NATIONAL ECONOMICS UNIVERSITY

NEU BUSINESS SCHOOL

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GROUP ASSIGNMENT

INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS
Concept: The talent curse
Instructors: Tran Cam Tu
Class: EBBA 15.1 - Group 3

Name Student ID

Nguyen Dinh Vuong Anh 11230011

Do Manh Duc 11230048
Le Minh Hieu 11230067

Nguyen Hoanh Long 11230101

Le Hoang Phuong Thao 11230142

Nguyen Anh Tuan 11230162

Hanoi, December 2023

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 TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction…………………………………………………………….................3

1. Report’s purpose…………………………………………………...............3

2. Article analysis……………………………………………....……..............4

a. Summary…………………………………………………...…….................4

b. The psychology behind the curse…………………………………....….…3

c. Signs of trouble …………………………………………………….....……4

d. Solutions………………………………………………………….................4

e. Conclusion………………………………………...……...............................4

3. Learning point………………………………………………...............……5

4. Critical thinking……………………………………………..............…..…8

a. Function of management...................................................................................

b. Research.............................................................................................................

5. Relevent Examples………………………………………………........……9

a. International company……………………………………………............…..

b. Domestic Company…………………………………………………......……..

Conclusion………………………………………………………......................……

References………………………………………………………...........................…

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Introduction

1.Report’s purpose

The article aims to research the term "talent curse" and provide explanations, signs
and solutions to overcome that curse. The term “talent curse” refers to the
phenomenon where high-potential employees struggle to grow and perform well in
their roles, despite being groomed as future leaders . This is due to pressure to
conform to corporate leadership ideals, which leads to burying the inherent
qualities that make them special. As a result, they lose energy and ambition, rush
through work or look for an escape in another workplace; leading to hindering
personal growth, performance, and engagement, and even push people in the
workplace out the door.

2. Article analysis

a. Summary

The article discuss about a problem that not many people pay attention to -
Nowadays, companies seek for talents to help their entrepreneurs develop. While
the exceptional abilities can bring advantages and oppotunities to the individuals, it
also leads to challenges and unexpected consequences.

The article begins with a story of Thomas, who have a dream of being the top
performer in his company. After long time trying hard to pursuit his passion,
Thomas became too overwhelmed, deprived of sleep and gradually lost sense of
purpose in his work although he finally succeed - created an oppotunity for the
firm to do a $1.3 billion deal. The problem here is that he receive too much
expectation from his boss, this pressure create anxiety and negatively affect
himself.

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Noticing this phenomenon for ages when working for different programs, Jennifer
Petriglieri and Gianpiero Petriglieri - authors of this article decided to do research
into this topic.

b. The psychology behind the curse

To dive deeper, the two authors find out that there are two key reasons for this
problem. They are idealization and identification:

• Too much expectation make highly talented employees feel burdened and
overwhelmed. They have to carry the whole company to exchange for
reward or promotion,..
• Talents have to maintain the flow to protect their possition in the company,
the fear of failure and disapointing others stress them a lot.

c. Signs of trouble

It is important to be awared if this curse and know 3 signs to navigate it:

• Spending time pursuit perfection, meet the expectation of bosses and

collegues instead of fulfill themself. This activity day by day make potential
employees stressed and anxious.
• Being accustomed to praise, only show their best facets and not confident to
be themself. Becoming more offended and struggled with feedbacks or
comments.
• Tend to be bored, lose motivaton for the present work, daydream about the
future and only be interested in challenges that match their abilities.

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d. Solutions

Despite the seriousness of the problem, there are still several ways to manifest it:

• Prevent from being labelled as the person for the company’s excessive
exploit, but still prove your ability, dedicate to create value, accept help from
others ( colleges, managers,…) , build your own social network and continue
to learn. Be yourself, feel free to show both good and bad sides as people
have to grow from their mistakes. View feedbacks and comments as an
oppotunities to improve.
• Pay attention the the present work, cultivate passion. Intrinsic motivation is
an essential element. Seek for approriate environment that can match your
real abilities, challenges sometimes are good choices to avoid boredom.

e. Conclusion

In conclusion, the article briefly present all aspects of problem and how to decrease
the effects of it. The talent curse is inevitable, howerver, if company focus on
creating a supportive and empowering environment, acompany with the awareness
of themself, the talented individuals can definitely avoid the pitfalls of the curse
and achieve remarkable things.

3. Learning point

• For Students
The article emphasizes the importance of young students needing to have
skills and a good mentality when they first start working. Students need to
have the necessary skills for the field they are working in and go to work.
Train in many places to accumulate experience and build necessary

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 relationships before going to work. Especially the most important thing for
students is soft skills, the ability to grasp information well to be able to
develop themselves. coal in a new environment.

• For Future Employees

The article provides future employees with an understanding of the
importance of handling every problem in every situation and the assessment
of colleagues and managers. What employees need to have is to learn Ask
questions and develop yourself, build soft skills, build networks with
colleagues and mentors. Most importantly, set your goals and pursue the
opportunities you want.
• For Future Managers
The article provides future managers with ways to create a cultural and fair
work environment for all employees. By showing appreciation for
employees, future managers can can promote employee engagement and
retention, always giving employees a good mentality when working. In
addition to the above, the article provides us with ways to show appreciation
in a meaningful way. and full of value. This helps employees feel valuable
and appreciated. Most important is the business strategy and leadership
ability of the manager so that potential employees can express themselves.
Reveal all the abilities and qualities that ensure the best performance and
engagement of employees during the work process.

4. Critical thinking

a. Function of management

The management function mentioned in the article is Control. The article

mentioned many real-life stories about cases where workers were highly
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appreciated for their abilities, but because of that evaluation, they were pressured
to prove it to everyone as well as to themselves that they can handle all the
problems. From there, they lose their ego and confidence, gradually fall into an
endless cycle of work and find a way out by returning to being ordinary people.
The article also informs the signs that workers are suffering from depression and
revealed the psychological veils that people labeled as “genius” are facing. Thanks
to that, people have observed and concluded more appropriate adjustments to
improve the situation. It includes how to master talent without being pressured by
the "talent" label, working with all of one's valuable abilities, not just appropriate
qualities, and knowing how to appreciate the present.

b. Research

A study in the Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes Journal,

Volume 174, indicates that there are some confusions between the terms talent and
skill, and giftedness. Defining these concepts can activate different mindsets. The
model of DA Southwick and colleagues showed that defining the term for ability
changes thinking and leads to the results of motivating employees and
organizational decision-making.
Consequences for Employee Motivation
term for ability mindsets
and Organizational Decision Making

Nowadays, companies are misusing the term talent - a vague definition in thinking
and lack of consistency, leading to capable employees (employees) being pressured
when imposed with giftedness and high expectations, leading to stress and inability
to promote their abilities. This is probably an important reason for the formation of
the talent curse. This article also offers a solution to this, which is: “skill”, a
common synonym for “talent”, clearly signals learnable ability. Replacing the term
“talent” with “skill” in decision-making situations more consistently will evoke a

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growth mindset, thereby encouraging employee motivation when facing failure
(Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Volume 174).

Talent Management ™ is a term that is becoming popular in many articles, and the
article on talent curse is also one of the studies on employee reactions to talent
identification. Exclusive TM, defined here as 'different management of workers
according to their relative potential to contribute to the development of the
organization (Sumelius 2019). ‘talents’ are most likely to make significant
contributions to the effective operation of the organization and those who
demonstrate the greatest potential to develop into future leaders (Gallardo-
Gallardo, Dries, & Gonzalez-Cruz, 2013).

However, this exclusive approach to TM complicates communication because

companies have to try to simultaneously express a sense of both exclusivity and
comprehensiveness: those in the talent group need to feel valued and recognized
with some indication of exclusive treatment. While the larger “B” group, with a
larger number (non-talent group employees) need to be encouraged to maintain or
improve their performance (Malik & Singh, 2014). A practical example of
applying this model is Enron. In the 90s of the last century, Enron brought in two
hundred and fifty newly trained MBAs every year. And they will classify
employees from the interview. A former Enron employee shared that they would
divide employees into 3 types: A, B, C. Group A is expected and rewarded
outstandingly, group B needs to be encouraged and affirmed, while group C needs
to be shaped or transported out. (MALCOLM GLADWELL, dept of human
resources ).

Being overrated and having too many expectations will lead to negative reactions
like the character Thomas in the study, however, when studying talent
management, the employee’s reaction to talent identification is not bad from the
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perspective of some researchers. Individuals who perceive themselves as being
identified as talents are more likely to accept increasingly high performance
requirements, are capable of committing to building capacity, actively support the
company’s strategic priorities, are more empathetic than those who do not know
whether they are identified as talents or not.vuongan (Bjorkman, Ehrnrooth, M
€akel€a, Smale & Sumelius,2013).

5. Relevent Examples

a. International company

Google, one of the world's leading technology companies, has created a unique
work environment to foster the development and leadership mindset of every
employee. The company not only values job skills but also places a strong
emphasis on developing future leaders from within the organization. One of
Google's distinctive features is the regular organization of independent projects.
Employees are encouraged to participate in these projects to develop new ideas,
solve challenges, and showcase their creative thinking. This not only enhances
innovation but also boosts individuals' confidence in expressing their leadership
abilities. Google's work system is renowned for power and responsibility sharing
from top to bottom levels. This creates a work environment where people not only
feel appreciated but also have the opportunity to showcase themselves. This model
not only helps high-level managers to develop but also provides conditions for
leadership development at lower levels. Google also sets a standard of not putting
excessive pressure on its employees. The company does not prioritize HR labels or
job titles; instead, it focuses on building a positive environment where everyone
can develop and contribute in their own way. This reduces pressure and creates
conditions for individuals to freely demonstrate their leadership abilities. An
important factor in Google's development strategy is the emphasis on encouraging
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diverse thinking. People are not limited by age or experience, and opportunities are
extended to those with potential and personal capabilities. This helps individuals
feel more confident in expressing their uniqueness and contributing to the
organization. Overall, Google's leadership development strategy is not just an
aspect of organizational culture; it is also the key to unlocking innovation and the
overall development of the company. In this way, Google not only creates
outstanding leaders but also changes the perception of leadership and development
in the modern business environment.

b. Domestic company
ABC Vietnam Joint Stock Company is experiencing a situation known as "talent
curse," where dependence on a few outstanding individuals is causing issues in
talent management and the holistic development of the team. Some typical
characteristics of this situation include an excessive focus on small groups,
retaining power and decision-making at higher levels, and insufficient investment
in the overall development of the team. In the case of ABC, an overemphasis on a
few groups of outstanding employees has led to other groups not receiving enough
attention and resources for development. These groups may feel isolated and
lacking the opportunity to showcase their leadership abilities. Furthermore, holding
power and decision-making at higher levels has created an environment that does
not encourage leadership contributions from lower levels. Individuals at lower
levels may feel lacking in motivation and confidence to express their leadership
abilities. The company may also be overly focused on utilizing the current skills of
outstanding individuals without investing enough in developing new skills or
expanding diversity in skills and perspectives. This can lead to a deviation in
leadership development and reduce motivation for those who want to innovate and
progress. If the company lacks a broad training and development policy,

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employees may face difficulties in developing new skills and advancing in their
careers. This can result in a deviation in leadership development and diminish the
organization's teamwork. In summary, company ABC needs to reassess its talent
management and leadership development strategy to ensure that dependence on a
few outstanding individuals does not diminish the value of diversity and
development within the organization.

Conclusion

References:

1. Daniel A.Southwick Zhaoying V. Liu, Chayce Baldwin, Abigail L. Quirk,

Lyle H. Ungar, Chia-Jung Tsay, Angela L. Duckworth (2023)
Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes volume 174: The
trouble with talent: Semantic ambiguity in the workplace Retrieved from:
here
2. Jennie Sumelius, Adam Smale & Sachiko Yamao ( 2019 ): Mixed signals:
employee reactions to talent status communication amidst strategic
ambiguity Retrieved from: here
3. Björkman, I., Ehrnrooth, M., Mäkelä, K., Smale, A., & Sumelius, J. (2013),
Talent or Not? Employee Reactions to Talent Identification. Human
Resource Management, 52, 195–214. Retrieved from: here
4. Malcolm Gladwell (2002) DEPT. OF HUMAN RESOURCES THE TALENT
MYTH Are smart people overrated? Retrieved from: here

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