HRs Role in the Age of Talent

by Alice Snell | May 29, 2008 No comments

The Role of HR in The Age of Talent whitepaper prompted some blog buzz, including The HR Capitalist posting”and thread of comments”When People Say HR Stinks, It’s Simple…Don’t Stink… It revisits the controversy around the role of HR as a business partner.

We think that talent management is best implemented as a partnership between the business and HR. We already know its a top business priority. Interestingly, the study results from a small sample of respondents from Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) show a sharp difference from North America (NA). Their encouraging perspective?

HR reports directly to the CEO in 71% of companies in ANZ versus 58% in NA.

78% of respondents from ANZ claim that HR is either respected or highly respected and occasionally or frequently consulted on corporate strategy versus 64% in NA.

32% from ANZ assess their organizations as being well prepared or very well-prepared to address coming talent management challenges versus 18% in North America.

In the age of talent, we agree that HR is a profession in transition, especially when it comes to realizing the transformational power of unified talent management on organizations. We understand the pain but we also see the gains, and agree with the comments of report author Alan Schweyer, Executive Director of the Human Capital Institute:

the most successful organizations make talent management a priority for every leader, manager and supervisor

the gap in awareness between talent management and HR, is narrowing, as is the time spent in each activity

Take the time to make talent management happen in your organization, to realize HR elevation, deliver the payoff to the business, and perhaps even add to your own compensation.

Alice Snell

Alice Snell

Former Vice President, Taleo Research

Alice Snell is former Vice President of Taleo Research. Ms. Snell has been tracking and analyzing the intersection between technology and talent management for more than a decade. A noted […]