FAQ

I hear a lot of people talking about Talent, and how to keep it, but how do I know what Talent really is?

Talent has many definitions, but at Brevis , we define talent as learning capacity – how much can someone learn? Some people have a greater capacity to learn than others.

So, Talent = Learning Capacity. What does that mean?

Those with this enhanced capability are able to acquire competence more rapidly than others, and, crucially, are able to think more completely about problems and situations than others. This enables them to take on roles which require the ability to go beyond logic to add intuition to decision-making – an essential requirement in roles which determine strategy and tactics for future progression.

How do I know who has this ability? Is it obvious?

Sadly, it's often easier to identify the people who don't have it! All of us have seen people who performed outstandingly in a role, only to struggle when promoted. The new role requires the ability to go beyond what's on the page, to think about the future and the wider environment, and the employee cannot stretch to this added dimension. This causes significant stress to the employee, and represents considerable risk to the organisation.

Can Learning Capacity be measured?

Grounded in the same thorough research that produced the successful Potentia systems, Brevis is a technique which allows us to measure the learning capacity of individuals. We are not measuring competence, but rather the potential to acquire competence in the future. The method involves a structured conversation which leads the candidate through a topic, giving opportunities to show ability to look beyond the given information and start to take action on the bigger picture. We do not seek complete answers to the scenario, but require candidates to show us that they can at least ask the right questions, or identify areas in which they need further information, in order to take action on the broader and long-term context in which the scenario sits. Put simply, if people can recognise the bigger picture, they can learn to deal it. If they can't see what they don't know, they can't learn to take action on the wider environment.

Is all Learning Capacity the same?

As well as measuring the size of someone's learning capacity, we are also interested in its shape. At each level of capacity, there will be variations. For example, some people have a greater ability to consider the “people” aspects of a scenario; others the “task” elements. Some have a natural ability to analyse; others prefer to explore innovative solutions for the future. We measure each of these elements, or Qualities, in the conversation.

How can I use this information?

Roles have shape and size too. We can measure the requirements of a role, both as it stands and for the ways in which it might develop, and set out clearly the boundaries of the responsibility. This enables people to be matched to roles with precision, ensuring that employees receive levels of challenge with which they are comfortable.

For less specific situations, it is useful to know which young managers, for example, have the potential to lead the organisation in future, so that talent pools can be identified and developed. Our processes have been used across many levels of organisations, from graduate recruitment right through to succession planning for chief executives and senior leadership roles.

How can I ensure compliance with targets for diversity?

Learning capacity has been shown to be distributed evenly amongst different populations. This means that a high learning capacity is no more likely to be found in any one ethnic or gender group than in another. In fact, measuring people's potential is a much more fair method of selection than many others, because it takes no account of previous opportunity. One of the barriers to the achievement of a diverse leadership is the lack of equality in educational opportunity – if you're using attainment of educational qualifications as an indication of suitability for a role, sometimes candidates from lower socio-economical backgrounds will have had less opportunity to acquire these than their white, middle-class colleagues. Measuring learning capacity therefore provides a level playing field from which to select from a broader range of candidates – it can even be carried out anonymously and by telephone to reinforce lack of gender/culture bias in the process.

All of this sounds very interesting, but all this information must be time-consuming and expensive to collect!

Clearly, for senior leadership roles, an organisation would need to invest considerable resource in selecting the right candidate for the position. Under these circumstances we would recommend our Potentia systems process, which takes a couple of hours and provides a detail report on the size and shape of the candidate's learning capacity. However, where less information is needed, and a 'quick sweep' is more appropriate, perhaps for graduate recruitment, or for the creation of talent pools, we can determine the size and shape of a person's potential in about 30 minutes, either in person or over the telephone. This process, which we call 'Brevis' is a two-stage PROCESS, The first stage is completed electronically, anonymously if necessary, by the candidate. A question is posed, and the candidate types a response which is then forwarded to a consultant. The answers to this question determine whether or not a further investigation of the candidate's potential is worthwhile. For those who show signs of having high learning capacity, we would recommend further examination - a 20 minute phone call which leads the candidate through a scenario, giving them the opportunity to demonstrate access to the higher levels of learning capacity.