More than Talent

This Perspective lays out our view on how leaders must resolve an inevitable and desirable tension between engaging individuals ("talent") and directing or disciplining their efforts. It is an elevator speech that is consistent with BCG's brand of thinking. In particular, it is a humanistic point of view. We respect individuals and their rights to the economic value they create. But it is also a dynamic point of view. We see organizations as complex, interactive systems in which individuals collaborate and create more value than they would on their own. Top management's job is to put in place the hard and soft conditions for such cooperation to prevail despite all the "good" reasons that hamper it: specialization, individual focus, and incentives.