Bureaucracy hinders innovation and creativity, but most organisations adhere to traditional talent management processes. This is counter-productive. The job market has evolved, with the ‘job for life’ becoming extinct.
The Recruitment and Employment Confederation’s (REC) latest Jobs Outlook survey of 600 employers shows that half expect a shortage of candidates for permanent jobs in the next three months.
Though experts suggest training up people with ‘potential’ and recruiting from different sectors, challenges remain.
Rethinking resourcng
Too often we expect individuals to meet all the competencies in a job specification, which tends to be a wish list, rather than a real reflection of skills required. According to the REC survey, 80% of employers have re-advertised a role and 24% lowered requirements after failing with an initial advertisement.
Does one person need to do everything set out in the job spec? The reality is that we need to reinvent the way we manage talent.
Among the five role preferences categorised by The GC Index® – Play Maker, Game Changer, Strategist, Polisher and Implementer – Game Changers and Play Makers were the most poorly represented among the 150 HR directors assessed (see diagram).
Our data supports the stereotype of HR professionals as predominantly task-focused tacticians getting things done.
But the business landscape is unrecognisable from 20 years ago – people don’t have the same career trajectory, move jobs more quickly, are working longer – so we need to adapt to reflect this. To do this we need to draw on the skills of Game Changers, able to transform our future, and Play Makers, building productive relationships.
Forward-thinking HR directors recognise an idea that has the potential to transform the future and connect people to make it happen. It’s these HRDs who are successful in driving transformation. To keep up, we need to focus on better work flow management of work flow, creating a lean system to accommodate people who want to work with us and help us manage a number of individuals essentially doing one role.