What is Next If Corporate Talent Management is Dead?

Over the past 10 years, human resources professionals have focused on "talent management," which included ways to attract the most talented workers in a candidate pool and keep them engaged while at work. There are even talent analytics tools that help HR executives figure out which candidates are the best fit for an open position. However, a shift is taking place, and human resources leaders are realizing they need to focus on different things.

Executives and company employees in leadership roles are characteristically results-driven, especially now that the economy is starting to pick back up. What's being seen as we kick off 2015 is that human resource professionals are now responsible for getting desirable outcomes.

Sometimes, goals are achieved by robust talent analytics programs. Even as new priorities become apparent in the months ahead, attracting good employees will always be on a list of a successful company's objectives.

However, software that's in demand doesn't just focus on talent analytics. Some offerings are designed to help newly hired employees. Meant to facilitate self-guided workplace education and help human resources professionals set reasonable yet challenging employee goals, such programs demonstrate how new technologies won't just be useful for attracting good employees, but will also help cultivate a good work environment for workers.

There are several talent imperatives suggested by industry expert Josh Bersin, the founder of Bersin by Deloitte. The traditional concept of corporate talent management began about 2004, when several characteristically separate human resources functions were combined. Back then, HR experts focused on ways to recruit and better manage employees, and creators of talent analytics packages soon realized there was a market buzzing for their wares. Although there will still be a need to find and retain top-quality employees moving forward, Bersin believes company goals will be much broader for 2015. Assessing and improving corporate culture are crucial, he says, as is managing an "employment brand."

Employee relations is another key issue that deserves attention. Bersin argues although it's important for employees to be involved in goals that promote a company at large, human resources professionals must also remember employees have personal reasons for choosing to stay at a workplace. Those usually can't be uncovered with talent analytics programs, but they may be revealed through face-to-face communications.

Improving the speed and quality of the hiring process is another area of focus on, Bersin elaborates. Finding a job can be time consuming. If people don't feel they're employed by a workplace that appreciates them, they'll look for employment elsewhere. Perhaps, that's also why Bersin believes employees must be given access to training and development resources. Proper training and ongoing development not only make workers more able to excel in their jobs, but they also give the impression that company leaders truly care about creating an environment that values its workforce.

The sooner HR professionals realize employees are free to work elsewhere if not fulfilled, the easier it should be to put Bersin's recommendations into practice. Talent analytics will still play a role in future workplaces, but there's likely to be a renewed focus on the people who make up those workplaces in the coming years.

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