How should we approach talent management in the future?

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Many ideas around the workforce of the future focus on the type of work done or where it will take place, but what will working in a different, less rigid way mean for talent management?  If predictions of future workforces made up of a small nucleus of in-house staff and a much larger virtual networks of freelancers, contractors and suppliers come true, then HR will need to get savvier about nurturing talent. By the very nature of what it is and does, technology in the shape of social media and collaboration tools is starting to break down organisational silos and hierarchies. This situation is enabling people in different departments, functions and countries to connect and communicate much more easily. But, as everything becomes more fluid and networked, this scenario is also starting to erode the traditionally rigid notion of a job and the strict work divisions that have been applied in the past. [pullquote]If you think about the employee lifecycle, you’ll have to attract people in a different way." - Colin Sloman, Accenture Strategy[/pullquote] According to Accenture’s latest research, Humanising Work Through Digital, 44% of high-growth companies already use temporary, collaborative teams made up of “people coalescing around joint goals”. Having invested in collaboration tools such as interactive portals and wikis, these businesses found that productivity increased by 80%.

Revising how we see talent

But, despite the apparent upsides, this does raise a number of issues for HR. As the report points out: “Whole HR departments organise nearly every talent practice around the concept of jobs, and managers and employees use the notion of the job to hire, manage and organise teams.” Clearly, transitioning out of the old world view into the new will not be easy. In fact, there will be ramifications in everything from recruitment to engagement and succession management. Colin Sloman, managing director of Accenture Strategy, explains: “If you think about the employee lifecycle, you’ll have to attract people in a different way, for instance, using social