Talent management
by Sue Shortland

Talent management has become the new buzz-word in HR speak – and as such it might be easy to dismiss it as a fad. But it is far from this – it covers the whole spectrum of resourcing a business to ensure profitability, competitiveness and keeping ahead of the pack. To do this, people have to be managed strategically – and this extends from recruitment and selection through to retention, development and promotion, including deployment in different geographical locations, through to leaving.

Working within the big picture in a strategic manner is by no means easy – thinking strategically involves making choices today that will affect your business tomorrow. The numerous talent management activities have to be aligned and integrated with business strategies. HR still has some way to go in gaining sufficient experience in business partnering. If it spends too much time on planning and ticking boxes, it can lose sight of where the organisation is going. However, to manage talent within the bigger picture for the future, it also means keeping focus on the detail and the here and now.

So how can this dilemma be resolved and a balance be struck? A focus is still needed on the process – talent lists and succession planning – but in addition emphasis must be placed on the development and enhancement of core and new capabilities. Some of these are technical others are inspirational – capability to do the job but also competencies to lead and manage in a global environment.

Deployment in developmental roles at home or internationally is used to augment competencies and so enhance organisational core capability. Yet traditional approaches to mobility are at odds with today’s lifestyles and thus present significant challenges to HR. Imagination is needed to achieve a solution to the twin but competing pressures of increasing globalisation set against reduced global mobility through expatriate deployment.

The way forward lies in differentiation and flexibility, although managed within the confines of policy promoting equity. This is no easy task and therefore one that requires inspirational management to see it through. To begin and maintain effective talent management requires an examination of organisational values, recruiting for attitude and inducting for culture to achieve fit with an emphasis on diversity and teamwork to gain competitive advantage. Know what you are looking for now and think ahead to how to best develop and utilise these people in the future.

Susan M. Shortland, MA (Cantab) is a senior lecturer and course leader at London Metropolitan University.