Everyone talks about the importance of workforce planning. But they frequently speak without really defining what it means. That is why we like the latest report from the Conference Board, released this month: Strategic Workforce Planning Forecasting Human Capital Needs to Execute Business Strategy. This is a must read for anyone serious about workforce planning [...]

For many organizations today the world of talent is a global one. Putting the right people in the right places takes very special meaning in this global landscape of infinite options. Mercer has published a good framework to help you achieve this goal. At the micro level, it is always very important to be able [...]

The gut-feel proponents start to seem like people who eschew antibiotics in favor of good old-fashioned bloodletting. That was the tone of the article from Inc. Magazines interesting cover story about what they call the new science of hiring. But there are tools that work and others that dont. This article provides a good overview [...]

IDC performed a survey at the Taleo WORLD conference in May 2006 and compiled their results into a new survey called Talent Pulse Survey. Two key learnings for us: (1) retention is a key concern and (2) competencies are well used among Taleo customers. To the question: Which of the following issues are you most [...]

AMR Research announced their annual review of the On Demand enterprise application market share and growth projections. An AMR research analyst says: Software-as-a-service is on fire, making sure that strong overall growth continues for the next several years. They see the customer relationship management (CRM) and the human capital management (HCM) markets as the fastest [...]

The Economist Intelligence Unit and DDI have produced a report called The CEOs role in talent management based on 20 interviews of CEOs and COOs of $1B+ companies worldwide. The conclusion should be a motivation for HR people: The management of a companys pool of talent is now too important to be left to the [...]

As many leaders strive to optimize organizational performance, many are turning to talent management. Weve seen references on this blog to the many aspects of an optimized talent supply chain. But weve also seen that there is often a disconnect between what leaders or people in charge of policy development believe and what the employee [...]

If you are involved in global talent management, you must ask yourself this question even if you dont always want to admit it: Where is it the least costly to hire, employ, and fire? We were pleased to see the World Bank report: Doing business in 2006 ” Creating Jobs. So here is the answer [...]

This question was asked to the staffing.org respondents of their 2006 survey. For organizations, the #1 rank was given to technology. #4 was branding. #7 contingent workforce management. #2 was still the job board selection! Outsourcing was #6. Here are more key Q&As: What was the metric that organizations will focus next year on? Its [...]

Our friends at Staffing.org have released their 2006 Staffing Performance Report on staffing metrics. Its a good read for anyone trying to get benchmarks and many other interesting data. For years we supported their emphasis on quality of hire; it should be the #1 metric that any organization measures. However, today only 40% of organizations [...]