ABSTRACT
The effectiveness of organizations depends more on the quality of their human resources than on any other resource. Henry Ford once said that his machine could be taken away and his building and capital taken over, but if his men are left with him he should become Henry Ford. In other words, Ford Motors was built by no resource other than people. High-quality human resources are a product not only of careful, painstaking and intelligent recruitment and selection of talent, but also of continuous identification of development needs that are followed through with a systematic plan and the implementation of development programmes. Maxwell (2007: 5) makes the following vivid point which underscores the need for talent development: ‘Talent stands out. It gets you noticed. In the beginning talent separates you from the rest of the pack. It gives you a head start on others. For that reason, natural talent is one of life’s greatest gifts. But the advantage it gives lasts only for a short time.’
