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It is obvious that existing talent management should put the customer need first and also add value to the organisation for which talent is required
In a paper published back in 2019, (why does that seem such a very long time ago?) entitled ‘HR disruption – Time already to reinvent talent management’ Lisbeth Claus suggests that this re-engineering
’requires augmentation of the talent management body of knowledge----both the traditional transactional HR expertise and the more strategic HR talent management professional knowledge----with a stack of know-how and skills from other management-related disciplines outside of HR.’
Working right in the centre of talent acquisition and management I could not agree more. Gorman said back in 2015 that we need ‘
‘a collection of technologies and solutions that can be used to manage the people processes across an organisation.’
Photo: Marta Filipczyk
What this means for companies is the need for them to develop and design a brand-new architecture to handle their talent management needs
I have seen how companies are still realigning themselves to the shifts in behaviour and working practices brought on by the pandemic. Of course, over and above all of this, diversity is at the very top of the agenda and it is important that as HR professionals, consulting with large companies, we bring in different skills to augment our traditional HR approaches. We must implement strategy and have a good understanding of design thinking, rather than reactive and simplistic, short term or interim problem solving. Our project management should be agile, and our understanding and implementation of behavioural economics will help us manage the 4th Industrial Revolution that is leveraging HR out of its comfort zone. According to Claus ‘demography, technology and globalisation are key drivers’ Just think how many people have the capacity to work well into their 70s. How will we amalgamate these skills and talents? It seems anachronistic to consider our approach to life moving forward when babies born in the West at this moment are likely to live until they are over 100 years old. How relevant will their first educational experience actually be sixty years after the event?
With workers moving towards retirement at 70, the three-stage life experience model has gone
In its place we have a more diverse workforce that will work longer and expect a multi-cultural approach to their working practices, their career progression and more besides. We are looking to find talent who are keen and able to demonstrate their authentic selves in the workplace, not just what they imagine the accepted modus operandi dictates. A few years ago, Robert De Niro starred in the comedy The Intern that took a light-hearted approach to an older man taking an internship in a contemporary company. Interestingly we are more than likely to experience multi-generational workforces where as many as four generations might well be employed by the same organisation.
In addition, AI is taking on many routine jobs
I have even written about robots sifting CVs and conducting first interviews. Six years ago, it was estimated that 60% of all occupations could have 30% of their menial tasks replaced by A.I. This doesn’t have to be as scary as it might appear as humans are left to do what they actually do best: cross domain thinking and strategic tasks.
As talent management professionals we should respond to and also lead change
Photo: Arno Smit
Even the ‘untethering ‘of work from a specific physical location has transformed what we all do and the expectations we have of work. We are reclassifying what work actually means. Contingent work and varied work arrangements that might include visiting a local hub as well as working from home are all being developed as I write. We need to manage 24/7 connections, a blurring of the boundaries between work and home, free time and work hours. We also see less secure worker modalities and that will prompt many people to reappraise their work identities. Continued professional development will no longer be an option but a necessity.
Jobs for life, stifling corporation, lack of flexibility regarding work breaks and ways of working will all become benefits that people will look for
As I said at the beginning of this article this is a time for more customer satisfaction and also real relevance for the future of companies. As a professional recruiter I am excited by the challenges I have been working with over the past couple of years and know there is much more where that came from.
Looking to acquire talent?
If you are looking to acquire talent across the Food and Ingredients sector and beyond, we have an excellent understanding of how senior leadership teams operate internationally and can find the missing team members. We understand that certain roles may welcome personnel from outside the sector and bring in an exciting, diverse and dynamic perspective whereas other roles such as the Chief R&D Officer might well need to be industry specific. We can certainly help you find talent for all roles. All we require are your parameters and we can utilise our contemporary approach to find the right people for your organisation.
