On behalf of my team at The Newman Group and Futurestep, as well as our colleagues here at HCI, I’d like to welcome you to the talent management technologies reference center. Over the years, I’ve had the good fortune to experience, first hand, the transformation of HR as a practice to the holistic talent management function found in many organizations today. Technology has played a key role in that transformation.
Today, technology providers continue to evolve their offerings as they reach for a solution that supports all aspects of talent management. Companies are looking for better ways to connect everything from sourcing and recruiting, to onboarding, learning development, succession planning and everything in between. Add workforce planning functionality as the strategic glue, and competencies as the common language, and you have that ideal that the industry has strive to reach for years: a holistic platform for integrated talent management.
As providers continue to reach for that ideal, talent leaders now have a tremendous array of choices, including broad enterprise solutions as well as best-of-breed offerings from niche providers. In short, there is no single “best” solution out there, as the right system truly depends on a company’s needs today, and how it’s talent function will look in the future.
For anyone involved planning for new solutions, upgrading current solutions, or connecting systems and functions, the choices are great. Often it is difficult to decide where to begin. Based on more than ten years helping companies with their thorniest talent management technology issues, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to help shed some light on today’s solutions landscape, by developing the Talent Management Technologies guide.
We believe that we have the framework to provide a level of detail that is meaningful, while still maintaining a high-level view to help planners understand their choices. My experience in helping companies create highly-successful talent technology strategies has shown me that no single guide should drive a talent technology decision. Despite what the book cover says, it is not a “buyer’s guide.” That’s because the real guide to any large purchasing decision should be your organization’s strategy and goals. It’s a philosophy we understand, and one we help our clients support.
As someone who understands the ever-changing nature of technology and talent management as a practice today, I was even happier to partner with HCI to have this solutions info posted online. The reason is simple: the market is always changing. The Technology Reference Centers gives us the ability to better update solutions information, add new solutions, and make changes over time. I look forward to providing updates to the solutions information in the guide itself over the coming months, and we’ll continue to provide blog updates on all aspects of talent management technology and strategy.
Meanwhile, if you’re interested learning more about the Talent Management Technologies Reference Center and our thoughts on the solutions market and trends, consider attending our HCI Webcast on the Talent Management Strategy and Execution Learning Track, Tuesday April 13, 12:00 pm EDT:
The Reference Center Guide to Talent Management Technology 2010
