ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with define what makes up a talent management system and how those components are different in a lean enterprise. It presents some challenges organizations face with managing talent management systems in general, and especially with those that effectively propel continuous improvement initiatives. The difference with lean talent management is that it offers the opportunity to fully integrate lean into the way work is defined. Unless continuous improvement gets built into every aspect of talent management, organizations will regard it as optional. Analyzing all the talent management components at the same time allows Human Resources to compare competencies and behaviors within each of them to ensure alignment between them. Bonus plans change with various management strategies and are disclosed on a need-to-know basis. All this adds up to a series of programs that are only slightly aligned and very rarely assessed as a total system.
