Talent development: the new imperative?

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to provide alternative views on talent development to promote thought.

Design/methodology/approach

Ideas on talent development including succession planning drawn from experience of working with organizations are presented in this article.

Findings

The article finds that talent development is a more complex and fraught activity than many in human resources recognize, and that standardized approaches that assume that talented people are very similar do not work effectively. Talented people need and want to take charge of their own development but with the right support from the organization.

Practical implications

The practical implications of this article are that people need to take charge of their own development and that it should be personalized for each individual.

Originality/value

This article is useful for individuals and organizations in seeking alternative methods of developing talent.

Citation

Barlow, L. (2006), "Talent development: the new imperative?", Development and Learning in Organizations, Vol. 20 No. 3, pp. 6-9. https://doi.org/10.1108/14777280610656325