Nurturing global talent

The development of global talent is seen by many organisations to be central to their success in today’s global marketplace. Organisations realise that to remain competitive they need people that are able to operate effectively in complex global environments. Individuals need to work within multiple cultures and in different geographical and cultural settings. Global talent need to be able to manage and lead under conditions of uncertainty, be willing to embrace new challenges and be culturally sensitive. Most organisations realise that such talent is developed through careful training and engagement. Global talent needs to be nurtured. Organisations need to attract, develop and retain individuals that are able to be assigned global roles working with cross-border responsibilities and with multi-cultural teams. More importantly, they need employees that can lead teams and effect change within such complex environments. Developing such ‘global leaders’ is seen by many organisations to be a strategic priority (Howe-Walsh and Turnbull, 2012). This article discusses the importance of identifying and developing individual employee’s global competencies and the competency based assessment techniques many organisations are employing to help nurture their global talent.