Ask eBay About How To Do It Right

In a recent interview with Lou Sanchez, vice president of global talent acquisition, management and development at eBay, TalentManagement.com author Ladan Nikravan finds out what it takes to manage such a fast-growing company.

TalentManagement asks, “What’s eBay’s approach to talent management?” and finds that eBay’s philosophy is tied to the organization’s purpose and values. eBay has three core areas: One is creating opportunities for people. Second is that they care because people depend on eBay. Third is that eBay makes a difference worldwide.

When asked what processes or programs have been established to improve workforce performance, Sanchez said that they have found that what works in their environment is the notion of just enough process. And they are always looking for the sweet spot between getting consistent and replicable results and enough freedom, creativity, and innovation opportunities to play out so that they are not hindering the way the organization runs.

We have traditional and somewhat light-touch performance management. We have yearly talent reviews with the CEO, and in the next couple of layers down, where we go deep into the organization, we assess talent and provide coaching and feedback. We’re always striving for this notion of just enough, not too much.

TalentManagement asks Sanchez an array of questions, including “What challenges impact talent management for eBay?”, “How does eBay create leadership and management behaviors that lead to optimal workforce performance?”, and “How does eBay develop organizational culture and employee attitudes to optimize workforce performance?”. The questions asked are more than interesting, but Sanchez’s responses are intriguing.

Company culture is something that every organization deals with. Culture optimizes workforce performance. What about at eBay?

We use a real simple definition of culture: It’s the way we do things around here. More specifically, it’s the way every individual chooses to do things around here.

To read the full interview, click here.

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