The role of learning agility and career variety in the identification and development of high potential employees

A survey study was conducted in seven best practice organizations in the field of talent management. By cross-checking their existing high potential lists, we examined to which extent assessments of learning agility were able to predict being identified as a high potential or not above and beyond a baseline prediction by job performance. Furthermore, we investigated whether learning agility increased with career variety.Learning agility (mediated by job content on-the-job learning) was found to be a better predictor of being identified as a high potential than job performance. Career variety was found to be positively associated to learning agility.