The Global Talent Crisis

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Human capital strategy must be an intrinsic part of any business strategy, but it requires the discipline of a long-distance runner.

I have seen many midsize European companies that aren't able to go global as fast as they wish because they don't have the "employer brand" in the markets they wish to serve. They need to work at building that employer brand first—before trying to recruit quality talent in new markets. Conversely, I have been amazed at the level of ambition of a country like Singapore, which is encouraging the inward flow of millions of skilled workers over the next few years to maintain its position as a regional powerhouse.

2. Diversity must be recognized and nurtured as the organization's greatest asset, and the ability to attract and work with diverse talent must be seen as a critical competitive advantage.

For example, Eli Lilly's (LLY) operations in Japan overcame the hiring difficulties of a more limited labor pool by targeting Japanese women, whose employment opportunities are more limited in the male-dominated culture of Japanese firms. However, in a multipolar word, we must expand the traditional notions of diversity. Diversity means much more than ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation. New and evolving diverse populations include a full range of ages as well as career and geographic experiences. Global mobility of management talent is becoming a critical discussion with many of the organizations I meet—as is the diversity of global experience represented around the board room table.

3. Learning and skills development are among one of the most important capabilities for the talent-powered organization, but the best programs—aimed at a global workforce—recognize that not everyone learns in the same way or at the same pace. Increasingly, technological innovations are generating new and exciting answers to these challenges.

New software tools and services are enabling companies to have their top performers collaborate, share their ideas, and flesh out new products and processes over distances and time zones from anywhere around the world.

Technology is also at the core of an Internet-based learning approach in Kenya being used with nurses who are seeking certification. With access to curriculums in and around their hospitals and villages, nurses are able to balance their home lives and combine theory with practice in real time. An eLearning training program that we developed with the African Medical & Research Foundation (AMREF) was designed to train 20,000 nurses in just five years—instead of 100 years—and thereby help combat the health-worker talent crisis on the African continent.

Here's another example. The U.S. Tennessee Valley Authority leverages its learning investments by developing competency where it is most critical—not an easy task considering that its workforce ranges from the agency's own law-enforcement personnel to custodians. Organized into "job families," each group has its own profession-specific learning team.

4. Engagement is the mystery ingredient that can transform business performance, but it can be elusive.

Engagement drivers are as diverse as the talent pools we see across the globe, and they need to be tailored to the local cultures as well as the corporate cultures of organizations.

In Brazil, I saw how an innovative cosmetics and personal products company motivates its sales force by engaging them very directly in the sustainability mantra of the organization. That way they can understand the products they are selling as well as believe in their organization's care for the environment from which they are sourced.

In the U.S., Google (GOOG) attracts, engages, and retains employees by promoting the fun experience of working there.