--- title: In HR viesti | Total talent management – or decentralised talent management? description: Explore the shift from traditional HR talent management to total talent management, integrating internal and external talent for strategic success. image: https://www.ferovalo.com/hubfs/FerovaloHRViesti.jpg --- [Skip to content](https://www.ferovalo.com/news/in-hr-viesti-total-talent-management-or-decentralised-talent-management#main-content) - [English](https://www.ferovalo.com/news/in-hr-viesti-total-talent-management-or-decentralised-talent-management) - [Finnish](https://www.ferovalo.com/fi/uutiset/in-hr-viesti-total-talent-management-or-decentralised-talent-management) English Show submenu for translations ![Ferovalo company logo — trusted interim solutions and board services](https://www.ferovalo.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ferovalo_logo.png?width=646&height=91&name=ferovalo_logo.png) - [Home](https://www.ferovalo.com) - [Interim Solutions](https://www.ferovalo.com/interim-solutions) Show submenu for Interim Solutions - 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By  [Ferovalo](https://www.ferovalo.com/news/author/ferovalo)  ·  4 minute read ## We are happy to announce that once again, our Founder and Managing Director has published a guest blog post for HR viesti. HR viesti is a Finnish media organisation focused on personnel and management. This is Elina Liehu's second article that has been published with the organisation. Read a machine-generated translation of the article below. The original article is published in Finnish in [HR viesti's digital magazine](https://julkaisu.hrviesti.fi/4WKd/p10/p11) and as [a blog post on their website](https://hrviesti.fi/total-talent-management-vai-hajautettu-osaajahallinta/).   ![Ferovalo featured in HR viesti — interim management as a strategic tool for HR](https://www.ferovalo.com/hubfs/FerovaloHRViesti.jpg) ## Total talent management – or decentralised talent management? Companies talk a lot about talent – but surprisingly rarely about who actually owns the whole picture. Talent management is not just an HR specialty; it is at the core of how the entire organisation operates. Yet in practice, talent management in many companies is fragmented: recruitment handles permanent hires, procurement manages consulting contracts, business units make freelance decisions based on their own needs, and HR tries to piece together an overall view from separate systems and processes. The result is a situation where overall accountability for talent remains undefined. This raises an important question: should we ambitiously talk about total talent management, or admit that talent management today is still clearly decentralised? ## Talent management belongs to everyone, but the whole must be led Traditionally, talent management has been seen as HR’s domain: recruitment, learning and development, career paths, and performance management. However, the labour market no longer follows this clear boundary. In a modern organisation, alongside permanent employees, there is a wide range of freelance experts, interim managers, consulting teams, project-based specialists, platform workers, and professionals engaged through partner networks. This so-called *contingent workforce* – an external and flexible talent network – already represents a significant share of the workforce in many organisations. Despite its strategic importance, it is not always recognised as part of the talent pool. HR may view it as procurement, purchasing, or a business service. As a result, the overall picture of talent inevitably remains incomplete. A company that does not know where its talent resides cannot truly manage it. > “Traditionally, talent management has been seen as HR’s domain.”   ## Hiring consultants is part of talent management – if a company wants to be agile and competitive In many organisations, the use of external experts and consultants is still primarily viewed as a cost or a purchased service. In reality, it is about how a company strengthens its critical capabilities, responds to change, and builds future competencies. If the use of consultants and freelance experts is not integrated into talent management, companies miss opportunities to build a holistic talent strategy and to develop long-term relationships with key professionals. At the same time, companies lose visibility into which capabilities should be kept in-house, which can be sourced flexibly on a project basis, and where a combination of internal and external talent is required. The use of consultants and interim experts is therefore very much part of talent management—when talent is managed strategically.   ## The contingent workforce should not be an add-on, but part of the company’s core resource For an external talent network to be a true strategic asset, it must be seen both as complementary and as a critical part of the organisation’s overall capability. This requires companies to understand what talent they have internally, what talent they source externally, and on what basis these decisions are made. It is equally important to consider which capabilities should be developed as long-term core strengths and when project-based expertise provides flexibility and speed. The total talent management approach makes visible that all talent—regardless of contract type—is part of the same ecosystem. Bringing this together is not solely HR’s responsibility, but HR is the function best positioned to build shared principles, processes, and governance for managing talent.   ## The US is leading the way – what can be applied in Finland? Internationally, particularly in the United States, contingent workforce management is already a distinct professional field, with clearly defined roles. For example, Contingent Workforce Manager roles cover the full lifecycle of external talent: sourcing, contract negotiations, onboarding, performance tracking, and collaboration with HR, legal, and procurement. US organisations also have specialised roles such as Sourcing Manager, Vendor Manager, and Strategic Workforce Planning Director, focusing on quality, cost-efficiency, and supplier relationships. Some roles, such as Contingent Workforce Program Manager, also include responsibility for legal risks, supplier selection, and leveraging systems for strategic workforce planning. There is much that can be adapted from this to Finland—even for small and mid-sized companies. There is no need for heavy new structures, but companies can appoint one person or a small team to coordinate external workforce management, build unified processes between procurement and HR, and create a small but effective talent pool of trusted freelancers, experts, and preferred suppliers. Even lightweight practices—such as a simple skills map, contract consolidation, and visibility into suppliers—bring structure and strategic direction to talent management. > “Talent today is mobile, flexible, and global.”   ## How can HR become a strategic driver? HR has a unique opportunity to elevate its role as a strategic partner by taking ownership of the overall talent landscape. This does not mean doing everything alone, but rather driving shared understanding, shared data, and shared operating models. The first step is for HR to expand its perspective from permanent employees to external talent and build a model where all talent is visible. Second, HR must ensure that talent management does not become siloed—that recruitment, procurement, and business units operate based on shared data and processes. This is not an administrative exercise, but a strategic capability that directly impacts competitiveness, costs, and agility. Third, HR must act proactively by engaging with business leaders on talent needs before they materialise. This means tracking market trends, analysing talent supply and demand, and proposing solutions before capability gaps become bottlenecks. When HR can combine internal and external talent into a single, coherent whole—and speak the language of business in terms of investment, capability, and competitive advantage—its role strengthens rapidly. ## Talent management is a business imperative Companies that view talent only through the lens of permanent employees are operating in the past. Talent today is mobile, flexible, global, and often based on external networks. This means talent management must be holistic and dynamic. Total talent management is not a new HR trend—it is a model that helps companies operate more intelligently, more quickly, and more sustainably. A company succeeds when it sees all talent—regardless of contract type—as one strategic resource.   —   ## Elina Liehu The author is the founder and CEO of [Ferovalo](https://www.ferovalo.com/) and [Best Best Talent Platform](https://www.bestbesttalentplatform.com/). She has extensive experience in change management, various resourcing services, serving as CEO of growth companies, and board work. Elina believes that the role of HR is evolving—and that interim executives and independent experts are part of the transformation. ![Elina Liehu – contact person for interim management and board services at Ferovalo](https://www.ferovalo.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Elina-1.jpeg?width=400&height=400&name=Elina-1.jpeg) [elina.liehu@ferovalo.com](mailto:elina.liehu@ferovalo.com) +358 40 564 7441 Share: [facebook-f icon](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://www.ferovalo.com/news/in-hr-viesti-total-talent-management-or-decentralised-talent-management) [linkedin-in icon](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.ferovalo.com/news/in-hr-viesti-total-talent-management-or-decentralised-talent-management) [twitter icon](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://www.ferovalo.com/news/in-hr-viesti-total-talent-management-or-decentralised-talent-management) [envelope icon](mailto:?body=https://www.ferovalo.com/news/in-hr-viesti-total-talent-management-or-decentralised-talent-management) ## Related posts [![Ferovalo with talent business partners](https://www.ferovalo.com/hubfs/Ferovalo%20and%20Talent%20Business%20Partners.jpg)](https://www.ferovalo.com/news/with-talent-business-partners-how-ferovalo-built-a-transparent-interim-management-business-across-europe) [News](https://www.ferovalo.com/news/tag/news) ### [With Talent Business Partners | How Ferovalo Built a Transparent Interim Management Business Across Europe](https://www.ferovalo.com/news/with-talent-business-partners-how-ferovalo-built-a-transparent-interim-management-business-across-europe) [![Elina Liehu from Ferovalo on the Uncaged business leadership podcast](https://www.ferovalo.com/hubfs/Ferovalo%20and%20Uncaged.jpg)](https://www.ferovalo.com/news/in-uncaged-navigating-talent-management-in-a-tech-driven-world-with-elina-liehu) [News](https://www.ferovalo.com/news/tag/news) ### [In UNCAGED | Navigating talent management in a tech-driven world with Elina Liehu](https://www.ferovalo.com/news/in-uncaged-navigating-talent-management-in-a-tech-driven-world-with-elina-liehu) [![Ferovalo joins HTGP group](https://www.ferovalo.com/hubfs/Ferovalo%20joins%20HTGP%20group.jpg)](https://www.ferovalo.com/news/htgp-strengthens-its-growth-offering-interim-management-pioneer-ferovalo-joins-the-group) [News](https://www.ferovalo.com/news/tag/news) ### [HTGP strengthens its growth offering – interim management pioneer Ferovalo joins the group](https://www.ferovalo.com/news/htgp-strengthens-its-growth-offering-interim-management-pioneer-ferovalo-joins-the-group) # Ferovalo We match the best companies with the best talent. 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