Partnering for talent in a world that won't stop changing

The question isn’t, In-house recruiter or search firm? The question is, How will both source talent in a world where little looks familiar? 

Not long ago McKinsey & Co. published a sobering assessment of the converging challenges of lower financial returns and the unprecedented complexity of souring great talent. Just a moment when investment returns are likely to be lower than they have been since the 1980s large employers confront a skills and demographic crunch. Out of necessity and desire, McKinsey pointed out, baby boomers are working longer. Their experience is an incomparable resource. But will they acquire the technical abilities suited to a world where change only accelerates? Will they expect ever-rising compensation? What about millennials, who look up see older workers in their way? Won’t they be perpetually on the lookout for better opportunities—especially at startups?

With so much at stake it is a waste of energy that tension between in-house recruiters and executive-search firms continues to persist. We should be well beyond this. Because the question is not, Which is better? The question is, How do both parties make a partnership work? How do both create something with parts greater than the whole?