Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the characteristics of talent in relation to international business to facilitate selection and development of talent in human resources (HR) and human resource development (HRD).
Design/methodology/approach – A mixed method design was used: focus groups with business professionals to identify the characteristics of highly talented international business professionals (HTIBP), resulting in a concept profile; Delphi study for validation; systematic comparison of the open
coding results to existing literature to identify characteristics of talent.
Findings – A specific and concise profile of HTIBP has been developed. This profile has five domains: achieving results; communicating; innovating; self-reflecting; seeing patterns and interrelationships in a global context. From literature cross-referencing, we have identified innovating, being creative and
having a drive to achieve results are most distinguishing for HTIBP.
Practical implications – The paper facilitates an ongoing discussion about what constitutes talent, and offers new perspectives for companies to consider when selecting and developing talent.
Originality/value – The conceptual contribution of the paper offers a fresh and practical empirical perspective on what talent entails.
Design/methodology/approach – A mixed method design was used: focus groups with business professionals to identify the characteristics of highly talented international business professionals (HTIBP), resulting in a concept profile; Delphi study for validation; systematic comparison of the open
coding results to existing literature to identify characteristics of talent.
Findings – A specific and concise profile of HTIBP has been developed. This profile has five domains: achieving results; communicating; innovating; self-reflecting; seeing patterns and interrelationships in a global context. From literature cross-referencing, we have identified innovating, being creative and
having a drive to achieve results are most distinguishing for HTIBP.
Practical implications – The paper facilitates an ongoing discussion about what constitutes talent, and offers new perspectives for companies to consider when selecting and developing talent.
Originality/value – The conceptual contribution of the paper offers a fresh and practical empirical perspective on what talent entails.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 58-73 |
| Journal | European Journal of Training and Development |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Publication status | Published - 2016 |
Keywords
- talent management
- competencies
- mixed methods
- international business professionals