Employees ping, tweet, post, “like,” chat and share every day. Although they can pick their social media outlet, be it Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or the like, they are part of a culture in which social networking sites are ubiquitous. Because of this trend, organizations spanning all industries are examining how these tools can be used to solve real business problems. Specifically, the idea of social business is spilling into HR departments, opening the door for a more collaborative approach to the way talent managers work. To illustrate how a social networking mindset can be effective in talent management, consider the following example.

In 2002, the Oakland Athletics (A’s), with an approximate payroll of $40 million, were competitive in the American League with larger market teams such as the New York Yankees, who spent more than $126 million in payroll that season. Despite the A’s lower budget, they were able to grab key players who helped the team finish first in the American League with 103 wins.

How the A’s pulled this off highlights a valuable lesson for the HR industry. The team was able to spot players undervalued by the market and unleash their skills for the team’s benefit, a skill missing from many HR departments. More often than not, professional sports scouts have clear visibility and insights into their organizational talent as well as the development trajectory of key players. This has much to do with the fact that those within professional sports constantly receive social feedback through coaching and mentoring, and actively network within the baseball ecosystem.

Corporate talent managers can learn from their professional sports counterparts and take steps to gain visibility, uncover hidden talent and develop undervalued assets by developing the organization’s information brokers and key talent, and give business executives a sustainable competitive advantage. Relying solely on traditional talent metrics and performance management data is not sufficient to promote employee success. Instead, talent leaders should emphasize the importance of receiving social feedback from co-workers, coaches, mentors and others to uncover unique characteristics and hidden talents. Managers can then gather additional information about the employee, and combine performance management data with word-of-mouth information. For instance, talent managers can start looking at social feedback such as how connected, respected and influential an employee is in the business network to identify additional strengths or areas that require development or correction.