Is Training The Same As Talent Management

Shameela Winston | Monday December 2, 2019 09:31

But they are not the same and we should not be using them interchangeably in the way we approach people and the way we manage them.

The terms are different in meaning and in application.

Ok, so let me attempt this. Training and development, commonly abbreviated to training, is a part of talent development. What is talent development? It is the deliberate and focused set of activities, including training, that are designed to develop employee skills and competencies. Talent development is about the way employers provide learning opportunities and tools for staff to advance their overall careers. So it means, the end goal of talent development is to cultivate an environment where there is engagement, performance, learning and growth.

It is important to note though that talent management is not just training workshops. What happens to those skills gained on the training workshop without opportunities to apply them and grow? So growth opportunities must be provided as well as part of the program. Growth is almost always associated with promotion, but this is not the only way one can grow. The employer should be creative enough to identify and explore other growth possibilities that will provide opportunities for talent development.

And moving across to talent management now. This is a more involved concept that encompasses talent development. Talent management is basically about the employer’s practice in deliberately recruiting the highest-quality staff members that they can find, and enabling them to maximise the application of their talent in the workplace.

You must have surely heard this stated as, putting the right person with the right tools, in the right position. By managing talent strategically, employers can build a high-performance workplace, add value to their branding, and yield the various results associated with this. Mind you, the concept is not limited to recruiting the right candidate externally. It is also possible to identify the right person within the existing team and provide them with the tools to perform.

Of course, as we have said, development can be among the tools in reference, just as much as having access to political sponsorship, financial resources and other tools as escort şirinevler identified to support the right candidate in his or her efforts to get the desired results.

In my view, the main difference between talent management and simply training (ok, talent development) is that talent management is strategic and forward looking. It’s not just saying, what is wrong with performance and how can we remedy it. Talent management is about deciding upfront where we want to go, what skills we need to get there, how and where we will source those skills, how we will reward and motivate them to a desirable level of engagement and performance.

It is a deliberate plan designed (even before anyone is employed) to attract, develop, motivate and retain high-performing employees. Identify, attract and on-board the right person. Develop, motivate, engage and retain the right person. And when it’s done properly, talent management as an integrated strategy can position the employer not only to perform, but to out-perform the competition. 

As I just stated in the last sentence, talent management is achieved through a set of integrated activities and processes. It is not just a once-off event like many training workshops are. So, next week we look at some of the integrated activities that must be in place if you are to call yours a talent management protocol. But in the meantime, please understand that none of this is to say training is inadequate or out-dated or anything like that. Training is a critical component of talent development. We must continue with it. What this article is saying is that training is not the tool in the box.