ABSTRACT
The chapter provides an overview of the various perspectives of ‘talent’, including consideration of the multiple definitions and conceptualisations featuring in the existing literature. Before introducing readers to the different ways that researchers and organisations can attribute meaning to the term and conceptualise it, we make the argument that there is no right way or one way to understand what talent is (or is not). This is because talent meanings ultimately exist as ideas and arise through the language used to communicate our perceptions of talent. As such, talent is a socially and discursively constructed concept. Talent meanings, albeit conceptualised as individuals, valued skills and capabilities, pivotal roles and positions or everyone, are contextually specific and thus bespoke to organisations. The chapter also highlights that while informed talent meanings lay the foundation for effective talent management practices, many scholars fail to define what talent is and means within the context of publications. We conclude that the absence of a specific term definition, combined with assumptions that stakeholders know and agree on what we mean when talking about talent, limits informed understandings and inhibits knowledge and understanding.
