Making Talent Work. A study of individualized approaches to talent management
Research Question
What is the value of inclusive or strengths-based approaches to talent management for fostering the further development and lifelong learning of various target groups, such as employees of all ages, educational levels, ethnic backgrounds, with and without disabilities and unemployed?
Project Description
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid”. This quote which has been attributed to Albert Einstein is a caution that human potential may get wasted if we judge people too much for what they cannot do. Because organizations can no longer afford to waste human potential they need to develop new strategies to optimally apply the talents of a diverse workforce. This research project aims to produce new knowledge about to what extent and by what mechanisms strengths-based or individualized approaches to talent foster the inclusion and further development of diverse employees, including workers of all ages and ethnic backgrounds and workers with disabilities.
Selected Publications
Van Woerkom, M., Bakker, A.B. & Nishii, L.H. (2016). Accumulative Job Demands and Support for Strength Use: Fine-Tuning the Job Demands-Resources Model Using Conservation of Resources Theory. Journal of Applied Psychology, 101 (1) 141-150. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/apl0000033
Meyers, M.C., Van Woerkom, M. (2014). The influence of underlying philosophies on talent management: Theory and implications for practice. Journal of World Business, 49, 192-203.
Van Woerkom, M. Oerlemans, W.G.A. & Bakker, A.B. (2016). Strengths use and work engagement: A weekly diary study. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 25 (3) 384-397. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2015.1089862