Published Paper Details:

Meyers et al's paper presents a comprehensive and convincing overview of the differing perspectives on talent as innate versus acquired and presents a continuum reflecting the various interpretations of these perspectives and some implications of an organisation's position on this continuum on the design of talent management practices. This issue is particularly pertinent given the evidence that organizations are increasingly willing to pay a premium to attract and retain those they perceive to be highly talented individuals (Ang, Slaghter and Ng, 2002; Goldsmith and Veum, 2002). This is underpinned by the implicit assumption that talented individuals produce outstanding performance that helps firms achieve a competitive advantage. We agree with the general premise of the paper. Therefore, rather than rehearse Meyers and her colleagues' arguments, we focus on expanding on the ideas in the paper. In particular, we address the issue of exclusivity of talent and consider the role of context and its implications on talented individuals' performance.