Building Capability: Flipping the Zone of Proximal Development For Talent Management

Introduction

Many organizations continue to investigate ways in which talent management can be accelerated in their companies. While many approaches are presently applied, one alternative suggested is to implement the flipped classroom instructional strategy to improve a company’s talent pool. While minimal pedagogical approaches are currently used to manage talent, the flipped instructional model provides a satisfactory alternative to training and skills development in the workforce. As we consider the options to increase our choices for talent management, we can apply the flipped classroom strategy and define the complexity of the “zone of proximal development” (ZPD) and experiential learning theory (Figure 1). To guide the discourse, we must:

• 1.

  Conceptually frame how talent management is presently approached

• 2.

  Present the ZPD theoretical approach create value to the learner/talent and the organization

• 3.

  The shared experience to enable learning

• 4.

  Draw a conclusion, mentioning the limitations of the arguments provided in the debate, and a final suggestion can be supported for future research in “flipped” instructional pedagogy as it relates to talent management

Figure1.

The Zone of Proximal Development (Barrons, 2015)