Manage Your Talent Pipeline Like a Supply Chain

In supply-chain management, you get what you plan for. Companies understand that principle when it comes to the goods that they consume and produce, but not when it comes to the people they hire and train. For decades, companies have adopted a short-term, ad hoc approach to talent management — and it’s increasingly obvious that this is a problem with profoundly harmful implications for the economy. That’s especially in the current Great Resignation moment, as companies are struggling to find the skilled workers they need. It’s time, the authors argue, for companies to get serious about developing a good supply chain for talent, and they offer ideas for how to get started.