Managing talent for
competitive advantage – this is a sentiment that resonates in every
organization as people are its most valuable resource. So when the first HR
Confluence 2012 addressed this very issue, it was bound to generate a huge
interest among industry experts as well as budding managers.
The discussions of HR
Confluence 2012- Managing talent for competitive advantage revolved around
three major themes which addressed the central idea in phases. These were
talent spotting, talent retention and talent development. The main objective of
the event was to provide insights into the plurality of perspectives on talent
management. Also, the factors affecting the adoption and formulation of talent
management strategy tailor-made to meet specific local needs and context of an
organization were discussed.
In a fiercely
competitive environment, how do companies identify the right talent from the
same employee pool, especially with the shrinking percentage of employable
people? The discussions on talent spotting
addressed this very dilemma. Acquiring the right talent is just a part of the
problem organizations face. How to retain it seems to be the bigger issue as talent retention is easier said than
done. More importantly, how can companies
best plan, select and implement development strategies for the entire talent
pool to ensure that the organization has both the current and future supply of
talent to meet their strategic objectives? Talent
development plays a crucial role in every organization for this very
reason.
To address these
issues on talent management, the HR Confluence 2012 witnessed HR practitioners from
prominent companies in both public and private sectors such as SAIL, TVS,
Renault-Nissan, Deloitte, L&T, Essar Oil Ltd., Balco and Carwale. From
elucidating the concept of employee management using ’The Mahabharata’ to
stressing on the need for companies to recruit individuals not just for their
skills rather for the principles they carry, each speaker brilliantly put their
thoughts forward. The common thread present in their speech was the cardinal
principle – ‘People are important’.
The ideas
exchange that took place during the entire event was immense. The queries put
forward by the students, inquisitive to know about the real-time business
scenarios, were received with equal enthusiasm by the speakers. By providing
the practitioner’s perspective on the questions raised, the experts helped the
student panelists gain a better understanding of the realities faced by
organizations. This is what ultimately resulted in the success of the inaugural
chapter of HR Confluence paving the way to its second chapter in August 2013.
Every organization spends a great
deal of resources in recruiting and training its ‘talent’. Hence, it is
relevant to discuss issues that deal with recruiting, developing and retaining
people. However, there is much more to this story. Strategic recruiting and employee
branding are equally essential for the long term sustainability of an
organization. This is what the upcoming HR
Confluence 2013 aims to address. Let’s see it take forward the success
story of 2012 this year to a whole new level.
