Talent on Demand

2

The Rise of Talent Management

To get a clear sense of contemporary talent management challenges and ways to handle them, it helps to take a long-term view. How did companies provide the managerial and executive talent to meet the demands of the business in earlier periods, and why did those approaches change over time?

One surprising insight is that most current practices—forced ranking systems, 360 degree feedback, assessment centers, and so on—were well established by the 1950s. These practices were a response to the unique circumstances following World War II, circumstances that made long-term planning for talent and internal development possible as well as necessary. Although these practices continue to be advocated, even reinvented, the ...