Talent: the whole systems approach
Jul 16th
Every organisation contains talented people. But no matter how gifted, these people need to work in organisations with a robust talent development strategy and the right organisational culture. This report looks at using a whole systems approach to talent development, rather than simply seeing it as a set of HR processes.
Every organisation contains talent
Within every organisation, there are people who are more gifted than their colleagues, perhaps more clever, intuitive, better leaders and strategic thinkers. Perhaps they bring in new business or inject greater energy and creativity into whatever they do. They perform well in their jobs, but it’s clear to everyone around them that they still have plenty of potential to advance further. These individuals may seem like rare orchids or they could be a sizeable group that constitute the business’ intellectual capital (such as a law firm or a pharmaceutical company). It may be that these high fliers head key posts in the organisation and that some of them will become the next generation of top leaders.
Alternatively, these talented people could be frustrated and disengaged. Perhaps they are trapped in functional silos or local business units where their potential is not fully recognised or developed. For them, the only way to move up is to move out – often to major rivals.
We are starting this discussion with the premise that every business contains some talented people, individuals who distinguish themselves from others by some special quality or ability. It is our belief that the talent of these people is not always enough to guarantee their success. These people do not always act like the proverbial cream and automatically float to the top of their organisations. No matter how gifted, these people need to work in organisations which nurture their talents and provide them with an increasingly larger stage upon which to test their abilities and potential.
This article is filed under: employee motivation, engagement, organisational culture, people, talent development, workforce management