Talent management: Jargon Buster

Section 10 of the Personnel Today Management Resources one stop guide on talent management, comprising a glossary of key terms. Other sections .

Blame culture A negative social phenomenon in organisations or groups where, if outcomes aren't what was desired, someone or some group is blamed for the shortcomings that supposedly led to the negative outcome.

Brand loyalty Not just customer loyalty to a particular branded good or service, but partner and employee loyalty to the values, aims and objectives associated with an organisation's brand.

Capability gap Where an organisation lacks particular skills needed to meet given objectives.

Career breaks These are schemes that allow employees to take time off over and above their leave entitlement, to devote time to study, to taking secondments elsewhere etc. At the end of the break, the employee will resume employment.

Coaching environment Promoting a willingness among staff with particular skills and experience to help others in acquiring them.

Competitive edge Something which many organisations seek. It is a quality/ qualities that puts an organisation ahead of the competition in terms of the products or services they offer.

Corporate social responsibility Being involved in helping local communities and selected good causes. May be a key element of employer branding.

Demographic changes The changing age profile of the populations of many Western countries; falling birth rates and higher life expectancy mean there are proportionately fewer young people, and proportionately more elderly people, in the populations of countries such as Germany, Italy and the UK.

Diversity Having a workforce that is an optimum balanced mix of people of different types from various backgrounds.

Employer branding Refers to a range of values associated with the name of a company or organisation.

Flatter organisational structures Exemplified by organisations that have the minimum number of layers of management.

Flexible working Means working to a pattern that is outside the regular daily norm. May include working from home, working during school term times only, or working part-time.

Human capital activity Basically, work

Information workers A term which originated in information technology. It refers to those staff who may create, manipulate and move data/information. Very similar to white-collar workers.

Pervasive talent mindset A belief that having talented people at every level of an organisation brings competitive advantage.

Profiling tests Tests that measure individuals' preferences and characteristics.

ROI Stands for return on investment. Basically, this is the profit made after costs have been deducted from investment. Originally used in finance and City circles, it has crept into less tangible areas such as training.

Shorter product life cycle The market-life expectancy of products that are quickly superseded by better models, for example, mobile phones.

SWOT An acronym which stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. It is a structured approach to issues that is sometimes used by consultants and managers as an aid to decision making.

Talent management metrics Ways of measurement that show an organisation how well it is managing talent. Will probably include recruitment rates, resignation rates, diversity, costs per hire, proportion of graduates in workforce, etc.

Wheel of life A diagram in the shape of concentric circles that shows a person's characteristics, values, ambitions and objectives.

360-degree assessments These are staff assessments where the views of those reporting to the person being assessed, plus those of colleagues at a similar level or in a similar role, as well as the views of a direct superior, are taken into account in the assessment process. May include the views of key customers as well, if appropriate.