Many talent management programmes are unaffordable and destined to fail, according to Prof. Colin Coulson-Thomas. Speaking in Rio-de-Janeiro he also told HR leaders at an international human capital forum that knowledge management programmes are capturing the wrong sort of knowledge and missing opportunities to transform performance and deliver other benefits.
A five-year investigation by Coulson-Thomas has found that talented people can be costly to recruit and difficult to manage and retain: “Fortunes are spent on expensive people who are not engaged, effectively used, or properly supported. A more affordable route to high performance organisations and quickly achieving multiple objectives is required”. One that is available for adoption is set out in the report Talent Management 2.
In relation to knowledge management Coulson-Thomas believes: “There needs to be a shift of focus from ‘knowing about’ to ‘knowing how to do’; from storage to access and use; from serving C-suite executives to helping front-line and key work groups; from top-down motivation and management to bottom-up support and performance; and from information management to knowledge entrepreneurship”. Another report from the investigation, Transforming Knowledge Management reveals knowledge-based performance support can simultaneously deliver multiple benefits for people and organisations.
Transforming Knowledge Management, Talent Management 2 and Transforming Public Services by Colin Coulson-Thomas which summarise the findings of a five-year investigation into the most cost-effective route to high performance organisations from a knowledge, talent and change management perspective respectively are published by Policy Publications and can be obtained from www.policypublications.com
Prof. Coulson-Thomas was speaking at the 3rd Latin American Human Capital Forum held at the JW Marriott Rio de Janeiro, Av. Atlantica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. At the forum he spoke on both talent management and transforming knowledge management.
Prof. Colin Coulson-Thomas, Chairman of Adaptation, holds a portfolio of board, public and academic appointments. He has helped companies in over 40 countries to improve board and corporate performance and is the author of over 40 books and reports. He has held professorial appointments in Europe, North and South America, the Middle East, India and China. He was educated at the LSE, the London Business School, UNISA and the Universities of Aston, Chicago and Southern California. A fellow of seven chartered bodies he secured first place prizes in the final examinations of three professions and can be contacted via www.adaptation.ltd.uk
01 Apr 2014
Colin Coulson-Thomas