White Paper: The Neuroscience of Talent Management

The Neuroscience of Talent Management

Insights into unleashing workplace potential

Talent management in the knowledge age is possibly our greatest challenge. There is ample evidence to show that what science knows about what drives people and what business does are not aligned.

Neuroscience is providing powerful insights into cognitive and behavioral processes, how the mind and body interrelate, and is changing the way we think about thinking. This is now being extended to draw implications for how we tap into and nurture workplace talent. There's a new game in town, and even though we're only just learning the rules, leaders that adopt the new science will quickly benefit from these new insights into what really drives employee motivation, satisfaction and performance.

Three insights that are changing our world

1. Neuroplasticity
   The brain is a dynamic, growing organ that continues to regenerate cells and changes throughout our lives.
2. The social brain
   We are hardwired for social connectivity and this need is as basic as food and water for our survival.
3. Balancing threat and reward
   Our brains detect the threat and reward content of every experience we encounter, mostly subconsciously, and we behave in accordance with its assessment.

S.C.A.R.F.

Status

Our status changes as we continually evaluate ourselves in the context of others and our environment. We are acutely sensitive to changes in our status. Leaders have enormous power to influence status threats and rewards and impact workplace behaviors.

Certainty

Feeling in control of ourselves, our work, our lives, gives us a sense of certainty. Being able to predict outcomes and foresee consequences and managing our responses and approaches, puts us in the drivers seat. Uncertainty induces a stress state and behaviors to match.

Autonomy

When we have choice, we have autonomy. Choosing what we do, or how we do it, increases our sense of worth and value. Autonomy underpins personal commitment, accountability and engagement.

Relatedness

Making sincere and mutual connections with work colleagues and managers increases our feeling of relatedness in the work environment. Social connections are primary human drivers, like food and water, and critical to our survival.

Fairness

Perceptions of equity and fairness influence how we assess our workplace and those with whom we work. Fairness is a deep-seated principle that colours our interpretation of events and guides behavior.

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