# Combining Talent Acquisition and Management: Three Successful Case Studies
In today’s fast-paced business environment, HR teams face mounting pressure to deliver more with fewer resources. The ongoing expectation for HR to operate efficiently while maintaining high-quality employee experiences has led many organizations to explore combining their talent acquisition (TA) and talent management (TM) functions.
Three major organizations—Baylor Scott & White Health, Bright Horizons, and Lowe’s—recently shared their experiences merging these critical HR functions at the IAMPHENOM Conference in Philadelphia. Their journeys reveal valuable insights for companies considering similar transformations.
## Breaking Down Silos and Enhancing the Talent Experience
The traditional separation between hiring teams and those managing existing talent often creates unnecessary barriers. When organizations combine these functions, they experience several immediate benefits:
**Baylor Scott & White Health** found that their previously siloed TA and TM teams were “not talking” to one another, creating disconnects in the talent journey. Tenneil Dutton, Senior Vice President of Talent and Diversity, explained that uniting these functions created a “holistic, outcomes-focused” approach that enables HR to respond more quickly to business needs.
“We’re working more seamlessly,” Dutton noted, emphasizing how the integration allows them to “put talent at the center of all of our programs and processes, to design with them in mind.”
Similarly, childcare solutions provider **Bright Horizons** struggled with what Stephanie Worley, Vice President of Talent Acquisition, described as “a lack of a cohesive talent journey.” Both functions were operating in transactional rather than strategic modes due to their separation.
At **Lowe’s**, where the integration began in late 2023, Ray Malouf, Vice President of Talent, highlighted how the change has enabled HR to “represent a single voice to the business.” This unified approach has reduced communication pain points and eliminated redundant meetings.
## Key Benefits of Integration
Organizations that have successfully combined their TA and TM functions report several significant advantages:
– **Enhanced internal mobility opportunities** for HR team members
– **More cohesive talent journeys** for employees
– **Faster response times** to business needs
– **Reduced communication barriers** between HR functions
– **More strategic, less transactional** approach to talent
Lowe’s has seen impressive internal mobility within their HR team since the integration. “Employees have moved from the learning function to TA, from HRBP roles to talent management,” Malouf explained. “We can think more holistically about our teams, and we’ve promoted people into roles they hadn’t thought about before.”
## Best Practices for Successful Integration
When combining talent acquisition and talent management functions, these organizations recommend several best practices to ensure success:
### 1. Expand Your Vision
“Think about roles bigger than what they’ve been,” advised Malouf. Leaders should be curious about innovations in the talent space and research how business and talent goals can align more closely through integration.
### 2. Communicate the “North Star”
Dutton emphasized the importance of “painting a picture” of the ultimate goal. Team members need to understand why the functions are combining and what they can collectively achieve for both HR and the broader organization.
### 3. Start Small and Scale
“Find ways to start to combine your teams on a smaller scale,” suggested Worley, whose organization is only about three months into its integration journey. This approach can reduce resistance to what may seem like a major transformation.
### 4. Build Cross-Functional Relationships
When friction arises—as it inevitably will—getting the right people together to build relationships is crucial. This collaborative approach helps solve problems while strengthening connections across the new unified team.
## The Critical Role of Technology
Technology integration represents both a significant challenge and tremendous opportunity when combining TA and TM functions. All three panelists emphasized the importance of involving HRIT professionals from the start:
“This [HRIT] team knows where the friction points are, so make sure they have a seat to both correct what’s broken and plan for the tech ecosystem moving forward,” Dutton advised.
A unified technology approach can:
– **Streamline the entire talent journey** from candidate to employee
– **Reduce duplicate data entry** and administrative burden
– **Create consistent experiences** across the talent lifecycle
– **Enable better analytics** and talent insights
## Leadership Requirements for Success
Not every leader is equipped to guide this kind of transformation. Dutton noted that the integration effort requires leaders who can “think outside of their comfort zone” and are “comfortable asking stupid questions, taking risks.”
Most importantly, the integration must be championed by those who understand its long-term strategic value. If only one talent leader embraces the vision, they risk becoming “the bottleneck” in the process.
“You become the bottleneck because you’re the only one who can see across the function,” Dutton warned. “If you’re not building that capability mindset everywhere, you’re going to run into problems. And when you leave, they’re going to replace you with two.”
## Key Takeaways for HR Leaders
Organizations considering combining their talent acquisition and management functions should:
1. **Evaluate current silos** and how they impact the talent experience
2. **Identify technology integration needs** early in the process
3. **Build cross-functional capabilities** across the HR team
4. **Start with small integration initiatives** before full-scale transformation
5. **Ensure leadership alignment** on the vision and strategic benefits
By bringing these critical talent functions together, organizations can create more seamless experiences for both candidates and employees while enabling HR to operate more strategically and efficiently in today’s challenging business environment.
# Combining Talent Acquisition and Management: Three Successful Case Studies
In today’s fast-paced business environment, HR teams face mounting pressure to deliver more with fewer resources. The ongoing expectation for HR to operate efficiently while maintaining high-quality employee experiences has led many organizations to explore combining their talent acquisition (TA) and talent management (TM) functions.
Three major organizations—Baylor Scott & White Health, Bright Horizons, and Lowe’s—recently shared their experiences merging these critical HR functions at the IAMPHENOM Conference in Philadelphia. Their journeys reveal valuable insights for companies considering similar transformations.
## Breaking Down Silos and Enhancing the Talent Experience
The traditional separation between hiring teams and those managing existing talent often creates unnecessary barriers. When organizations combine these functions, they experience several immediate benefits:
**Baylor Scott & White Health** found that their previously siloed TA and TM teams were “not talking” to one another, creating disconnects in the talent journey. Tenneil Dutton, Senior Vice President of Talent and Diversity, explained that uniting these functions created a “holistic, outcomes-focused” approach that enables HR to respond more quickly to business needs.
“We’re working more seamlessly,” Dutton noted, emphasizing how the integration allows them to “put talent at the center of all of our programs and processes, to design with them in mind.”
Similarly, childcare solutions provider **Bright Horizons** struggled with what Stephanie Worley, Vice President of Talent Acquisition, described as “a lack of a cohesive talent journey.” Both functions were operating in transactional rather than strategic modes due to their separation.
At **Lowe’s**, where the integration began in late 2023, Ray Malouf, Vice President of Talent, highlighted how the change has enabled HR to “represent a single voice to the business.” This unified approach has reduced communication pain points and eliminated redundant meetings.
## Key Benefits of Integration
Organizations that have successfully combined their TA and TM functions report several significant advantages:
– **Enhanced internal mobility opportunities** for HR team members
– **More cohesive talent journeys** for employees
– **Faster response times** to business needs
– **Reduced communication barriers** between HR functions
– **More strategic, less transactional** approach to talent
Lowe’s has seen impressive internal mobility within their HR team since the integration. “Employees have moved from the learning function to TA, from HRBP roles to talent management,” Malouf explained. “We can think more holistically about our teams, and we’ve promoted people into roles they hadn’t thought about before.”
## Best Practices for Successful Integration
When combining talent acquisition and talent management functions, these organizations recommend several best practices to ensure success:
### 1. Expand Your Vision
“Think about roles bigger than what they’ve been,” advised Malouf. Leaders should be curious about innovations in the talent space and research how business and talent goals can align more closely through integration.
### 2. Communicate the “North Star”
Dutton emphasized the importance of “painting a picture” of the ultimate goal. Team members need to understand why the functions are combining and what they can collectively achieve for both HR and the broader organization.
### 3. Start Small and Scale
“Find ways to start to combine your teams on a smaller scale,” suggested Worley, whose organization is only about three months into its integration journey. This approach can reduce resistance to what may seem like a major transformation.
### 4. Build Cross-Functional Relationships
When friction arises—as it inevitably will—getting the right people together to build relationships is crucial. This collaborative approach helps solve problems while strengthening connections across the new unified team.
## The Critical Role of Technology
Technology integration represents both a significant challenge and tremendous opportunity when combining TA and TM functions. All three panelists emphasized the importance of involving HRIT professionals from the start:
“This [HRIT] team knows where the friction points are, so make sure they have a seat to both correct what’s broken and plan for the tech ecosystem moving forward,” Dutton advised.
A unified technology approach can:
– **Streamline the entire talent journey** from candidate to employee
– **Reduce duplicate data entry** and administrative burden
– **Create consistent experiences** across the talent lifecycle
– **Enable better analytics** and talent insights
## Leadership Requirements for Success
Not every leader is equipped to guide this kind of transformation. Dutton noted that the integration effort requires leaders who can “think outside of their comfort zone” and are “comfortable asking stupid questions, taking risks.”
Most importantly, the integration must be championed by those who understand its long-term strategic value. If only one talent leader embraces the vision, they risk becoming “the bottleneck” in the process.
“You become the bottleneck because you’re the only one who can see across the function,” Dutton warned. “If you’re not building that capability mindset everywhere, you’re going to run into problems. And when you leave, they’re going to replace you with two.”
## Key Takeaways for HR Leaders
Organizations considering combining their talent acquisition and management functions should:
1. **Evaluate current silos** and how they impact the talent experience
2. **Identify technology integration needs** early in the process
3. **Build cross-functional capabilities** across the HR team
4. **Start with small integration initiatives** before full-scale transformation
5. **Ensure leadership alignment** on the vision and strategic benefits
By bringing these critical talent functions together, organizations can create more seamless experiences for both candidates and employees while enabling HR to operate more strategically and efficiently in today’s challenging business environment.