Preliminary results of our survey suggest that companies are not strategically planning for the workforce they want to build—furthermore, many of them do not have a vision for what they want that workforce to look like. Without a clear vision and strategy for workforce development, companies are more likely to struggle with issues including skills gaps, contingent employees, and an increasingly diverse workforce.

How should firms begin to rethink their talent strategies? Better data about employee skills and quantifiable metrics for assessing performance would help. But the first step may be giving HR a voice in decision-making and keeping talent issues top of mind.