This case study examined ways elementary school students from diverse populations (minorities and children from low socioeconomic status environments) were included in a talent development program, and determined if that inclusion proved to be beneficial for gifted identification. With intentional regard for the idea of talent development, this study sought to uncover the nuts and bolts of one district’s effort to create a program for young elementary school students (K-3). This investigation used interviews, a focus group, document reviews, and standardized achievement measures to study how the talent development program for underrepresented students was created and implemented. A synthesis of data showed that the program resulted in the gifted identification of fourteen out of twenty-eight students by third grade from the program. The results of the study have important implications for educators desiring researched based strategies for increasing student diversity in their elementary gifted programming. This study suggests that an action decision has to be made by policy makers about those underrepresented in the gifted process or the inequities that have beleaguered the gifted field since the beginning will ensue. Lessons learned from the program are shared to inform practice. A commitment to developing talent in early elementary school students from diverse low socioeconomic backgrounds is a viable option and should be pursued and encouraged.

Introduction: The purpose of a player development pathway is to realise the most effective methods to support young individuals to maximise their potential (MacNamara & Collins, 2015). Within a modern football academy setting, the essential developmental characteristics are often termed environmental, psychological, sociological, physiological, technical, and tactical attributes (Sarmento et al., 2018). Although these factors have been explained to independently facilitate the acquisition of expert performance, fully-integrated multidisciplinary evidence from an English context is unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was two-fold; firstly, to analyse these respective features to determine what outcomes support greater age-specific performance within the Foundation Development Phase (FDP; under-9 to 11s) and Youth Development Phase (YDP; under-12 to 16s) at an English professional football academy. Following this investigation, this thesis examined what characteristics facilitated age-specific development across two football seasons within the same group. Methods: During the first season, a total of 98 outfield academy players (FDP n=40; YDP n=58) participated. Two professional coaches from each age group (n=14) ranked their players from top to bottom in relation to current ability from a holistic perspective. This created a linear classification with a group of ‘high-performers’ (top third) and ‘low-performers’ (bottom third) within both the FDP and YDP. Results were standardised using z-scores and the assumptions were tested using a two-tailed independent samples t-test. A total of 87 outfield players who progressed into the second season were further analysed within their respective phase (FDP n=36; YDP n=51). A combination of 34 holistic factors, that discriminated high- and low-performers in the initial investigation, were measured at two time points across two football seasons with the Participation History Questionnaire (PHQ), Psychological Characteristics for Developing Excellence Questionnaire (PCDEQ), socio-economic status, growth and maturation data, physical performance, technical tests, match analysis statistics, perceptual-cognitive expertise (PCE), and game test situations. Development was measured by comparing the delta change between the overall player profile scores from two seasonal reports. Stepwise regression analyses were conducted to assess the predictive capability of these variables on overall development. Results: Multiple factors from environmental, psychological, sociological, physiological, technical, and tactical examinations significantly discriminated high- and low-performers, within both the FDP and YDP. Following these initial findings, developmental results illustrated significant technical and tactical characteristics within the FDP, whilst significant environmental, physiological, technical, and tactical attributes were observed within the YDP. When focussing on these factors combined, total touches change (p=0.023), taking advantage of openings quality (p=0.003), and PCE ‘post’ score change (p=0.029) explained a combined 11.5% of the variance within the FDP. Within the YDP, PCE ‘at’ score (p=0.21), total sports played change (p=0.008), and total match-play hours (p=0.009) explained a combined 34.1% of the variance. Discussion: Identifying talented players as young as 8 years of age is a complex and holistic process. Thus, academy coaches and practitioners must understand the significant features, such as practice history and multi-sport engagement, psychological characteristics, socio-economic factors, physical performance abilities, technical attributes, and tactical decision making when identifying and recruiting individuals. From a talent development viewpoint, results from the FDP support the importance of technical and tactical development during middle childhood compared to other influential factors. From a YDP perspective, results support the significance of the environment players are exposed to, whilst also illustrating the importance of PCE as a key ingredient within adolescence, to support greater overall development. Therefore, professional football academies are encouraged to deliver technical and tactical specific developmental activities within the FDP, whilst offering a substantial games programme, alongside other opportunities to participate in multi-sport activities across both age phases, to support superior development. Further evidence is needed within an English context, through collaboration with other academy environments, to support these findings, whilst greater longitudinal data is also required to understand which of these characteristics are necessary to ultimately achieve senior professional status.

Title: Talent Management: Retention and development of employees Level: Bachelor’s Degree in Business and Administration Authors: Amra Abdulic Dzankovic and Anna Jaurén Supervisor: Per-Arne Wikström Date: June 2013 Aim: The purpose of this study is to examine how an organization can implement talent management strategies to retain and develop their employees. We intend to increase the understanding of talent management by highlighting various strategies to retain and develop employees. Methodology: The study has been carried out with a qualitative approach through a case study in cooperation with a large organization within the public sector in Sweden. Empirical material has been collected through semi-structured interviews with all the divisional managers. An extensive analysis of literature and research connected to Talent Management and tools for retention and development has formed the basis of the theoretical framework. Result and Conclusion: The conclusions we have drawn from this study is that to succeed with Talent Management, and the strategies that are in place to retain and develop employees, there must be an integral and comprehensive approach where business strategy and vision also permeates personnel strategy. To meet the growing challenges that today’s organizations are facing, we have concluded that development and different methods to get top talent to remain in the organization is critically important for companies to make the most of their human capital. The organization that we have implemented our study on uses several strategies to retain and develop employees, even if they do not work according to a pronounced TM strategy. Suggestions for further research: As an alternative to our study, we believe it would be interesting to conduct a survey based on the employees' perspective. It would be interesting to see how staff perceives the work around different Talent Management strategies when it comes to retaining and developing employees, and if they see some pros and cons with this work. Contribution: Our study contributes to a better understanding of Talent Management and various tools to retain and develop employees. The study also contributes to a better understanding of whether these tools can be applied to a public organization, more specifically a Swedish university. Previous research is mainly focused on the U.S. and Canadian markets, which primarily are focused on whether TM can contribute to economic benefits. We have chosen to implement our study on a Swedish organization on the Swedish market, and therefore contribute to the research, by implementing Talent Management in Sweden. The study also contributes to the research gap, which we demonstrated in our problem discussion, how development can be implemented and communicated in organizations, within the framework of Talent Management. We have also addressed the growing problems with retention of employees. Through our study, we believe that we have made a contribution to previous research where we focused primarily on various tools to retain and develop employees. We believe that this is something that is critically important because the staff is one of the most important assets in knowledge intensive organizations. Key words: Talent Management, Talent Development, retention and development of employees

Talent is a relative term usually used to describe someone who is able to perform a task better than their peers. This implies that such people have additional skills, competencies aptitudes or areas of intrinsic motivation that they bring to their performance on the job. In Zimbabwe it is difficult to plan ahead as the skills base continues to shrink and competition is increasing among organisations for the limited talent that is available. The aim of this study is to establish whether and how Multinational companies (MNCs) operating in Zimbabwe are developing local talent. To ascertain the understanding of talent development, whether talent management is shaped by business strategies and effectively communicated and implemented across the organization and if local talent is utilized to its optimal and retained through innovative strategies. The study also extrapolates benefits that organizations realize from talent development and how the organizations can tackle the challenges they face. The researcher used a positivist approach. The research was positivist in that a survey was carried out using one systematic and structured questionnaire administered to human resources, secretariat and executive management of multinational organizations operating in Zimbabwe. Data collection was both quantitative and qualitative thus accommodating the phenomelogical approach. Whilst the study presupposes that the majority of companies in Zimbabwe have no definition of talent development tools therefore unable to identify, engage develop, deploy and retain high valued staff who have high potential for critical and leadership roles, the findings are that most multinationals operating in Zimbabwe do have talent management tools in place. The study identifies key talent development drivers. Recommendations on innovative recruiting, developing and retaining the talent required to fulfill the organisation's business strategies and plans in an effective and efficient way are proffered. An area of further study proposed is on the causes and effects of labour unrest and staff turnover in the country, multinational and local organizations and the impact and implications this has had on the socio economic environment and how a track of skills flight can be undertaken to ensure that such skills can be lured and accommodated back home when the economic and political environment improves. / Thesis (MBA)-University of Kwazulu-Natal, 2006.

Talent management has become a management priority among business leaders as a result of the transition from a commodity to a knowledge-based economy. Organizations are entering a new era affected by demographical challenges, increased globalization and a generation shift in the labor market that forces organizations to rethink how they attract, develop and retain talented employees. Research predicts that there will be a shortage on labor as a result of the baby boomers retirement in the coming years. Talent management strategies and processes linked to the business strategy is a key to organizational advantage. Organization´s most critical assets are the employees and by having the right people who perform in the right jobs is essential to get a sustainable organization. The concept of talent management is often ill defined and underdeveloped and talent management practice appears to vary widely among organizations. The purpose of this thesis is to get a deeper insight into the concept of talent management processes and framework. Through a single case study approach, this study explores how talent management practice and processes are implemented in a multinational knowledgebased company. The intention is to understand how line leaders and HR managers work with talent management activities by following a hermeneutic research method. A semi-structured interview method has been performed to collect the empirical data. The empirical findings show that many of the talent management activities are implemented in a sophisticated organizational process called the EMS (Employee management system). Employees are rated and evaluated based on their performance throughout the year. Line leaders are mainly accountable for employees’ development and growth in the organization. Findings also show that line leaders are mentors, coaches and a guidance to employees in the daily work. Findings show that HR managers support both leaders and employees in the work with talent management. HR managers’ responsibilities are to influence and coach the leaders in decision-making, in addition to work for employees’ well-being at the work. The organization has presently low turnover. This affects both the recruitment of new employees and hinders presents employee development. The competence level in the organization is estimated to be high and the organization struggle to store critical knowledge.

It is more common today than in earlier ages that young athletes decides that they want to become professional athletes, and because of that works hard to reach their goals. This makes demands on the sport clubs we have today, if they want the best athletes and the most wanted talents, they need to provide a professional environment where athletes feels that they can improve. This following text is an essay, an essay about talent development environment. More exactly is it an essay about how European ice-hockey clubs works to provide their players the best surroundings to help them become a successful ice-hockey player. The essay Is comparing how different countries think about and work with talent development environments. And then with the help of previous research the authors of the essay come with conclusions which countries that are further in the progress and which countries that are a bit behind.

The study was initiated by Swedish Tennis Syd in collaboration with Halmstad University with the intention to examine the existing tennis talent development environments for 13-16 years of age players. The purpose of the study was to (1) examine the retrospective experiences of the talent de- velopment environments among players who already passed the focal age, (2) examine the retro- spective and concurrent experiences of the talent development environments among tennis coaches, and (3) examine the concurrent experience of the talent development environments among parents whose kids were active in tennis in the focal age. The study involved 14 participants whom had connection to tennis clubs within Swedish Tennis Syd’s working region. Data were collected through three focus groups interviews consisting of players, coaches, and parents. Eight major themes emerged from the data analysis: atmosphere in the clubs, organization of the training groups, amount of training, quality of the training, access to expert assistance, amount of competi- tion, combination of school and tennis, and, parental involvement. Each theme was analyzed within the group and across the three groups. The results revealed perceptions of the clubs environments and future recommendation to improve the talent development environments for tennis players of 13-16 years old. / Studien initierades av Svensk Tennis Syd i samarbete med Högskolan i Halmstad med avsikt att undersöka befintliga talang utvecklingsmiljöer i tennis för spelare i åldern 13-16 år. Syftet med stu- dien var att (1) undersöka retrospektiva upplevelser av talang utvecklingsmiljöer bland spelare som redan passerat fokus åldern, (2) undersöka retrospektiva och rådande upplevelser av talang utveckl- ingsmiljöer bland tennis tränare, och (3) undersöka rådande upplevelser av talang utvecklingsmil- jöer bland föräldrar vars barn är aktiva i tennis inom fokus åldern. Studien bestod av 14 deltagare som hade koppling till tennisklubbar inom Svensk Tennis Syds arbetsområde. Data samlades in genom tre fokusgruppsintervjuer som bestod av spelare, tränare och föräldrar. Åtta huvudteman framkom i data analysen: klubbatmosfär, organisation av träningsgrupper, träningsmängd, kvali- teten på träning, tillgång till experthjälp, tävlingsmängd, kombination av skola och tennis, och för- äldrainvolvering. Varje tema analyserades inom gruppen och mellan de tre grupperna. Resultaten visade på uppfattningar om klubbmiljöer och framtida rekommendationer för förbättringar av talang utvecklingsmiljöer för tennisspelare i åldrarna 13-16 år.

O judô brasileiro é uma modalidade que possui tradição olímpica. Entretanto, sobre o processo de formação de judocas brasileiros, não se conhece os fatores contribuem para o desenvolvimento do talento na modalidade. O objetivo do presente estudo foi analisar o desenvolvimento de judocas olímpicos brasileiros e a relação entre o desenvolvimento de judocas olímpicos brasileiros e os modelos de desenvolvimento de talento descritos na literatura. Para tanto, se utilizou uma amostra de seis judocas, pertencentes a seleção brasileira olímpica nos Jogos Olímpicos de Atenas, 2004. A pesquisa foi constituída através de um delineamento qualitativo, que utilizou como instrumento uma entrevista composta por 12 perguntas abertas, elaboradas para explorar o contexto de desenvolvimento do talento no judô. Para a análise dos resultados foi utilizado o ?Discurso do Sujeito Coletivo?. Os discursos indicaram que a trajetória de desenvolvimento dos judocas não se aproximou dos modelos de desenvolvimento de talento descritos na literatura, sobretudo devido a ausência de programas nacionais de desenvolvimento esportivo. Contudo, no que tange os aspectos relacionados ao apoio da família, ao prazer pela prática e a determinação dos judocas, o presente estudo corrobora com a literatura, revelando a importância que os fatores psicossociais exerceram no desenvolvimento do judoca brasileiro talentoso. / The Brazilian Judo is a sport modality that has an Olympic tradition. However, about Brazilian judokas development process, it is unknown the facts that contribute for the talent development in this modality. The main purpose of the present study was to analyze the Brazilian Olympic Judokas development process and the relation between Brazilian Olympic Judokas and the patterns of talent reported in the literature. In order to do the research, it was used a sample of six judokas from the Brazilian Olympic Team of Atenas, 2004. The study was built through a qualitative inquiry, that used as instrument a interview composed by twelve open questions, elaborated to explore the context of the judo talent development. In order to analyze the results acquired, it was used the ?Discurso do Sujeito Coletivo?. The speeches showed that the judokas development trajectory didn\'t reach the development models described in the literature, especially because of the lack of national sport development programs. Although, concerning the aspects related to family support, the pleasure of practice and the judokas determination, the present study corroborates with the literature, revealing the importance that psychosocial facts exerted in the development of Brazilian talented judokas.

This study extends the limited, existing research on Sunnydale Public School’s (SPS’s) SOAR program. For clarity, SOAR is a talent development (TD) program that aims to not only enhance students’ reasoning and problem-solving abilities but also to remedy the racial/ethnic disproportionality of SPS's gifted and talented program. More specifically, I used interpretive, qualitative methods for this investigation to understand participants’ perceptions of SOAR, in hopes of adding to the talent development knowledge base and informing SOAR policy and practice. Ultimately, participant views converged on several topics (i.e. racial and ethnic disproportionality, brain malleability, multiple intelligences, etc.) and diverged on others (i.e. SOAR’s value). Taking interview and focus group data, SPS documents, past researchers’ findings, my own experiences, and existing literature into account, I arrived at and offer several commendations and recommendations that might benefit SPS’s SOAR program and might be considered alongside other research by districts of similar contexts looking to adopt or improve a TD program.

This study examined the talent development of five Davidson Fellowship science winners using the Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent. The Davidson Fellowship program recognizes students under the age of 18 who have completed a significant piece of original work in one of six fields: science, technology, mathematics, music, literature, or philosophy. Parents of four of the Fellows also participated in the multiple-case study, which used semi-structured phone interviews to gather data. The cross-case analysis of this multiple-case study revealed that the Fellows traveled multiple pathways to success. Each Fellow and his family took advantage of different educational options, formal and informal. No consistent educational programming existed across participants from different schools in different areas of the country, except AP® courses and science fairs. The Fellows encountered a number of different negative catalysts in the environment, including a lack of challenge in the public schools, inconsistent treatment by teachers and administrators, variable availability of challenging school and extracurricular opportunities, difficulties with peers, and challenging logistical arrangements necessary for participation in extracurricular opportunities. The strength of these negative catalysts was offset by a number of protective factors, or positive catalysts. The positive catalysts were both strong and numerous in each of the Fellows. Each Fellow presented evidence of very high ability. They were healthy. They were raised in supportive learning environments that encouraged taking risks, striving for excellence, and improvement over earning good grades. They had multiple supportive adults in their lives: parents, teachers, and mentors who created a layered support system. When one adult was not available, there were others on whom the student could depend in a crisis. The parent relationship was particularly strong. Each Fellow reported, and each of the parents confirmed, a uniquely supportive relationship with their parents marked by mutual respect and admiration. Each Fellow presented strong motivation for his work. Each displayed a candid awareness of his own strengths and weaknesses, and a willingness to confront and apply himself to remedy weaknesses. They all presented compelling evidence of a tenacious perseverance. Stronger than the negative catalysts, these positive catalysts worked in concert to protect the individual against failure or resignation.