Over the last year I had the pleasure of working with Peter Devries and Allan Schweyer to develop Talent Management Technologies, a detailed look at the solutions and features available today from the leading providers in the industry
Our aim was to create a landscape of information that is orderly, consistent, and enables some level of comparison through the complex array of solutions and functionality available today. But based on more than ten years of deep involvement working with clients in the evaluation and implementation of talent technology, I can tell you that no single book or any source of information is enough to drive a complex purchasing decision. We call it a “buyer’s guide,” but a technology strategy involves more than a comparison of solutions.
An effective talent technology strategy is based on the needs and goals of the organization, combined with an understanding of the solutions that are out there. It also considers how technology will be able to accommodate the changes that may come over the next several years. The right decision requires a sound strategy for understanding your priorities, and an objective process for identifying and evaluating the choices.
With that said, it’s very exciting to see the project come together, and to be able to dig into the solutions landscape with a useful level of detail, while at the same time staying out of the “weeds” of information overkill. It’s also a labor of love for those of us who have seen first hand the evolution of solutions that span the entire spectrum of the talent lifecycle.
We see the solutions guide as a beginning, not an ending. We work in an industry that’s constantly changing. The push and pull between the comprehensive solutions and the best-of-breed niche providers will continue. The advance of the talent mindset will also continue. Companies will refine their strategies and their expectations.
That’s why we look forward to making much of the information available online to readers through the Human Capital Institute. Our portal will make the solutions information available, and it will provide the foundation for us to add content, change the information, and stay on top of what is a fast-changing industry.
I want to thank my colleagues for their work in bringing this together: Allan Schweyer, for his insight on the evolution of HR to talent management, and Peter DeVries and his team for their work in compiling the provider information. I also would like to recognize our solutions providers for compiling and providing information to fit our common format. It’s great to have a place where we can see the industry as it is today, and I think you’ll agree that we all look forward to seeing what the future holds.
