HR and talent management leaders need to take a holistic view of talent management if they want to aid their organizations in surviving this recession and position correctly for the inevitable recovery.

Recessionary Management: The Top DOs and DON’Ts for Managing Talent in the Current Downturn outlines how HR leaders can make the right talent decisions today, whether their organization is retrenching, maintaining, or expanding.

Key findings of the study by Taleo Research and the Human Capital Institute show that while some organizations intend to take advantage of the bounty of talent now on the market, most will struggle with the challenges of selective hiring while letting others go. Many also need to upgrade technology to make progress on the initiatives they value.

Just look at the difference between the practices respondents need to preserve their bottom line and brand compared to their use of technology.

Technology Application to Most Valued Recessionary Practices

Except in performance management where technology nearly matches value perception, there is sub-optimal use of technology support for essential talent management processes.