Talent Management for the Twenty-First Century

"In this article, Peter Cappelli comes to a surprising conclusion. The main objective of the human resources function is to ensure that the ""capital of talent"" is aligned with the needs of the business. However, the large majority of corporate HR departments do not do this very effectively. Many tend to be extremely passive, and respond to needs only when asked. At the other extreme, the sophisticated resource planning systems implemented and used by HR in large corporations turn out to be just as unsuited to contexts where needs evolve rapidly.
Taking inspiration from the world of production and supply chain management, the author suggests a new approach to talent management that could be qualified as ""just-in-time."" In a volatile market where needs change in a flash, rather than creating a ""pool"" of competent employees who can be mobilized when needed, companies are better off accepting the uncertainties inherent in any forecast and managing their talent acquisition and development investments accordingly."