TRAINING FOR LEADERSHIP

Talent management as a driver of internationalisation

The Rafael del Pino Foundation participated for the third year running in the Exporta Conference on business internationalisation organised by the Spanish Institute of Foreign Trade. The Foundation organised a round table on 4 June 2008 on the theme of “Talent Management as a Driver of Internationalisation”.

In addition to the Foundation Director, Amadeo Petitbò, the following speakers took part:

 Mauro Guillén, Director, Lauder Institute for Management & International Studies (Wharton School,  University of Pennsylvania);
 Hillary Sears (Chairman of the Board, Association of Masters of Business Administration, AMBA);
 Gayle Allard (Deputy Vice Chancellor for research and innovation, Instituto de Empresa).

The issues analysed by the round table included the current alternatives for executive training from an international standpoint, the options for training employees in leadership and excellence, the selection of talent in human resources, company mentoring activities, experience-based learning, etc.

The conclusions reached were as follows:

  • • Talent is a a scarce asset that is directly connected with added value and competitiveness and is the foundation of a society with high rates of knowledge-based productivity.
  • • In the face of the greater opening up of the global economy in line with increasing internationalisation, the attraction and retention of talent emerge as future challenges for our society.
  • • In order to improve the current levels of retention and attraction of talent in Spain, measures should be adopted to increase the return on investment in higher education, particularly third cycle qualifications, and to lower the rate of school dropouts which is the highest in the euro area.

Lastly, the following recommendation was made: one of the areas affecting talent is the standard of universities and business schools. To achieve a high standard, special consideration should be given to continuously adapting the education system to the demands of society in general and of the business world in particular, by flexibilising and liberalising it.