This document provides an overview of talent management. It defines talent management as focusing on ensuring the availability of talented people to fill key roles, both currently and in the future. It discusses identifying key roles and assessing individuals' talent and potential. It also outlines the clusters of policies and practices that make up a talent management framework, including identifying, developing, and retaining internal talent as well as attracting external talent. The framework aims to have a pipeline of people for leadership and other critical roles.

1. Strategic People Management & Talent Acquisition.
Talent Management Unbundled
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2. The following material
on the subject of Talent Management
is entirely original and is our own work.
It is based on our own practical experience as practitioners and consultants.
Strategic People Management & Talent Acquisition.
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3. CAVEAT
The meanings of terms - a persistent problem in the context of Talent Management
It is essential to clarify the specific meanings being given to a number of frequently used
and important terms when they are being used in the context of Talent Management.
This is because some of the key terms employed in the context of Talent Management
also get used frequently within “common parlance”.
e.g. “potential”, “high-potential”, “talent”, “capabilities”, “key people”, “key roles”.
Furthermore, sometimes when being used in “common parlance”, some of these words
can stimulate quite strong emotions, deriving from personal values and beliefs around human
capability and equality, inclusion /exclusion, “elites” etc.
In the context of Talent Management, however, such terms are given specific “technical”
meanings that are different from their “common parlance” meanings.
Unfortunately, there is no universal, common view on what these specific “technical” meanings are.
Instead, each individual organisation or (thinker in the field) has to clarify (and reach agreement on)
the meanings being given to the terms being used within their specific approach to Talent Management.
Strategic People Management & Talent Acquisition.

4. What does the term “Talent Management” mean? (1)
It is widely believed that to maintain and strengthen organisational competitiveness/effectiveness
and to enable the delivery of any new activities/growth/change envisaged within strategic plans,
organisations have to try to employ capable, high-performing people in all areas.
Talent Management however, is usually more focused than this.
It is about trying to ensure the continual availability of a population of appropriately talented
and motivated people able to undertake and perform well in an organisation’s Key Roles.
This may include roles that do not presently exist, but which the organisation will need to create
in order to meet future challenges.
Strategic People Management & Talent Acquisition.

5. Underpinning essentials within any Talent Management Framework
• Identifying and Understanding “Key Roles”
• Identifying and Understanding Individuals’ “Talent”
• Making judgments about Individuals’ “Potential”
(in terms of Key Roles / Organisational Levels)
• Creating & implementing Personal Development Plans for people
in the “Key Talent” population
(and/or “Retention Plans”).
Strategic People Management & Talent Acquisition.

6. “Key Roles”
A central aspect of Talent Management is that, given finite resources, the organisation has to decide
which people in particular it should focus its efforts (and investment) on - in terms of attracting,
developing and retaining them.
To enable it to make such decisions, the organisation needs to identify the set of “Key Roles” which
are critical to its ability to maintain & strengthen competitiveness and to deliver its strategic goals.
It needs then to understand the demands of these roles and the skills and other characteristics needed
by effective incumbents.
The driving logic is that the organisation should focus its efforts (and investment) on attracting,
developing and retaining people who can perform these “Key Roles” effectively now, or who can
reasonably be expected to be able to perform them in the near, mid, or long-term future.
“Key Roles” are:
• senior leadership roles
• other “very high-impact” technical/specialist roles.
Strategic People Management & Talent Acquisition.

7. Coming to a view on an individual’s “Talent” and “Potential”
Overleaf is an overview diagram showing the various elements involved in:
a) reaching a sensible and ethical view about the capabilities and characteristics a person has
(referred to as their “talent”)
…. and based on this:
b) reaching a sensible and ethical judgment about the probability of that person becoming
capable of successfully undertaking “Key Roles” within the organisation at some given
point in the future (referred to as their “potential”).
Strategic People Management & Talent Acquisition.

8. Coming to a view on an individual’s “Talent” and “Potential”
(i.e. their potential future contribution to the organisation)
Person’s Person’s goals Person’s
“Talent” & preferences “Potential”
Expressed in the form
Judgment made
of a hypothesis
“Inherent” Present about individual’s
characteristics capacity for
and + technical /
professional + Preferences + Aspirations
developing specific
capabilities capabilities other capabilities
and of performing “if……………
well in future senior then…………”
leadership or other
very “high-impact”
- “Temperament” roles – given certain
(Achievement Drive, development opportunities
Resilience) & activities. This hypothesis may or
- “Intellect” may not include statements
(Problem Analysis, about possible future roles.
Creative Thinking,
May be summarised
Judgement)
- “Emotional Intelligence” in a “Potential Rating”
(Adaptive Influence,
Empathy
Personal Insight)
- “Learning Drive” Note:
Judgment on likelihood of suitable “Key Roles”
or “Development Roles” becoming available
takes place within Succession Planning process
Strategic People Management & Talent Acquisition.

9. What does the term “Talent Management” mean? (2)
The terms
• “Talent Management”
• “Talent Management Framework”
• “Talent Management System”
are also given to the set of “policy and practices clusters” that companies develop and utilise
in order to identify, attract, retain and develop capable, high-performing people for their Key Roles.
It is now regarded as “good practice” for organisations to develop a Talent Management Framework.
The policy and practices clusters which can constitute a Talent Management Framework are discussed
further below.
Strategic People Management & Talent Acquisition.

10. A “TALENT MANAGEMENT” FRAMEWORK CONSISTS OF A SET OF
INTER-RELATED “POLICY & PRACTICES CLUSTERS”
Clusters’ Clusters’
goals goals
Senior
To attract & select Leadership
key talent people to maintain To have a highly skilled
& strengthen competitiveness Development (world class?) and
and delivery of strategic goals policies & collaborative senior
practices leadership cadre
To maximise the likelihood
Internal Internal that staff in the key talent
To have identified those people
within the organisation Talent Talent population will learn and develop
who are to be included Identification Development as needed in order to
in the key talent population policies & policies & continue to perform well
and to fulfill their
practices practices (hypothesised) potential
To have continual cover
for senior leadership roles
To attract & retain To have continual cover
key talent people to maintain Compensation Succession
for “very high-impact”
& strengthen competitiveness & Benefits Planning technical/specialist roles
and delivery of strategic goals policies & practices policies & practices
To have cost effective To manage the availability
employment of appropriate roles for key
contracts talent people as part of their
development and as an aid
to their retention.

11. A “TALENT MANAGEMENT” FRAMEWORK CONSISTS OF A SET OF
INTER-RELATED “POLICY & PRACTICES CLUSTERS”
Clusters’ Clusters’
goals goals
External Senior
Talent Leadership
Resourcing Development
policies & policies &
practices practices
Internal Internal
Talent Talent
Identification Development
policies & policies &
practices practices
Underpins
all
Compensation Succession
& Benefits Planning
policies & practices policies & practices
Key Roles
Analysis
policies & often involves
practices Competencies frameworks

12. A “TALENT MANAGEMENT” FRAMEWORK CONSISTS OF A SET OF
INTER-RELATED “POLICY & PRACTICES CLUSTERS”
Clusters’ Clusters’
goals goals
External Senior
Talent Leadership
Resourcing Development
policies & policies &
practices practices
Internal Internal
Talent Talent
Identification Development
policies & policies &
practices practices
Compensation Succession
& Benefits Planning
policies & practices policies & practices
To provide information on Key Roles
the demands and challenges Analysis
and on the relative sizes policies &
of the organisation’s practices
key roles.

13. A “TALENT MANAGEMENT” FRAMEWORK CONSISTS OF A SET OF
INTER-RELATED “POLICY & PRACTICES CLUSTERS”
Clusters’ Clusters’
goals goals
External Senior
Talent Leadership
Resourcing Development
policies & policies &
practices practices
Internal Internal
Talent Talent
Identification Development
policies & policies &
practices practices
Performance
Management
policies &
practices
Compensation Succession
& Benefits Planning
policies & practices policies & practices

14. A “TALENT MANAGEMENT” FRAMEWORK CONSISTS OF A SET OF
INTER-RELATED “POLICY & PRACTICES CLUSTERS”
Clusters’ Clusters’
goals goals
External Senior
Talent Leadership
Resourcing Development
policies & policies &
practices practices
Internal Internal
Talent Talent
Identification Development
policies & policies &
practices practices
To provide information on the Performance
contribution being made by
staff and on their
Management
developmental progress, policies &
and to signify fairness and practices
objectivity in assessing
contribution & performance
Compensation Succession
& Benefits Planning
policies & practices policies & practices

15. A “TALENT MANAGEMENT” FRAMEWORK CONSISTS OF A SET OF
INTER-RELATED “POLICY & PRACTICES CLUSTERS”
Clusters’ Clusters’
goals goals
External Senior
Talent Leadership
Resourcing Development
policies & policies &
practices practices
Assessment
policies &
practices
Internal Internal
Talent Talent
Identification Development
policies & policies &
practices practices
Compensation Succession
& Benefits Planning
policies & practices policies & practices

16. A “TALENT MANAGEMENT” FRAMEWORK CONSISTS OF A SET OF
INTER-RELATED “POLICY & PRACTICES CLUSTERS”
Clusters’ Clusters’
gals goals
External Senior
Talent Leadership
Resourcing Development
policies & policies &
practices practices
To provide objective data Assessment
on the capabilities, policies &
characteristics, aspirations,
preferences and potential practices
(organisational) of Internal Internal
individuals.
Talent Talent
Identification Development
policies & policies &
practices practices
Compensation Succession
& Benefits Planning
policies & practices policies & practices

17. A “TALENT MANAGEMENT” FRAMEWORK CONSISTS OF A SET OF
INTER-RELATED “POLICY & PRACTICES CLUSTERS”
External Senior
Talent Leadership
Resourcing Development
policies & policies &
practices practices
Assessment
policies &
practices
Internal Internal
Talent Talent
Identification Development
policies & policies &
practices practices the continual availability of a
population of appropriately skilled and
Performance
motivated people to be able to fill
Management
policies & and perform well in “very high-impact”
practices
(or “business critical”) roles.
Compensation Succession
& Benefits Planning
policies & practices policies & practices
Underpins Key Roles Underpins
all all
Analysis
policies &
practices

18. SOME COMPANIES CHOOSE TO VIEW ONLY SOME OF THESE CLUSTERS AS FALLING
WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THEIR OWN PARTICULAR TALENT MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK.
e.g. Company X sees it’s own Talent Management Framework as consisting
of 3 key elements. And, it chooses not to see Compensation & Benefits
as an integrated part of its Talent Management Framework.
Senior
Leadership
Development
policies &
practices Element 2.
External
Talent “Optimisation
Resourcing of Leadership
policies & Performance”
practices
Element 1. Internal
“Identification Talent
of Leadership Development
policies &
Talent” practices
Internal
Talent
Identification
policies &
practices
Succession Element 3.
Planning “Succession
policies & practices Management”

19. But, while Company X’s Talent Management Framework may have
“only” have 3 elements, these also require the “underpinning” clusters
shown in the centre in this graphic.
Senior
Leadership
Development
policies &
practices
Element 2.
Assessment “Optimisation
policies &
of Leadership
practices
Performance”
External
Internal
Talent
Talent
Resourcing
Development
policies & policies &
practices
Element 1. practices
“Identification
of Leadership Performance
Management
Talent” policies &
Internal practices
Talent Succession Element 3.
Identification Planning “Succession
policies & policies & practices Management”
practices
Underpins Key Roles Underpins
all all
Analysis
policies &
practices

20. Strategic People Management & Talent Acquisition.
Founding Partners:
John Gemmill, MBA, MA (Hons)
Managing Director
Mobile: 07983 526378
john.gemmill@insightdriven.co.uk
Richard Palmer, MA
Director
Mobile: 07714 188233
richard.palmer@insightdriven.co.uk
www.insightdriven.co.uk