Abstract
Talent and creativity are widely regarded as the ultimate factors and drivers of economic success in societies experiencing rising income inequalities, job polarization, and global mobility of high-skilled workers. Yet, due to obstacles surrounding their definition, the content and causal effectiveness of these two factors remain obscure, or are even dismissed as purely social constructs. Drawing mainly on studies of artistic and scientific work, this article proposes avenues for solving this enigma, by connecting four research strands: the imbalances present in creative career trajectories arising from relative, performance-based valuation; the multidimensionality of skills and the multistage training process; the variability of non-routine work; and the stratification effect of assortative matching in teamwork and collaboration. The final section examines how the workforce “talentification” impacts compensation practices, with pay scales getting legitimized according to large, supposedly Paretian-like individual performance differentials.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call