Approximate reading time: 2 minutes
How do you make sense of the vast outpourings in recent years on talent management? One of the most salutary experiences of writing a book on talent management has been trying to make sense of the seemingly endless reports, surveys, white papers, blogs and interactive tools devoted to the ever expanding facets of talent management.
I thought I had it cracked, until just the other day some kind person drew my attention to a 2009 report by Booz & Co. How on earth could I have missed it? Up till then I was sure I had nailed down the main thought leaders’ contributions, only to find that the more I dug the deeper in the mire I sank.
And in sinking it was only too easy to lose all sense of direction. One minute I found myself focused heavily on strategy, the next on engagement, and soon after that on metrics, and then on the implications of the generational shifts.
Clearly though I am not alone in this dilemma, as many of the white papers, surveys and reports of recent times have equal trouble in producing truly insightful conclusions about talent management in the 21st Century.
Grateful though I was for example, to the CIPD for its Talent Perspective telling me what it feels like to be talent managed, I did not find the results entirely fulfilling and wondered if I was alone in such a conclusion. This is not to dismiss its value, as I am sure somebody somewhere found it riveting.
While one does not expect papers on talent management necessarily to be riveting, one does hope they will be readable and easy to understand. There have been plenty that seem full of sound and fury, as well as charts and graphics that add little to the sum total of knowledge and in many cases appear highly derivative.
So, let’s imagine you asked me to name my top contenders on talent management, excluding entire books. Here are three publications that hit the spot. Again, I certainly do not at all dismiss the good work done by many others in this field, it’s just that these did make me sit up, take notice, whip out my highlighter and keep using it.
Have a look at:
Leveraging the Talent-Driven Organization, Richard Adler Rapporteur, Aspen Society. This is particularly good as an overview. It is also excellent on social media and why this is so important and how some smart companies are using it
Global Talent Innovation: Strategies for Breakthrough Performance, Booze &Co
Of course there is a lot more where these came from, particularly from the ever productive CIPD researchers. To see my current chosen list of talent management resources visit:
http://www.maynardleigh.co.uk/page.php?identity=papers
This does not purport to be anything other than a highly personal choice of insightful or highly relevant publications. Finally, what are your top three reads on talent management? I would welcome hearing from you, so feel free to write to me direct or to add a comment below this blog.
Talent Management by Stephen Hoare and Andrew Leigh, will be published by FT Pearson early in 2011
