Assessment of potential in the context of work: Toward a theory of temporality and age-graded patterns

From Aristotle’s classic Nicomachean Ethics to Abraham Maslow’s more recent Theory on Human Motivation, the realization of human potential has long appealed to the imagination of scholars in various disciplines. Today, the notion of self-actualization has developed into the ideal of Western societies (Twenge, 2014). This ideal is particularly visible in the context of work where jobs are portrayed as opportunities for infinite growth and self-development (Ekman, 2013). In the literature, we can distinguish two perspectives on the realization of potential in the workplace. The employer perspective, on the one hand, approaches the issue in a top-down fashion, focusing on the management of employee potential or ‘talent’ in line with the interests of the organization (e.g., Collings & Mellahi, 2009). The employee perspective, on the other hand, studies the realization of potential in the workplace in terms of an inherent need that drives all workers and enhances their performance and well-being (e.g., Maslow, 1943). 

   Although both streams of research have contributed to our knowledge about potential in the context of work, they also have their limitations. First, from the employer perspective, scholars have paid little attention to employee reactions to talent management despite the central role of employees in the process. Moreover, to date our understanding of the appraisal of potential in employees remains limited, with scholars focusing predominantly on identifying competencies while neglecting the possible influence of bias. I address these limitations in two studies corresponding with the first and second chapter of this dissertation. In the first study, I evidence that next to positive behaviors, employees also show negative affect and cognitions in response to talent management, urging researchers to extend their theoretical frameworks and practitioners to exercise caution with implementing talent management initiatives. In the second study, I argue that due to its prospective nature potential appraisal is particularly susceptible to age bias—more so than performance appraisal—and show that this has negative consequences for the career opportunities of employees. Finally, from the employee perspective, a key weakness in the existing literature is the lack of strong theoretical arguments as well as empirical support for why it is important to realize employee potential. Therefore, in the third study corresponding with the third chapter of this dissertation, I present untapped potential in the workplace as a subjective temporal experience and show how this influences employees’ perceived work meaningfulness.