HRevolution

So, I'm differentiating between managing talent from managing people or tasks. Here's the rub. A hands-on approach to inventorying talent, individually or by groups, is the kind of thing HR should be good at - it's comparable to skills analyses. But, it would be a creative move, and HR doesn't do creative. After all, how many new ideas come out of HR? So the likelihood is low, unless the next "Great Company" (tomorrow's Google) does it, then others copy. Or a vendor builds a module into a product and the right company happens to try it...

The irony is, when executives credit their people as their greatest assets, they are serious. It's just silly that we don't try to measure the value our "greatest" assets. We do it for the lesser assets (property, plant, equipment, patents, accounts receivable, etc.).

Here's a B-school refresher:
What is measured is important.
If you can't measure it you can't manage it.