Decoding Talent: Understanding the Ambiguity of the Business World’s Notion of Talent

If we stick to the dictionary definition, talent is a particular or remarkable aptitude for achieving something. In the business world, this term remains ambiguous because which he suggests, without describing. As a result, the perception of talent is not the same whether you are an ordinary executive or a manager. This is what a study by the HR chair at the EM Normandie business school shows.

franceinfo: To understand the misunderstanding, we have to go back to the origins of the concept?

Sarah Lemoine : It was created in the United States at the end of the 1990s. At the time, American companies were having difficulty recruiting, and the famous consulting firm McKinsey invented the concept of talent.

The idea is that the best companies should not invest in all employees – that is to say in salaries, in training – but only target the best, those who have essential value. In France, this very elitist vision, carrying inequalities, gradually clashes with social sensitivities. Human resources have come back, says Professor Jean Pralong, author of the study.

In France, what do we mean by the word talent?

EM Normandie interviewed ordinary executives on the one hand, and managers and HR professionals on the other. What is interesting is that these two populations do not have the same vision. 80% of executives have a closed perception of talent, as if they had integrated the McKinsey concept. For them, it is a rare, highly sought after, non-developable resource, and they say to themselves: “but no, it can’t be me”. This generates frustrations and self-eliminating behaviors in positions or training.

What about managers and HR?

Surprise, three-quarters of them display, on the contrary, a very open vision. For them, talent is developed internally, it is a skill to be built. They use the word talent as a synonym for collaborator, and that ultimately concerns everyone.

At a time when companies have recruited a lot, and are seeking to retain employees, it is urgent to dispel this misunderstanding, the study concludes.