How a Leading University Transformed Talent Management and Achieved 96% Performance Review Completion with Cornerstone TXP
Cornerstone: Empowering Organizations with a Future-Ready Talent Experience Platform
Cornerstone is a global leader in talent experience technology, offering an AI-powered, skills-first platform designed to modernize learning, development, and performance management. Serving over 7,000 customers and 125 million users across 180 countries, Cornerstone helps organizations unite their people strategies with business objectives. The Talent Experience Platform (TXP) integrates learning, career development, skills intelligence, and succession planning, empowering employees to grow and succeed while driving organizational agility.
Cornerstone is a winner in the 2024 HR Tech Awards program. The following case study was a major contributor to Cornerstone’s entry and subsequent win. For more information, please visit HRTechAwards.org.
Transforming Talent Management at a Leading University
The Challenge: Modernizing Performance Management and Career Development
One of the nation’s premier public research institutions faced significant challenges in its decentralized HR processes. Each school and department operated independently, resulting in fragmented approaches to performance reviews, learning management, and succession planning. With a growing need for a unified system, the university sought to align HR practices with its mission and vision while providing equitable career development opportunities for its employees.
The Solution: Cornerstone’s Talent Experience Platform
The university implemented Cornerstone’s TXP to centralize its HR functions and enable a more cohesive approach to talent management. Key modules included:
- Performance Management: Introduced cascading goals to align employee objectives with institutional priorities.
- Learning Management: Centralized compliance training and introduced self-directed learning opportunities.
- Succession Planning: Shifted focus from position-based to person-based models for career advancement.
- Compensation Module: Streamlined performance-based pay processes and career development milestones.
These integrations allowed the university to transition from fragmented systems to a cohesive talent management strategy.
The Results: A Unified Talent Strategy
Since implementing Cornerstone TXP, the university has achieved remarkable outcomes:
- Performance Review Completion: Increased to over 96%, with all employees required to set annual goals.
- Compliance Training: Achieved 100% adherence to mandatory training, supported by centralized tracking and reporting.
- Career Development: Employees now have access to structured career path templates and growth opportunities based on skills and competencies.
- Improved Succession Planning: Pilot programs demonstrated the value of unified strategies, paving the way for broader implementation.
Creating a Culture of Learning and Growth
The university’s HR leaders leveraged Cornerstone to foster a culture of continuous learning. Employees now engage in courses addressing timely issues like diversity, equity, inclusion, remote collaboration, and work-life balance. Self-directed learning has become a cornerstone of professional growth, with employees exploring wellness and career advancement content at record rates.
Additionally, the TXP has aligned learning and development with performance and compensation processes, ensuring that high performers are recognized, rewarded, and retained.
Conclusion: A Model for Higher Education Talent Management
By partnering with Cornerstone, the university has modernized its HR practices, unified its talent management systems, and created a more equitable, transparent approach to career development. With streamlined processes, increased employee engagement, and measurable results, the university demonstrates how Cornerstone’s TXP can drive transformation in complex organizations.
For institutions seeking to modernize HR and empower their workforce, this case study highlights the transformative impact of Cornerstone’s Talent Experience Platform.
Ben Eubanks is the Chief Research Officer at Lighthouse Research & Advisory. He is an author, speaker, and researcher with a passion for telling stories and making complex topics easy to understand.
His latest book Talent Scarcity answers the question every business leader has asked in recent years: “Where are all the people, and how do we get them back to work?” It shares practical and strategic recruiting and retention ideas and case studies for every employer.
His first book, Artificial Intelligence for HR, is the world’s most-cited resource on AI applications for hiring, development, and employee experience.
Ben has more than 10 years of experience both as an HR/recruiting executive as well as a researcher on workplace topics. His work is practical, relevant, and valued by practitioners from F100 firms to SMB organizations across the globe.
He has spoken to tens of thousands of HR professionals across the globe and enjoys sharing about technology, talent practices, and more. His speaking credits include the SHRM Annual Conference, Seminarium International, PeopleMatters Dubai and India, and over 100 other notable events.