I work in the training function for an organization that I would not characterize as having strong talent management philosophies, strategies, or champions. A question I've been thinking about is this: can a world class training function exist in the absense of an integrated talent management strategy?
I would be very interested to hear what others think.
Unless I'm completely off base of where you are as far as our understanding of what "training" is/should be and what "talent management" is/should be... My question would be... Why not? Why can't you offer excellent learning opportunities despite the shoddy talent management?
Happens all the time from what I've seen. Loads of great coursewear being facilitated by excellent, experienced learning facilitators...all taking place in a company that has no appreciation for the talent they have hired and/or has no clue how to hire for talent in the first place.
Now... the design and impact of the training could be benefitted by an equally excellent talent management program. And... why not use your training excellence to teach people about talent management? :-)
I agree with FF. An effective Talent Management strategy can't exist without Training, but Training can certainly exist without a Talent Management Strategy.
When I started in training field, the term "Talent Management" didn't even exist! And we definitely had a high-impact training organization.
If your company leaders don't care about hiring the best people and don't care about developing them to be the best they possibly can be, your training will likely not be too successful. The finest facilitators and trainers in the world will not be able to have a lasting impact if participants go back to work in that kind of environment. If you've got lousy management/leadership, you've got a lousy organization. And that type organization will likely not attract the top talent when it comes to staffing the training department either.
Oh... well, Kal, if you wanted to talk about impact... The learning opportunities offered can still be top-drawer. If there is no support in place for the employees, however, the impact (or rather lack there of) is still the result of things outside the control/realm of the training dept.... unless the training dept. takes strong initiative to attempt to influence the culture to change towards one that focuses on the talent it has.
