Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: Strategic HR Review, Volume 14, Issue 1/2

Javier Bajer

Talent

If we look back at the days when only a few courageous people dared to bring the topic of Talent to the organization’s top tables, we should feel proud of what is happening today. Senior teams are frequently debating Talent strategies, HRDs are becoming CEOs and human resource (HR) departments no longer struggle to justify their business value.

In this double issue of Strategic HR Review, you’ll see a wide selection of articles where Talent and Culture interventions are showing measurable value to business in a variety of ways around the world.

Peter Reilly compares East and West HR models; Soni Agrawal looks at employee engagement levels in public sector and private sector organizations; Pramila Rao explores issues awaiting organizations as they move to India; and Satyendra Panday discusses a reward and incentive system of public sector organizations in that country.

Ron Kaufman relates a culture change intervention that yielded substantial results in terms of profitability, employee engagement and customer satisfaction; Dave Ulrich discusses the challenge that comes after winning the “talent wars”; Tyrone Perreira describes a conceptual framework for understanding the factors that influence extra-role workplace behaviors and work performance; and Pradeep Sahay examines how Lean Six Sigma and “just-in-time” principles from the manufacturing world can be adapted to create a best-in-class recruiting function.

It is my hope that when reading this issue of Strategic HR Review, you feel inspired, building on other people’s experiences to design your own Talent strategy.

Perhaps, being courageous around Talent these days means that we truly dare to unlock potential, instead of searching for those who have already expressed that potential. In one of the oldest references to Talent, The Bible’s “Parable of the Talents”, the business case is clear. Those who avoided taking risks by hiding their Talent under the ground missed out. I bet that there is an even bigger game we could play by finding ways to uncover Talent where nobody else is looking. The challenge of developing organizations to be more innovative, honest, collaborative and capable of truly adding value to society is only starting. Enjoy the ride!

Warm regards,

Dr Javier Bajer

Editor-in-Chief

Strategic HR Review