MODULE III IDENTIFICATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF TALENTED PEOPLE

Talented Professionals – Importance - Characterization - Identification –Assessment and

Recognizing Talent - Development - Development Needs -Counseling.

Employee Talent: The Identification and Development of Staff with Potential

Talent Professionalism-Importance Characterization

Every organization wants to hire able and motivated staff with potential: potential to
perform exceptionally well at high levels for their own benefit and that of the organization. They
want people with high potential to turn into those with high performance. For many, this is all
about establishing talent or potential pools who, with career development, can be used for
succession planning. That is why there has been a marked increase in having a high-potential
programme in all sized companies
The aim is to get the right people in the right roles with the right skills and attitudes to
deliver value to both the business and the individual. It is recognized that this is a combination of
capability and context: getting high caliber people in a high performing culture. Both are
necessary to fulfill potential.

Yet there are numerous problems to be confront:

 how can we identify and predict potential if it is not actual but “exists in possibility”
 Is it a single unchallengeable characteristic?
 Does it depend on context?
 Can it be developed?
 Can a high potential person’s trajectory be changed?
Finding and developing future leaders is one of the most important issues facing
organizations in the 21st century. However, there is still no strong empirically validated method
of identifying individual potential, nor is there a standardized idea or definition of potential.
There remains a great many fundamental questions in this area.
Athey (2004) presented a fairly standard four stage model – acquire, deploy, develop and
retain talent. Curiously relatively little is said on acquiring talent which seems the fundamental
process. Much more is said about the developmental process – to give talented people the
educational experiences. The deploy part is particularly interesting and important and has three
components:
(a) Identify the “deep-rooted” skills, interests and knowledge of the individual,
(b) Find their best fit in the organization,
(c) Craft the job design and conditions that help them perform.
This is a particularly interesting idea though not fully explored. It is the idea, not only of
finding the super adaptive and flexible individual, but also making sure the organization is
adaptive enough to the profile of the individual.
Talent
Talent or employee potential management, however, follows talent/potential spotting and
selecting the right people. It is therefore extremely important to have a clear, specific and
evidence-based definition of the concept of potential to know what to look for. Yet, despite the
increasing number of books written in the area the concept remains unclear.
In the business world, three concepts are used interchangeably: Talent and talent
management; Employee Potential, and High Flyers
Talent and potential is, quite simply, not a psychological concept. One approach is to list
possible synonyms for talent. These include: Blessed; Exceptional; Experienced; Flair; Genius;
Giftedness; High Potential; Precocious; Prodigy; Superstars; Wonder kinds or Wunderkinds. It is
really only “giftedness” that has any serious academic investigation.
Most people use the term talent, rather than potential. Both terms are used in many
different ways. In an early and famous study, McKinsey and Company studied 6000 managers in
77 companies to identify “smart, sophisticated business people who are technologically literate,
globally astute and operationally agile. The definition of talent was...” the sum of a person’s
abilities...his or her intrinsic gifts, skills, knowledge, experience, intelligence, judgement,
attitude, character and drive. It also includes his or her ability to learn and grow”. They were the
“best and the brightest” stars.
Indeed whole papers have been written on this topic. Tansley (2011) wrote a paper
called “What do we mean by the term ‘talent’ in talent management?” She looks at the history of
the term as well as how it is used in different languages including French, Danish and Russian. It
is usually defined in terms of attitudes (motivation), knowledge, skills or competencies. She
concluded that there are three features of the High Potential Employee:

 Ability: A combination of innate and learned skills

  Aspiration: Intrinsic motivation as well as the desire for advancement, influence,
prestige and recognition
 Engagement: Emotional and rational commitment, the willingness to put in the
discretionary effort, intention to stay

Who stressed the benefits of “talent segmentation”. She identified 6 types

1. Brand Enthusiasts (“Impress Me”) who seek opportunities to be stretched and challenged
and want support for this to happen.
2. Career Ladderists (“Promote Me”) who want a fast promotion, progression and upward
development in more traditional organizations.
3. Connectors (“Support Me”) who like friendly supportive organizations and want
collaboration in a range of developmental experiences.
4. The Nurtured (“Guide Me”) who want organizations to get to know them, respect them and
take a large role in their development.
5. Opportunity Seekers (“Challenge Me”) who like Ladderists want progression but want to
be challenged en route.
6. Planners (“Understand Me”) who see their career as a an anchor that gives them a sense of
stability and a pathway through life.

Potential
The situation concerning the definition of potential is no better. Over the years there have
been many reports on identifying potential. For instance, RHR (2005) interviewed 115 HR
directors and CEOs in 19 different sectors. They were asked to list the characteristics of those
seen to have potential to be future leaders. They listed 13:

1. Ability to build strong relationships internally and externally

2. Openness to change and growth
3. Courage to make the “right” decisions
4. Ability to motivate and inspire others
5. Level of self-confidence
6. Awareness of one’s strengths and limitations
7. Personal desire to succeed
 8. Commitment to the success of the business, even when personal sacrifice is involved
9. A core set of leadership values that the individual lives by
10. Broad, comprehensive knowledge of the business
11. Decisiveness
12. Ability to identify and develop talent
13. Superior intellectual abilities

Fundamental Questions of Talent Management

From a management perspective there seems to be a number of important questions:
 Attracting those with potential: This involves the recruitment of talented people, identifying
the best methods to assess it and finding ways to persuade talented people to join the
organization. This is essentially a recruiting and selection task. This may mean trying to attract
people from universities as well as various firms. The idea is aimed at making these especially
(and perhaps unusually) talented people favorably disposed to your organizations such that they
apply for advertised positions. You have to ask (and answer the question) why would any
talented person want to come and work for you?
 Developing those with potential : One of the concepts associated with talent is the idea
of potential to rise up the organization to ever more important and challenging jobs. For this it is
thought (even) talented people require particular training, coaching or mentoring. This can, and
should, be done on an individual basis as well as on a corporate level through leadership
development, succession planning to new job integration and assimilation initiative.
 Retaining those with potential: This involves keeping talented people after they have been
selected. It involves understanding their particular and specific ‘package’ and training needs.
They might be differently motivated than less talented groups, and the task is to find out how to
keep them both happy and this question addresses whether they need anything different
compared to good management practices and equitable rewards to ensure they stay working for
the organization. The issue is one on return on investment: on knowing how to turn a talented
employee, into a talented manager, into a talented director and then, even a talented CEO.
 Transferring Talented people with potential: Inevitably, talented people move – they move up
the organization (almost by definition); they move to sister companies; they may head up
overseas divisions of the company. Furthermore, they leave the organization. It is important to
ensure that all issues associated with out-placement, relocation and retirement are done well.
Talent Identification
Talent identification is the process of recognizing current players that have the potential
to excel within football (Vaeyens, Lenoir, Williams, & Philippaerts, 2008),
while talent selection is the acceptance of individuals into representative teams and development
programmes

Talent Identification Case Study:

The following is based on a report I wrote a few years ago on talent identification for a
regional football association. This was to look at how players are identified and selected for a
development squad, with players being aged between 11 and 15. I have removed information
specific to the target organization and tried to allow the generic principles for talent identification
to come through.
 The following report will discuss some of the issues surrounding player identification and
selection to regional development programmes. Some of the components of talent identification
will be outlined, the criteria for selection, and the selection processes and procedures.
Recommendations are made regarding the procedures that should be implemented for player
selection into development programmes.
Purpose
This information is intended to help with the design of selection processes for
development programmes. To ensure that the appropriate players are being selected, selectors
need to be educated to ensure that they are assessing the correct qualities and attributes, and to
ensure consistency in selection. It is important that parents understand how selection is related to
the development process, and to see that it is done fairly and equitably. This requires an
understanding of player identification and the adoption of a suitable selection policy. Hopefully
some of the following information can help organizations to develop these policies.
Talent Identification Concepts
Athlete selection has been divided into four stages, these being detection, identification,
selection and development (Reilly & Williams, 2003).
1. Detection involves identifying suitable players that are not currently playing the sport.
This is less relevant to football due to the large number of players already involved in the
game.
2. Development is a separate issue which will be discussed in future articles. The two
components that are of interest here are identification and selection.

Talent identification is the process of recognizing current players that have the potential
to excel within football, while talent selection is the acceptance of individuals into representative
teams and development programmes.
Talent identification involves an attempt to predict the future capacity of performance of
an individual (Abbott & Collins, 2002).
In football, talent identification is usually based around a number of areas, these being
physical attributes, physiological skills, technical skills, psychological skills, cognitive skills and
social skills (Williams & Reilly, 2000).
A distinction has been drawn between giftedness and talent.
 Talent is identified as a superior mastery of systematically developed abilities, which
places a player in the top 10% for their age.
 Giftedness by contrast is described as the possession of high levels of natural abilities
in at least one of four ability domains, these being intellectual, creative, socio-
affective and sensory-motor.

Giftedness can be recognized by the rate of learning rather than the level of ability, with
the development process being designed to transform giftedness into talent. This has implications
for selection into a development programme, as talent identification involves determining if a
player has the potential to benefit from a systematic programme of support and training
(Williams & Reilly, 2000).
 It has been shown that expertise is less dependent upon natural ability, and is more a
response to the time spent in a highly structured, effortful activity, with the specific goal of
improving (Williams & Reilly, 2000). This suggests that identifying the correct players to enter
into a development programme is important, meaning that the characteristics that entry is based
on must be correct.

Purpose of Talent Identification

The first stage of talent identification is to determine why you are identifying and
selecting players. Many development programmes are tied to regional and national competitions;
with the result that winning becomes a greater focus than development. A development
programme should be designed to give them an opportunity to develop to their potential, and to
prepare them to play at higher levels for their sport. This makes it important that the programme
has a clear focus that places the emphasis on identifying players with long-term potential rather
than current, tournament winning ability.

Issues Regarding Talent Identification

A number of issues are raised when looking at identifying players for a development
program, which need to be understood and addressed if the process is to be successful. In
addressing each of these issues, it is important that we constantly return to the overall purpose of
the identification process: to identify players with long-term potential.
A common problem with player selection is that coaches and selectors identify players
based on their potential to help them to win games rather than focusing on identifying players
with a long-term development focus. At the initial identification stage, selectors should be
assessing based on development potential, as opposed to potential inclusion in the competitive
squads. By doing this, all the appropriate players will be included in the development
programme, and exposed to the training required for their development, regardless of whether
they are likely to make the tournament squad. This requires selectors to focus on the capacity of
individuals to develop, rather than their performance at the trials (Abbott & Collins, 2002).

Growth and Maturation

Identifying future potential is difficult, as we are trying to make predictions regarding
how well a player may develop, rather than just assessing their current ability. Growth and
maturation have a marked effect on a player’s ability at a given time, and need to be taken into
consideration. Selecting players prior to the onset of puberty based on favorable physical
attributes is problematic, as these differences may even out after puberty, meaning that late
developers risk being overlooked if an emphasis is placed on physical attributes early in a
player’s development. This makes physical testing of players as screening for identification
inappropriate for young players (Williams & Reilly, 2000). Further, children with desirable
characteristics, such as size or speed, may not maintain these through maturation (Vaeyens, et
al., 2008).
The performance advantages of early maturation will be short lived, as late bloomers will
eventually catch up. The issue here is that the late bloomers need to have still been exposed to
the same development opportunities in order to have continued developing to their potential, and
to ensure that they are still in the game (Malina, et al., 2005).

Selection Variables
As noted earlier, there are various aspects of performance and player characteristics that
can be assessed in order to make selection determinations. An issue here is that players are not
excluded on the basis of a ‘weakness’ in one area, especially if isolated testing is used (e.g.
speed, skill tests, height or body type etc). Some of these weaknesses may be balanced out
through maturation or training, and some players can compensate for a weakness through
modifying the way they play (Abbott & Collins, 2004). The risk here again is that we exclude
players who may actually have the potential to develop much further, despite their current
perceived weaknesses.
Different components are necessary for success at different ages (Vaeyens, et al., 2006).
The implications of this is that in identifying potential, selectors need to be able to look beyond
the immediate success and characteristics, and look at the aspects which are have better
predictive power. Due to the effect of maturation, physical and physiological components are not
recommended as selection criteria (Williams & Reilly, 2000). Rather, players should be selected
based on skills and ability.
Ability can include a number of characteristics. Psycho-behavioral characteristics are
believed to be more important than physical and skill components (Abbott & Collins, 2002).
These characteristics are required for optimizing the development opportunities that they are
afforded, by adopting an appropriate focus within and between training and competition.
Therefore, a player’s attitude will be of greater benefit to them, especially over the course of a
development programme, in order to reach their potential than the physical and skill attributes at
a young age (when first being identified).
An important implication of this is that players’ attitudes and psycho-behavioral
characteristics are difficult to detect in a trial situation, and so these characteristics should be
monitored from within the development programme. These characteristics can then be used for
selection purposes when the players reach higher age groups, as they will have been within the
program for more than one season, allowing assessments regarding their attitude to be made.
Other aspects that have been identified as relevant to expertise in football include speed
over 5m to 40m, ball control at speed, using different surfaces and unpredictable conditions, and
anticipating play (Vrljic & Mallett, 2008). An important theme in these was that they should be
relevant to the game, and not assessed through isolated tests that were not incorporated into the
game.

Identifying Players
Given the above discussion, it is necessary to identify what aspects selectors should be
assessing in order to place players into a development programme, and then for selection into
competitive squads. The key components that have been identified are as follows:
 Physical characteristics such as size, strength, maturation level
 Physiological such as speed, agility and fitness
 Technical skills such as dribbling, passing, control and shooting, along with defensive skills
 Cognitive such as game understanding and perception
 Psycho-behavioral such as attitude, desire and effort.

Physical and physiological aspects should not be tested for or used to screen players at
this stage due to the effect of maturation and the risk of deselecting players that have the same or
greater potential. Positive psycho-behavioral characteristics are desired, and in fact necessary for
a player to apply themselves within the development programme, and to reach their potential.
Perceptual-cognitive skills and technical skills have been found to be more likely to discriminate
between different overall skill levels of players (Vaeyens, et al., 2008).
The question remaining is how much weight is placed on technical skills and game
understanding, and if this varies by age. Selectors need to be informed what to look for, how to
observe it, and how much weight to give each attributes when determining which players should
go into the development programme.
 A suggested process for developing this understanding of what to assess is to create a
profile of the athlete that is to be identified for the development programme, in terms of their
competencies, knowledge, skills and abilities required for participation in the programme, along
with the expectations. Competencies include the standards, capabilities and characteristics of the
athlete that are expected (Bradbury, n.d.).

Policy Considerations
It is important that selection policies and procedures are developed and put in place, and
that these are communicated to the athletes, parents and selectors. A written selection policy
should be created, that provides an overview of the selection policies, the criteria on which
athletes will be selected, and who will decide selection and the process by which the selections
will be decided (Bradbury, n.d.). They should explain the skills, qualities and performance
standards that are sought by selectors, and the decision making process used. It is important that
players are informed of how the trials will proceed, so that they can be properly prepared for
them.
The selection criteria that are contained in the policy should conform to the following
requirements:
 The competencies required by the player
 The selection criteria in priority order
 Impartial and non-discriminatory
 Identifies the methods of selection
 Regularly updated and communicated to all parties.

Recommendations
Following the discussion above regarding the purpose of talent identification relative to a
development programme, and given the issues raised regarding talent identification, especially at
the younger age groups, the following recommendations are made:
 That development remains the focus of a development programme as opposed to
performance
 That the focus of the initial trial phases is to get the players showing the greatest long-term
potential (as opposed to short term ability) into the development programme
 That the role of maturation is acknowledged, along with the fact that players that are
effective at a young age will not necessarily be the same ones that are effective in future
years
 That players are not deselected based on effectiveness or physical size early in their playing
careers
 That an overview of desired characteristics is developed to aid selectors with what they are
looking for, how they will see these characteristics and the types of players that they should
be selecting for inclusion into the development programme
 That greater emphasis is placed on technical skills and game understanding as opposed to
physical characteristics and current effectiveness in games when identifying players for the
programme
 That the selection process is written down in terms of what selectors are to look for, and that
this is distributed to selectors and players/parents
 That small sided games are used for selection purposes, rather than skill tests or physical
testing
 That a policy regarding the selection of players at each stage is developed, along with
guidelines on how to identify these players – from club nominations, acceptance into
programme and selection into the competitive squads
 That psycho-behavioural components are monitored within the programme to aid selections
in future years and for ongoing player identification
 That there is education of selectors and players/parents with regards to the objectives of the
selection process and the issues surrounding it (maturation, long-term potential etc)
 That research is used to back up the development philosophy, and a similar education
process is used so that the philosophy is understood throughout the development process, and
is adhered to by the programme coaches.
Assessment and Recognizing Talent

Talent assessment is a process that companies use to identify which candidate will
perform the best, and be the right cultural fit. It aims to predict a new hire's on the job
performance, as well as their retainability in the long term

Talent Assessment Process Overview

At Decision Wise, we understand the importance of succession planning and retaining
key talent. We conduct a comprehensive assessment of talent, and help you identify future
leaders. We also provide coaching to prepare leaders for key positions. The DecisionWise
Talent Assessment Process includes the following elements:
 Position and Competency Analysis
 Leadership Assessments
 Talent Interviews by a DecisionWise Consultant
 Talent Matrix Report to rank order candidates
 Talent Review Meetings to determine development paths
 Leadership Coaching to develop candidates for future roles

1. Competency Development
 Decision Wise specializes in helping organizations develop and refine their leadership
competencies. Since each organization is different, it is important that leaders are evaluated
using a unique set of competencies that are relevant to their job performance and can be readily
observed by others in the workplace. The best competencies are created by observing the top
performing leaders in the organization and identifying HOW they lead others. Competencies are
further defined by identifying specific behaviors that represent each competency. Our
competency development process includes a competency survey and workshops with senior
leaders.
2. Assessment Options
To obtain the most clear and objective picture possible of a given leader’s future potential
and performance, Decision Wise consultants conduct a battery of assessments and
comprehensive talent interviews. Decision Wise holds all necessary certifications to be an expert
administrator of many leading psychometric assessments. Additionally, DecisionWise maintains
close working partnerships with several organizations that develop psychometric assessment
content.
Every leader evaluation is measured differently, based on the individual, cultural and
workplace factors and varying client requirements. In order to create the most effective battery of
assessments possible, DecisionWise experts in I/O psychology meet with the client and carefully
review and select each assessment to be used. DecisionWise bases this selection on 2 criteria:
which factors will be assessed (as identified by both the client and DecisionWise), and to what
“depth” the participants need to be assessed. Typical assessments used in the process include:
 Decision Wise Leadership Intelligence 360 Survey
 Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (personality preferences)
 Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument
 Emotional Judgment Inventory (emotional intelligence)
3. Talent Interview
There are a number of competencies that cannot be measured via online assessment but
can be captured through an extensive talent interview. Additionally, many of the results from
online assessments can be further explored during the interview process.
A Decision Wise consultant will conduct a one-hour talent interview with each
participant over the telephone to review on-the-job behavior. Before the call, the consultant
reviews the results of all assessments to identify areas that will be discussed during the interview.
The consultant probes to further identify areas of strength and weakness. Participants are rated
across a standard scale used by each of our consultants conducting interviews. This allows for
meaningful comparison across participants. However, our consultants are also trained to explore
areas beyond standard questions in order to provide a more comprehensive understanding of
potential.
4. Leadership Intelligence Profile (Individual Summary Report)
Results from each of the chosen assessments and the Talent Interview are summarized
into a two-page report. The report includes written observations and recommendations by the
consultant who conducted the Talent Interview. These reports are provided both to the individual
and his or her manager.
5. Talent Matrix Report
The Talent Matrix Report compares scores and results for all candidates. A customized
succession planning and talent management matrix will be developed based on the client’s needs.
Each candidate will be placed in the matrix as determined by the talent review process and the
subsequent talent review meeting.
6. Talent Review Meeting
A DecisionWise consultant will meet onsite to conduct a talent review meeting to discuss
the candidate results. Participants in this meeting usually include senior leaders, the managers of
the participants, and HR. During this meeting, the consultant discusses the results for each
candidate after which the candidate’s manager provides additional background. The group then
discusses where the participant fits in the talent management model.
7. Coaching
A DecisionWise coach meets with each participant to review the results from all the
assessments and the Talent Interview. The coach helps the participant create a personal
development plans and follows up to ensure they are successful.
Talent Development

Talent Development is a set of integrated organizational HR processes designed to

attract, develop, motivate, and retain productive, engaged employees. The goal of talent
development is to create a high-performance, sustainable organization that meets its strategic
and operational goals and objectives.
1. Assess Agency Appetite
A dedicated training function or organization is necessary to create an atmosphere of
talent development in government agencies. The maturity of the training function is an indication
of an agency's appetite for talent development.
Indicators of organizational maturity include management's focus on talent development,
resources invested, programs offered, technology used, level of commitment to a learning
culture, quality of partnerships that treat development as a strategic imperative, and methodology
for measuring and evaluating training's impact on the agency's mission, strategic plans,
performance objectives, and culture. (See the sidebar for guidance on assessing organization
maturity.)
Once you are clear on your agency's appetite for talent development, leverage
organizational strengths and identify creative approaches to begin your talent development
journey.
2. Marshall the Talent Development Team
In addition to the design, development, and delivery of learning beyond the classroom,
talent development includes a system of coordinated HR functions that help recruit, select,
position, develop, reward, and retrain talent. When operating in concert, the system promotes
talent-rich agencies.
The talent development team ensures system alignment and develops and oversees the
implementation of the agency's talent development strategy. It includes representatives involved
in workforce planning, recruitment and selection, workforce training and development,
performance management, career management, succession planning, benefits, and awards and
recognition on the team.
The talent development strategy considers current and future needs, establishes pathways
and programs for talent growth, and coordinates HR processes and actions to promote and
sustain talent development efforts. The team ensures integrative approaches are used to develop
and execute strategies that ensure the agency has the right people, with the right skills, in the
right place, at the right time to form and sustain the agency's mission.
3. Grow Talent Development Staff and Partnerships
Successful implementation of talent development strategies requires a capable cadre of
talent development professionals and partners. Whether you are an office of one or many, here
are a few suggestions for growing your talent development staff and partners:
 Offer training in human performance improvement and talent development to provide
strategic insight into the role of learning development in organizations.
 Create opportunities for interns and employee details to attract those interested in learning
more about training and development.
 Leverage the experience and interests of agency members by developing an adjunct faculty
program of leaders, subject matter experts, and training enthusiasts to supplement your staff as
trainers, facilitators, presenters, panelists, program content advisers, and champions.
 Develop team leader and supervisor training skills to provide just-in-time training and to
identify and exploit workplace learning opportunities.
 Establish inter- and intra-agency partnerships to share best practices and resources for
expanding talent development efforts.
4. Assess, Align, Develop, and Deliver Effective Learning Experiences
Effective talent development learning experiences facilitate the agency's strategic plan
and performance objectives, complement the culture, and exploit the capacity of the agency.
Begin by assessing the quality and effectiveness of current learning and development efforts.
 Are learning opportunities designed in accordance with adult learning and instructional
design principles?
 Is content relevant to the agency's strategic plan and performance objectives?
 Are there gaps in training delivery approaches that can become part of your talent
development strategy, given culture and resource constraints?
 Are there opportunities to develop and deliver informal or social learning approaches to
training?
5. Measure and Evaluate Impact
To ensure your efforts are on track and investments are worthwhile, take time to measure
and evaluate development activities. Don Kirkpatrick's four levels of evaluation are a useful
framework for determining the impact of your learning experiences:
1. Reaction: participants' view on whether training was favorable, engaging, and relevant
2. Learning: whether participants acquire the intended knowledge, skills, and attitudes
3. Behavior: how much participants apply what they learned to their job
4. Results: whether targeted outcomes are achieved.