Our Managing Partners at TalentTelligent were thrilled to partner with talent management industry icons, Dave Ulrich and Allan H. Church to co-author a thought-providing article on the the complexities that are inherent in managing talent. We hope you enjoy this executive summary with a link below to the original article published by IHIRM.
Executive Summary
The success of any organization hinges on its ability to manage talent strategically, and the Talent Management (TM) Profession plays a pivotal role in this pursuit. Three core responsibilities define the TM Profession’s mandate: identifying top talent, efficiently filling roles with high-performing employees, and accelerating the development of future leaders. Ultimately, success is measured when the leaders identified and nurtured by TM professionals ascend to senior C-suite positions. Though the goals are clear, and decades of science-based practices are widely available on how to reach these goals, there seems to be a “know-do” gap in the profession.
To bridge the “knowing-doing” gap, the TM Profession must recognize the complexities inherent in managing talent. The article underscores the importance of taxonomy or frameworks, drawing parallels with models like the Big Five personality traits in psychology. Furthermore, it sheds light on challenges such as science denial within the profession, the lack of top management accountability, susceptibility to bright shiny objects, and the need for broader validation of decision-making tools.
The call to action is clear: TM professionals must navigate the complexities with a discerning eye, embrace validated and integrated frameworks, and focus on long-term capabilities rather than succumbing to short-term pressures. By aligning talent development with future challenges and fostering collaboration with top management, the TM Profession can overcome the obstacles, ensuring a robust leadership bench for sustained organizational success.
For a more in-depth exploration of these insights and actionable strategies, readers are encouraged to delve into the full article co-authored by Dave Ulrich, Allan H. Church, Bob Eichinger and Roger Pearman. The time to close the “knowing-doing” gap in talent management is now, and the roadmap lies in science-driven, best-practice-based approaches that lead to impactful and lasting results.
