RPO and Talent Management Blog by Ochre House | Ochre Talk

Identifying people for the future

Change is happening all around us, and whilst adapting to this shifting environment is becoming the norm for businesses worldwide, the pace of this change is perhaps happening quicker than we had expected. This presents a daunting challenge for HR; forecasting, attracting and retaining the talent needed for what is ultimately an uncertain future.

This subject formed part of the recent Ochre House HR Directors Annual Symposium where one of the speakers gave his particular outlook on the problem. According to David Stephenson, Head of Learning and Development at Telefónica O2 UK and Ireland, for HR to deal with and even benefit from this fast moving environment, businesses need to bring on board people who thrive on ambiguity, complexity and uncertainty.

Put simply, an organisation needs a balance between people who fit with the organisation in its current state, and ‘maverick’ types who bring a new perspective to the table. Sound easy? No, I didn’t think so either. Recruiting this type of skill is going to prove difficult for two reasons:

1) The natural inclination is always to recruit in your own image, so it will be a steep learning curve to recruit a whole new persona.

2) These mavericks have a tendency to rapidly move on from organisations that have not created an environment where their attitudes and approaches are recognised and valued.

So how can HR go about attracting and retaining these mavericks? Stephenson argued that a more relaxed approach and taking more risks on people who do not obviously fit with the company is the way forward. To do this it will need to be accepted that this approach can lead to a high attrition rate as the value of such people is not in their long term aspirations. Instead it is their role as short-term catalysts for change and development which should be capitalised.

Another method for attracting this talent is a drastic over haul of current systems. Stephenson used the example of Dan Walker, Head of Talent at Apple who purged the incumbent HR function, dispensing with nearly half of its members in order to implement his concept that HR’s role is simply about the acquisition of talent.

Stephenson’s methodology is not something many in the HR profession is likely to feel fully confident in implementing, but it is a necessary alteration in this changing economy. The ability to adapt to shifting markets will be crucial in coming years and simply having good people is no longer enough. They need to be energised and engaged in order to deliver real and lasting value.

I would be interested to hear what you think. Please share your thoughts.

• Tweet