Here's a clear and well-written article by Kevin Wheeler (who taught in my graduate program at University of San Francisco) defining the future role of the corporate talent officer. I think his description is right on. Our function is going through a massive redefinition, and seems sometimes to be cleaving into two pieces - the piece that focuses on rules and compliance, and the piece that focuses on engaging employees and developing future capabilities.

I really like the parts quoted below for their simplicity and clarity:

"Successful organizations have a core of skilled people who generate revenue, create new products and services, and interact with customers in a deep way. Finding these people is very hard, and the supply is diminishing and will continue to do so as the Baby Boomers, who make up a disproportionate part of this supply today, eventually retire.

"Organizations have four basic tools at their disposal to deal with people: the ability to attract and acquire, the ability to develop and provide competency, the ability to engage and excite so they are committed, and the ability to measure performance and provide feedback to adjust recruitment and development practices.

"A successful Chief Talent Officer has to be far more than a recruiter or a trainer or a process integrator. A talent officer is the general and strategist in charge of the supply of what is becoming the rarest resources an organization has — skilled, committed workers. Their job is to understand the objectives of the company, architect the strategy to find or develop the people who will be needed to meet business objectives, and redeploy people efficiently and effectively when their initial objectives are achieved without losing them to the competition."