Tales from the field: using requisite organization theory in potential assessment

Abstract

One of the most important tasks in achieving organizational effectiveness is talent management – identifying people with the potential to grow into effective senior leaders of an organization and developing their innate capacities. Requisite Organization theory provides a well-grounded framework for designing and operating effective organizations. Jaques' exploration of the different cognitive processing styles necessary to be effective in increasingly complex organizational roles has helped clarify the fundamentals of talent identification. However, anyone who has worked in large complex organizations knows that intellect alone is not enough – certain personal and social capacities are also needed to be truly effective. In this article we provide some insights into a three-dimensional framework that has been used successfully in the field to identify managerial potential. The three dimensions draw upon Jaques' ideas of differential capacities, but expand beyond the intellectual dimension to incorporate a temperament dimension and a values dimension. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.