Business Innovation and Smart Recruiting Top the HR Agenda

Hiring Innovative Staff a Top Priority According to Global Research From Alexander Mann Solutions

LONDON, December 7, 2010 - Innovation is going to be an essential objective for the majority of
businesses in 2011, and having exceptional people onboard will be vital in
bringing about business success; according to Part One of the Future Fit
Recruitment Report, released today by Alexander Mann Solutions, the provider
of world-class talent and resourcing capability.

The global research project, which examines the opinions of senior global
HR decision makers from around the world, reveals that HR leaders think that
1 in 5 board members or senior executives, 1 in 8 middle managers and 1 in 10
graduates would need to change in order to create a more innovative company
culture. Therefore, if organisations are serious about building an innovative
workforce, radical change is required from the top down; 20 percent of their
current board level staff will need to change, either through recruitment or
training, to move businesses forward.

While recruitment is not always seen as a direct driver of innovation (34
percent view it as a driver of innovation and change), it is definitely
viewed as an enabler (53 percent) and there is almost wholesale agreement
that a lack of good people affects an organisation's ability to innovate,
which only serves to further the importance of high quality personnel as a
catalyst for driving the change. In addition, only 6 percent see recruitment
as a potential barrier to innovation.

While the last two years have been tough, against this uncertain
backdrop, innovation has been rife. Indeed, the research found that almost
three quarters (73 percent) of HR leaders believe that the economic climate
has forced them to innovate in all parts of the business already.

Looking forwards, the picture for HR departments is business as usual for
almost half (46 percent) of companies, but over a third (38 percent) are
cautiously predicting a rise in permanent staffing numbers in the coming
months (increasing to 45 percent in Asia Pac). Interestingly, staffing
confidence is higher in companies where recruitment strategy is set globally
rather than regionally (56% of those with a global recruitment strategy
expect a rise in staff numbers, compared to just 38% where strategy is set
regionally).

Of the HR leaders polled, 92 percent consider innovation to be 'very
important' to their business, the market is ripe for widespread recruitment,
especially given the fact 92 percent of respondents recognised that a lack of
good people will adversely affect an organisation's ability to innovate.

To gauge how far organisations are from achieving the desired level of
innovation, respondents were asked what proportion of their workforce would
need to change in order to bring about a notable shift in company culture,
around innovation.

Quotes:

"Businesses in every sector and region are under increasing pressure to
drive innovation throughout the organisation and deliver tangible results in
a challenging climate", commented Rosaleen Blair, CEO and founder, Alexander
Mann Solutions. "This in turn is raising a number of new challenges for HR,
which has a key role to play in bringing in the talented, game-changing
individuals that businesses need to succeed. If HR is to help drive this
culture of innovation, we will need to see more organisations taking a
genuinely strategic approach to talent, moving away from process-driven,
production line style recruitment and prioritising bringing in the very
brightest and best over the long-term."

"Often companies talk about people being their differentiator," commented
Jerry Collier, Director, Alexander Mann Solutions. "This reports points to
another important fact: people lead change, people can influence innovation
and competitive disruption. And, as this research highlights, it only takes a
relatively small percentage of great hires at different levels to bring about
higher performance. Today's recruitment teams have to be intimate with the
business and must play a key role in changing the game as part of a wider
people strategy."

"Future-proofing business is not about simply fitting square pegs in to
square holes," commented Richard Donkin, the author of The Future of Work,
who contributed to the report. "Too often today, managers have little
appreciation of the size and shape of the hole. The temptation is to look at
a vacancy and match a candidate to the position that needs to be filled.
However, recruiting is no longer that simple, not if companies are serious -
as this report says they are - about finding people with truly innovative
talents."

To request a copy of Alexander Mann Solutions' First Future Fit
Recruitment Report: Confidence and Change, please visit
www.alexandermannsolutions.com

About the research

The results of the Alexander Mann Solutions Future Fit Recruitment Survey
are based on telephone interviews with HR decision makers from large
enterprises (1000+ employees). These included 100 interviews in the UK, 58
interviews in Asia Pac and 40 in the US. Interviews were conducted during
September 2010. In addition the results from a series of 5 depth interviews
are also included.

All interviews were conducted amongst companies with more than 1000
employees, with 23% taking place with companies with 20,000 staff. 64% of
respondents had recruitment responsibility beyond their own geographical
territory and interviews were conducted across a range of sectors.

About Alexander Mann Solutions

Alexander Mann Solutions builds world-class talent and resourcing
capability for organisations and is the recognised global leader in
Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO).

Alexander Mann Solutions is a trusted advisor that delivers its services
through innovative outsourcing and consulting services that include
permanent, contingent, internal mobility, graduate and talent resourcing
programmes. Alexander Mann Solutions was founded in 1996 by Rosaleen Blair,
the Veuve Clicquot 2007 Business Woman of the Year.

For more information, please visit www.alexandermannsolutions.com

For further information, or to arrange an interview with Alexander Mann Solutions please contact: Phil Corfan / James Warnette, Octopus Communications for Alexander Mann Solutions, T: +44-(0)8453-700-655, E: ams at octopuscomms.net