Elearning! Magazine: Building Smarter Companies via Learning & Workplace Technologies.
Issue link: http://elmezine.epubxp.com/i/74275
Technology Making an Impact On Human Relations Functions BLENDED BECOMES MORE BLENDED; RECRUITING BECOMES MORE SOCIAL; AND MORE. BY JERRY ROCHE Talent. It's what successful organizations are built around. It's what takes organiza- tions to the next level. Is it no wonder, then, that the biggest trend in human rela- tions/human capital management in 2012 is developing and nurturing leaders? "One trend we've seen loud and clear is organizations making sure they will have leaders for tomorrow, " says Mollie Lombar- di, research director in the Human Capital Management Division for the Aberdeen Group. "We're really talking about manag- ing talent risk. If you don't have a backup who knows all the right moves, it can have a severe impact on your organization's per- formance. Learning can be a retention tool to keep top talent with an organization as well as a readiness tool, to make sure that you have people to take on [specific] roles when the time comes. It can be a win-win for both the individual and the company. She observes four "pressures" driving leadership development: " 1 2 3 4 28 An ever-evolving business landscape that requires new skills of its managers; A shortage of available talent in the marketplace; A drive to find more creative, lower-cost means of developing leaders; and Te aging workforce where key leaders retire. July / August 2012 Elearning! One of the solutions is to have those elder statesmen of the company help their successors. "Having ties with exiting leaders be- ing mentors or retaining some of the knowledge-transfer relationships can be rewarding for some senior leaders leaving, " Lombardi says, "but it can also allow the organization to tap into the guidance and experience they bring, even as they may be transitioning out of the business." Josh Bersin, president and founder of Bersin & Associates, agrees. "Our talent management research in- dicates that, among all the talent-related processes in HR, more focus is being given to leadership development and succes- sion planning than almost any other area (with performance management coming in second)," he recently wrote. "HR man- agers and executives must identify critical talents required by the organization; integrate the business processes involved in retaining and develop- ing employees with these talents; and provide on- going workforce planning. Tis requires eliminating silos of processes and information for compensation, perfor- mance management, leadership develop- ment, and succession planning. It also re- quires better integration of HR systems for