It's All About Defining Integrated Talent Management

Today, more than ever, human resources leaders are expected to partner with business leaders on strategic human capital and talent challenges that impact company success and growth. A different perspective and set of capabilities and skills are necessary for HR to operate at the strategic impact level. Operational excellence is no longer enough. Impacting and managing human capital is about more than quick production of offers and reduced cost per hire. What is required is a strategic, highly consultative business focused approach on talent. That approach places the sourcing, hiring, managing and developing of talent as a means to business success, as part of a larger overall set of HR capabilities and contributions and not as the end point.

All too often companies have many of the tools for management of talent but no overarching and integrated talent management strategy. Training and development programs, 360° feedback instruments, performance management, leadership development, high potential identification and succession management; these are all important components. However, without a well-developed talent management strategy, these elements are often disconnected from each other and from the overall business strategy. Thus not serving leadership priorities and creating and supporting the desired culture. 

 
I recently posed a few questions about integrated talent management to a small and diverse group of individuals. This sample of 12 were or are successful HR leaders, consultants and practitioners including a former CHRO from a Fortune 50 company; a few former heads of talent management for major global companies; a talent management practice leader from a global consulting company; a distinguished business educator, author and practitioner; and a globally known researcher and writer. Members of this group included long established and highly experienced consultants and published authors. Many in fact through their long careers had actually been in more than one of these roles. I am by no means claiming validity or reliability regarding the “results.” Instead it’s an open, focused, honest and thoughtful set of feedback. 
Here are a few of the questions and highlighted areas of consensus:
Q: “What is meant by an integrated talent management strategy or approach?”
A: “A strategy that connects and achieves; “Integrated” means across multi-dimensions; across various HR functions, processes, systems (recruiting, staffing, assessment, development, compensation, succession planning, etc.) and the lifecycle; operating in synergy/together and systematically; linked and aligned to the business strategy (which should be the starting point) and HR functioning together.”
Q: “What is meant by having a leadership strategy?”
A: “Leadership strategy is about what’s expected of leaders and how to develop them; leadership brand, model, (competencies, expectations, knowledge, skills, behaviors, differentiating capabilities); connected to business strategy, follows the business strategy (the kinds of leaders you need to execute the business strategy); approach to developing leaders
Q: “What is necessary for successfully achieving and sustaining integrated talent management?”
A: “HR having clear strategy, working together, no silos; clear link to business strategy; top leadership making this a priority: clear commitment”
Q: “What makes it challenging or difficult for many organizations to successfully achieve and sustain an integrated talent management strategy?”
A: “Siloes; lack of strategy; lack of strategic HR; competing priorities; lack of senior management commitment/engagement, not being active stakeholders in the process”
When I look at the other comments and responses, and reflect upon my own successes and failures, a clear message and roadmap emerges for HR. HR must be more integrated and less divided as an overall function, HR in general and talent management in particular must be more strongly aligned to the business. In addition, we can and should be more strategic, proactive and evidence-based in executing our responsibilities in talent management. Operational excellence is not a sufficient mantra.
We cannot fill the vacuum that leadership often creates and presents to us, the ultimate accountability for managing human capital, just as it is for strategy and culture, is the leadership team’s responsibility. We have to provide the strategies, alternatives, processes and overall infrastructure, all within a direct line of sight to the business. Then we should strive to make this simpler and as user friendly as possible.
Steve Steckler is a principal and senior consultant at inTalent Consulting Group.

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