Demystifying Talent Management A Critical Approach to the Realities of Talent

by Adamsen, Billy

• ISBN13: 9781137508652
• ISBN10: 1137508655
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2015-11-05
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

In both business and sports, the recruitment and management of especially talented individuals has become central to obtaining competitive advantages and strengthening competitiveness, because only with them can results be produced, progress ensured and goals achieved. Notwithstanding the legitimate importance of talent management, it is noteworthy how ambiguous the term is and how difficult it is to define. Within talent management, it is often explained with the Gospel of Matthew; that someone who 'has more' has a talent, and therefore should be 'given more',. This is exactly what managers do when they identify and recruit a talent. Demystifying Talent Management questions this idea that anyone who has 'more' has a talent, and demonstrates how the term 'talent' has become an empty signifier which no longer refers to anyone or anything in the actual world. The book explores whether talent exists at all, and what the consequences for talent management would be if this were the case.

Author Biography

Billy Adamsen is Assistant Professor at the University of Southern Denmark, Denmark. He has published several books and papers on a variety of subjects including Sport management, talent management, Management, Cognition and Media, Politics and Media, Psychology of language and the effect of new media. In addition to his academic experience, he has worked as a manager, director, advisor and scout for different national and international companies within business, politics and sports.

Table of Contents

Introduction: How To Read This Book
1. The Gospel Of Mathew – He Who Has More Has A Talent 
2. Stories About Individuals From The Darkness 
3. The Need For Talent: The Origins Of Talent Management In Business And Sports 
4. The Language Of Talent 
5. It's Not About Talent Itself - But About Detecting, Identifying And Selecting Talents 
6. The Etymology Of The Term 'Talent' 
7. Talent And Talent Management As Accidental Designators Or Empty Signifiers 
8. The Accidental Term Talent From An Anthropological Semiotic Perspective 
9. The Denotation And Connotation Of 'Talent' 
10. Final Thoughts - The Gospel Of Matthew In Contemporary Talent Management
11. IQC Management – The Future Term For Talent Management
Epilogue – Niels Bohr In Talent Management
Notes
Literature
Bibliography