Caribbean Views: Talent Management Considerations for the HR Practitioner
According to HR Expert Dave Ulrich, the most important thing that HR can give an employee is an organization that succeeds in the market place. This is an interesting perspective as it brings to the fore the reality if we do not have a business that is able to win in the market place, we will not have a business. Profit is made through people. Therefore, we can hypothesize that talent is one of the key ingredients required for an organization to be successful. If we can agree on this point, then it is reasonable to suggest that HR should be concerned about TM during COVID-19. Some considerations which can be made by as it pertains to TM include:
1. Will we redefine our talent philosophy? Talent philosophies can be defined as the ‘fundamental assumptions and beliefs about the nature, value, and instrumentality of talent that are held by a firm’s key decision makers’ (Meyers and Woerkom 2014). It in essence addresses what is our leanings towards talent being exclusive (some people) versus inclusive (all people). This will be an important consideration as COVID-19 has redefined who is an essential worker. Traditionally, the knowledge workers were seen as the employees who add greater strategic value to the organization. During this period the status quo has changed as the front line workers have become the heroes in organizations. Based on the COVID-19 learnings, can our approach to talent remain the same?
2. What capabilities will we need? The future of work is here. It has been fast-tracked as evident by a number of companies attempting to get digital and move the business online. Digital transformation may require a different skillset than that which exists in house. This is the time to assess the alignment between the skills needed for the present and the future with the skills residing in your talent pool. If found that there are gaps, a decision will need to be made around the issue of building versus buying talent.
3. What are the pivotal positions which will contribute to gaining a sustainable competitive advantage i.e. strategic versus non-strategic jobs? This may require some semblance of job analysis to determine which roles we will keep, transform or introduce. What is the status of our talent pool? If we need to recruit, how much is the organization prepared to pay? Additionally, how willing is the organization to capitalize on opportunities which may arise for example, due to lay-offs or redundancies. There may be persons who you were unable to afford in the past, who will become available on the job market.
HR has a grand opportunity to get a seat at the proverbial table. The ability of HR Practitioners to be strategic and demonstrate that the decisions made will help the business to be successful today and in the future is critical. The approach to talent management made in the organization is important and must be considered.
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Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.
