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Managing Talent pp 35–51Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Paralysing Rebellion: Figurations, Celebrity, and Power in Elite Talent Management

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Abstract

The extensive literature on talent management is relatively silent when it comes to understanding power relations, and this chapter explores power dynamics in elitist talent programme. The argument draws heavily on Norbert Elias’s ideas of figurations and his analysis of Court Society which are coupled with Robert van Krieken’s recent analysis of celebrity society. After considering how power manifests in human resource development (HRD), the chapter unfolds connections between ancient court behaviour and contemporary organization. Behaviour in elite talent pools is likely to be self-regulating in ways that suit both ambitious individuals and senior managers. The analysis suggests that elite talent pools act in ways that paralyse rebellion from within by pitting ambitious individuals against each other.

Keywords

  • Figurations
  • Celebrity society
  • Talent management
  • Power
  • Control

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Habitus can be thought of as the embodied habits and manners of social structures, a psychological disposition.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Huddersfield Business School, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, UK

    John Lever & Stephen Swailes

Authors
  1. John Lever
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  2. Stephen Swailes
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Correspondence to Stephen Swailes .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Talent Lab, Zealand Institute of Business and Technology, Slagelse, Denmark

    Billy Adamsen

  2. Huddersfield Business School, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, UK

    Stephen Swailes

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Lever, J., Swailes, S. (2019). Paralysing Rebellion: Figurations, Celebrity, and Power in Elite Talent Management. In: Adamsen, B., Swailes, S. (eds) Managing Talent. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95201-7_3

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