How to Mix Your Talent Strategies to Bridge Skills Gaps | Gartner

As HR leaders help their firms determine the right mix of talent strategies to close skills gaps, this article provides a list of 11 talent strategies for HR leaders to consider. They range from acqui-hire (acquiring skills through acquisition), redesign work (change structure, workflows, role designs, etc), and use rotations or temporary assignments (move existing employees with needed skills on a short-term, time-bound basis). It also suggests evaluating the 11 strategies on five factors: 1) Costs: The strategy’s direct financial or nonfinancial short and long-term costs. 2) Time: The time required to implement the strategy effectively, 3) Long-term value, 4) Viability: Internal and external prerequisites for implementing the strategy, and 5) Impact. One suggestion I have for firms is to a) define 2-3 business scenarios they might face (e.g., 15% growth in China), b) identify the talent implications of each scenario, c) define the mix of talent strategies that could be employed to address the talent implications, and d) prioritize those strategies using the five factors. Thinking through these components in advance enables a firm to quickly execute an optimal mix of talent strategies as different business scenarios unfold.