Designing Talent Construct in Iranian Public Organizations: Using the Repertory Grid Method

One major problem in public agencies in Iran is the lack of clear understanding of talent, types of talent and talent needs required for the talent management system. The main purpose of this research is to reach an understanding of talent concept from the view point of top managers and specialists in Iranian public organizations so that they can categorize the vast range of talent properties in their own organizations. Together with the repertory grid method, both qualitative and quantitative strategies were applied at the same time. Conducting structured interviews on the topic of talent with 14 subjects, their understanding of talent was extracted and the content of each repertory grid was created in the framework of bipolar personal constructs. These grids provided a basis for content analysis. Finally, collective repertory grid was drawn up and statistical analyses were performed. Results show that talent concept can be explained in the framework of a system consisting of three dimensions (innate capabilities, experience and oral communication skills,  and motivation), as well as 13 constructs (mathematical intelligence, problem-solving ability, deep knowledge, high learning ability, high analytical ability, extensive skills, strong expertise, professional competence, good communication skills, work experience, commitment, continued achievements and high motivation).