leaders , and entire teams of niche experts at all levels. However, they lacked the bandwidth to recruit the needed talent, and other staffing suppliers didn’t understand the intricacies of the industry or their open roles. Moreover, it isn’t easy to find skilled creatives with the capacity to thrive in pharma.

The Solution

Tailoring every talent search for success.

Through collaborative strategy sessions, extensive research, and market analysis, we quickly gained an unmatched understanding of our client’s then present and upcoming hiring challenges . Next, we formed a specialized recruitment team with deep pharma advertising knowledge and niche practice expertise to support the company’s   staffing needs.  

Contract and full-time. Executive and entry-level. Individual roles and entire teams. We leveraged recruitment best practices, thorough pre-qualification processes, and our expansive network of Top 100 MM+M agency veterans to provide our client with the ideal candidates for a wide variety of positions. From proven creative directors to medical legal review (MLR) experts and marketers with knowledge of oncology, neurology, and rare diseases — we delivered.  

We even helped one of our client’s new brands gain 3M+ patients in its first 6 months by bringing in top beauty industry designers to market medical aesthetics. Our talent’s multi-channel campaigns won industry awards for the organization. And by moving creative production in-house, the company was able to yield major cost savings. With our dedicated support, our client continues to build contemporary brands, produce leading marketing campaigns, and launch life-changing products.

Executive Director, Creative & Marketing Operations

Biopharmaceutical Client

By The Numbers

Relevant achievements and statistics to date:

Recruited 80+ hard-to-find experts for client

1K+ Submissions

Submitted 1K+ pre-vetted job candidates to client

3M+ New Patients

Helped new brand attract 3M+ patients in 6 months

MM+M Award Win

Empowered client to win awards for multi-channel campaigns

By The Experts

Examples of roles we filled for our biopharmaceutical client:

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Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget Harvard Case Solution & Analysis

Home >> Marketing HBS Case Solutions >> Pharma Talent: Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget

This case concerns the bonus structure for sales team that is representative. Pharma Talent, a contract sales corporation for pharmaceutical corporation across Canada, guaranteed its customers that its representatives would drive sales at a lower cost than that which the client would incur if it had its own sales force.

Historically, it had contracts with products that targeted physicians (e.g., prescription drugs or medical devices); nevertheless, a new contract in Ontario involved an over-the-counter (OTC) product. Pharma Talent now had a pay-for-performance bonus structure that had already been revised three times. Nevertheless, because of the arrangement of the different lands in Ontario, many sales team members thought the bonus was unjust and incredibly discouraging, while its pay-for-performance structure did not meet with the clients' needs.

Pharma Talent Paying Sales Force Bonuses Within a Fixed Budget case study solution

PUBLICATION DATE: October 17, 2012 PRODUCT #: W12268-HCB-ENG

This is just an excerpt. This case is about SALES & MARKETING

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Talent Transformation in Pharma: Getting Ahead of Change in Pharma Manufacturing

Only 40% of pharma companies believe they know where their skill gaps are.

This is especially true when we look at manufacturing and supply chain in the industry, which are evolving at a dramatic pace with the move to Pharma 2.0 strategies. From new treatment modalities to new go-to-market practices, pharmaceutical companies are faced with the need to adapt many aspects of their manufacturing operations.

To sustain the growth of their companies in these conditions, talent leaders cannot simply react to the business. They need to preemptively identify areas of potential change, and transform into the kind of agile, data-driven organization that can help the business win. When it comes to manufacturing and supply chain specifically, there are a few of these areas of change that talent leaders should be looking at.

Adapting to automation and AI in pharma manufacturing

The skills required to run a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant today are different from what they were even five years ago. For one, pharmaceutical executives expect that automation will affect 27% of jobs every year in their industry for the next decade. For example, documentation-related activities, which take up about 30% of staff time today, could be drastically reduced as manufacturing processes move to automated documentation systems.

What does this mean from a talent perspective? Certainly a reduction in manual labor time, but also in compliance-related activities. It also implies a need for staff to run and audit these new no-touch documentation processes. Both of these changes are opportunities for the talent team to work with the business and determine where new skills will be needed and where there is potential for reskilling and internal mobility programs.

Improvements in manufacturing planning and utilization will impact talent priorities

Another area of change to look at is the rising pressure for pharma companies to improve their operations strategy, and for good reason: there are significant savings to be made by improving stock management with better forecasting, for example, or by optimizing product flow between locations. With 80% of pharma executives expecting to face “high” to “very high” cost pressure this year and the next, these kinds of initiatives are sure to be high on the priority list.

One obvious area of operational improvements for these executives is the utilization of their production plants. There is an increasing gap between the technical capacity of production facilities and the actual utilization rate that companies are able to get out of them. Tablet presses and packing lines, for example, have increased in sophistication and efficiency in recent years, but the training and skills of monitoring staff has not kept up, resulting in many lines being operated at a much lower speed than their technical specifications, or being stopped frequently to avoid mechanical or quality issues.

To respond to this challenge, pharma companies are looking into ways to augment these monitoring processes with AI algorithms fed with data from sensors on the equipment. This opens two opportunities for talent leaders to be proactive: investigate how to source the operators needed for these new, data-heavy roles monitoring processes, and partner with the people organization to build reskilling or internal mobility programs for the staff that will be made redundant from these changes.

It is easy to see how talent leaders can provide similar value in the case of other types of operational changes, such as digital transformation initiatives, improvement of quality control processes, or outsourcing parts of the production to international markets. Talent leaders who can, for instance, preemptively deploy talent attraction campaigns in new markets, or quickly surface warmed-up candidates with the right digital skills in their databases, can offer a serious advantage to the business.

Winning in CGT will require more sophisticated talent sourcing strategies

The recent ramp-up of demand for cell and gene therapy (CGT) is maybe one of the most dramatic operational changes affecting the pharmaceutical industry in recent years. Both the fabrication and delivery of CGT are complex enough that they are a major blocker to business growth in this sub-sector.

Understandably, demand for talent in this area is fierce: companies who can set up decentralized manufacturing networks and an effective supply chain first will dominate their respective markets, so there is an opportunity for talent leaders to provide an incredible head start to the business by recruiting the right talent quickly.

The challenge with filling roles that didn’t exist just a few years ago is of course that talent teams need to define their recruiting strategy from scratch—there are no convenient competitors to poach from, or widely adopted job titles to make searches easier. They need to step outside of their usual hunting grounds, and source in a slew of different functions and industries despite the challenge of operating in a heavily regulated space.

The move towards AI-powered talent technology, with skills collected and inferred from the market using talent data graphs instead of traditional databases, makes this transition not only possible, but easy. Recruiters will be able to look at candidates in terms of skills and competencies, instead of job roles or job titles, making the search for candidates to fill these new roles much easier. They will also be able to speed up processes by relying on algorithms to surface candidates with similar or adjacent skill quickly. The technology for these recruiting workflows already exists—for talent leaders, it is simply a matter of looking ahead, and showing the business why it will make a huge difference for their future plans.

The changes happening in operations in the pharmaceutical industry present an opportunity for real transformation for talent teams. There is an immediate need not only to hire for new skills, but also to reallocate or retrain existing staff in partnership with the people function.

By identifying these possible areas of partnership and improvement early, talent leaders can drive incredible value creation for the business. The next step is to explore what this transformation can look like, and how to fill the gap between their current state and their vision for the future.

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What talent management can do to shape next-generation pharma leaders

How can HR help build leaders capable of meeting the challenges of tomorrow’s healthcare industry? McKinsey’s Mary Meaney talked with Roberto Pucci, executive vice president for human resources at Sanofi, about the capabilities and mind-sets needed for success in a fast-changing world—and what HR professionals can do to nurture them. In this interview, part of our  Biopharma Frontiers series on how the pharmaceutical industry is evolving and how leaders can adapt, Pucci describes the leadership programs he oversees, explains why he values authenticity, and considers how a company might position itself to win in the war for talent. An edited transcript of Pucci’s remarks follows.

Stay current on your favorite topics

McKinsey: In recent years, the pharmaceutical industry has gone through enormous changes. What do you see as the biggest challenges it faces in the next few years?

Roberto Pucci: One of the biggest challenges is that the days of strong patent protection, lower pricing pressure, and broad patient coverage are over. Today’s healthcare business is exposed to pricing pressure, generics entry, increasing competition from small biotech and technology companies, complicated patents litigation, and other trends that make the environment in which we operate much more demanding. That means we need people with fresh skill sets and the mind-set, agility, and flexibility to adapt quickly to the evolving landscape.

McKinsey: What are you doing at Sanofi to equip leaders to succeed in this new environment?

Roberto Pucci: We’ve had our wake-up call, and we’re energized and committed to leading change. We’ve done a lot of work lately on building development programs that are relevant to the business and that help equip leaders to meet future healthcare challenges.

In one of our flagship programs, Leading for Tomorrow, we bring leaders to a range of different markets to expose them to disruptive businesses and foster a mind-set of innovation. Part of this year’s program focused on technological innovation in China, and leaders engaged with entrepreneurs in healthcare and other sectors on topics such as crypto-currency and the use of virtual and augmented realities, gaining insights that will help them shape Sanofi’s future. The other part of the program took place in Boston and exposed leaders to innovation in the areas of artificial intelligence , machine learning , big data , and robotics.

We try to build programs that challenge our thinking, embrace the possibilities of disruptive technologies, and encourage employees to work in teams to implement new strategies. We also bring people together from different places to network and share experiences. In the past few years, we’ve recruited a significant number of executives from other industries as well. That’s good because they’ve brought us more diversified leadership experiences, but it’s challenging, too, because they’ve had different histories of growing as leaders, so we need to elevate them to the highest possible denominator and capitalize on that. We’re trying to work on these dimensions of leadership development while still recruiting to strengthen our bench further.

McKinsey: What do you look for when you bring people in from outside? What capabilities are you seeking to acquire?

Roberto Pucci: It’s a mix: we need capabilities in healthcare and biotechnology, of course, but as we become one of the leading companies in consumer healthcare, we also need more people with a consumer-goods background. And in global functions like finance and HR, where you don’t need expertise in a specific industry, we’ve recruited a lot of people from outside healthcare.

Sanofi isn’t a French-based or US-based company; we’re international, with a presence in more than a hundred countries. Our executive committee is highly diversified, with six nationalities out of 14 people, and we manage people from many different countries and backgrounds. We look for people who’ve lived in more than one country, because I believe it makes them more adaptable, and it also has a cultural dimension. This is a company of relationships more than processes. You’ve got to be able to build and nurture relationships and get things done through others.

Personally, I also look for authenticity. Does this person have a genuine interest? Do they want to grow and build something beyond themselves? Do they aspire to make a difference in healthcare and serve a common purpose? One of the signs of authenticity is people’s readiness to talk about their weaknesses. After all, nobody is perfect. Interviewing is not about selling something; I don’t want people to fail, nor do I want our company to fail by bringing in the wrong profiles. I want people who are not afraid to be open and are humble about their weak spots.

I also look at someone’s career history and how many changes they have made. Millennials may think differently, but I take the traditional view that loyalty plays a part. If you want to build something positive and sustain it, you have to invest time and energy over a number of years.

McKinsey: Some of today’s big themes across industries are digitization , analytics , and big data. How do those affect you when it comes to the people you recruit and the way you manage HR?

Roberto Pucci: I believe healthcare is at an inflection point, and the relationship between technology and medicine will continue to evolve rapidly. People want to take more control over their lives ; they don’t want to depend on anybody else, even a doctor. I talked to one doctor the other day who said he spends a lot more time with patients now because they come to him much better informed. Unfortunately, a lot of what they find out isn’t accurate, so he has to make sure they have the correct information to make better decisions about their care. And technology that helps patients take control will become more and more relevant.

When it comes to HR, a lot of people are talking about analytics, but I have yet to see it applied in a powerful way. Using data analytics to make decisions doesn’t come naturally for our function; we are more concerned with the soft side of things than the KPIs [key performance indicators] or the metrics. Clearly HR needs to evolve, but I see analytics more as a means of interpreting data and deriving concrete actions from it.

For instance, there’s a lot of debate about the effectiveness of evaluating people. Some data has shown that in the six to nine months after an evaluation, motivation declines not only after a bad evaluation, which you might expect, but also after an average evaluation. People’s performance deteriorates, and that affects the whole business. The question then becomes does it make sense to give people this information at all? Some companies are deciding that it doesn’t.

We can also use data to ask if we are doing the right things. In China, we had very high turnover in our sales force—about 20 to 22 percent. That’s not typical for us, so we did an analysis to understand the reasons. I was expecting to see promotion, development, and compensation, but very close after that came work–life balance. So it seems the idea of young people in emerging markets wanting to grow fast, make a lot of money, and then move on is not the full story according to the data we have.

McKinsey: When it comes to managing and improving employee performance , how has your thinking evolved?

Roberto Pucci: The relationship between employees and their managers is crucial. They need to have a dialogue that is transparent and direct and ongoing, not just once a year. But how can you make sure this takes place, and how do you avoid putting people in boxes? Nobody wants to be labeled as average; everybody wants to be better than average.

I haven’t figured out any magic recipe, but I do know you have to tell people what their strengths and weaknesses are. You don’t do them any favors by not telling them the truth. And you need a system that allows you to differentiate between people so that you can promote and reward them appropriately. Especially when resources are scarce, you’ve got to have a sound basis for deciding who gets what.

To develop leaders, you have to give them feedback on their ability to manage people. People matter, yet you never see an evaluation of human capital on a balance sheet. You have ROI [return on investment], EPS [earnings per share], and all sorts of financial metrics but nothing that measures talent.

McKinsey: As the competitive landscape becomes more diverse, with the entry of tech companies, biotech firms, and start-ups, how do you position yourself to win in the talent market?

Roberto Pucci: That’s exactly what our human-capital strategy is all about. I think you can segment the landscape along two axes: on one side you have the small biotechs, with agility, a sense of freedom, and no bureaucracy, and on the other side you have the big companies: heavy, bureaucratic, and a lot slower. But what if we had an employee value proposition that mixed the two: a large company with 110,000 people and an entrepreneurial spirit? Somewhere that offered people the choice of working as specialists or generalists, in mature countries and emerging markets, with the infrastructure of a large company plus the freedom of a small one? Usually the choice is binary, but could we be both?

If we want to build an environment with that kind of value proposition, it has implications for HR. Some people don’t care about their pension; they care about their time. But if you join a big company, the benefits are standard: here’s our package, take it or leave it. The concept of “cafeteria benefits” has been around for years, but more in theory than in practice. You have to recruit people with all kinds of profiles, including senior people with expertise that younger people can’t yet bring. Different people have different needs, so how can HR accommodate them all? We have to be able to modulate our offering to be more competitive with what’s out there in the market.

McKinsey: Where do you focus to make the most difference: on a small number of pivotal roles, the middle 80 percent, or both?

Roberto Pucci: Many companies go by hierarchy and follow the grading system, but I believe in focusing on the roles that have the biggest impact on the business, which aren’t necessarily the top grades. The business cycle also plays a part. All of a sudden you could face a crisis out there, and if you don’t manage it properly, your company could be at stake.

Some pharma companies have encountered significant ethical issues in China, for instance. If that’s you, China may not be one of your largest markets, but if you can’t fix the issue, you could jeopardize your whole company image. That makes the head of China a key position in terms of the potential impact on your business at that point.

How pharma companies can better understand patients

So what we are starting to do, rather than judge someone’s importance by their grade, is to ask which are the 10 or 20 roles that affect our organization the most right now? Who is occupying these roles? Do we have the best people? Are we spending our resources in the most effective way?

Of course, it’s not an easy equation to solve, because it takes flexibility to move people around. In a global company, you can’t just shift people from country to country every six months. People have families, and there are other challenges to overcome, but agility is key. That goes for individuals as well as the organization. Mental agility forms part of the assessments we do. It encompasses various dimensions, such as self-awareness, creative thinking, and authenticity.

McKinsey: The political landscape has undergone dramatic changes in the past year or so. How does this affect your HR philosophy?

Roberto Pucci: Our company is built on diversity, but externally things seem to be moving in the opposite direction: we’re seeing countries attempt to leave the European Union, stop immigration, protect local industry, fight globalization, and resist technological change. It looks as though we’re traveling at two speeds. Our company’s culture is about inclusiveness—giving everyone a chance in a world without borders. All of a sudden we have to operate in a social and political climate that’s become very challenging. How do we get it right?

One thing that’s critical is making sure that employees understand why we do what we do. Too often top management decides what’s right and wrong for everybody without spending enough time listening to people. That doesn’t mean always adopting their opinions; a company isn’t a democracy, and that’s not how things work. But once you’ve taken a decision, you’ve got to make sure people understand why, so that they can ask how will that affect me? How can I help? Do I want to be part of this?

Mary Meaney  is a senior partner in McKinsey’s Paris office. Roberto Pucci is the executive vice president for human resources at Sanofi.

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