Reconstructing Talent Management

The Talent-Fueled Enterprise
By Mike Ohata, Larry Durham, and Eric Dingler
Sheridan Books, 178 pp., $25.99

This is a book for visionaries and reformers. The authors' vision for The Talent-Fueled Enterprise is extraordinarily ambitious. In his reflection at the beginning of the book, Dingler writes, "Working with my colleagues, Mike Ohata and Larry Durham, we look to challenge your perspective through this book. Perhaps we will change the world." If companies broadly applied the principles in the book, the world would certainly be a better place.

The fundamental principle in The Talent-Fueled Enterprise is research and consulting firm Gartner's Human Deal Framework. Deeper connections, radical flexibility, personal growth, holistic well-being, and shared purpose drive today's workforce. The days of holding the same job for one's entire career have long passed. Now, employees seek more than just a paycheck; they are looking for employers who see them as human beings—as investments in the future.

Throughout the book, the authors keep coming back to the same idea: Employees are more than just "resources" or "human capital"—they are talent. Employers who do not view them that way will likely find their best people moving on.

The COVID-19 shutdown and the rapid rise of technologies such as generative artificial intelligence have changed the work environment in ways that require an overhaul in how we develop employees. The shutdown demonstrated that flexible work schedules and situations are possible and often desirable. The rate of technological change is forcing business leaders to realize that roles employers are hiring for today may not be around in five or 10 years. Leadership now must consider every aspect of talent management from the perspective of each organization's and employee's future needs.

The Talent-Fueled Enterprise provides a step-by-step solution for taking the old, functional talent management life cycle and "turning it on its side." Talent management is not a sidebar activity. It is central to an organization's functioning, and it begins with defining the company's core competencies. At the team level, talent management works to create harmonized units that are more than the sum of their parts. At the individual level, it defines each employee's success profile, including roles, attributes, skills, and experiences.

While this book is daunting in scope, it is personable and clear in execution. The authors introduce new ideas with relatable anecdotes from TV and films, break down complex concepts with bullets and graphics, and connect every chapter to the core idea: Employees are human beings.