Adaptive Edge Playbook - Getting the best from your people

The problem

Most talent management systems are built for a stable world—linear career paths, rigid roles, and annual performance reviews. But we no longer live in that world.

High performers are disengaging. Quiet quitting is rising. The 'Great Resignation' was just a warm-up act.

The real problem? Organisations are still managing their talent like inventory, rather than as dynamic, intelligent team players.

⚠ If your talent model can’t adapt in real-time, neither can your organisation.

A case study

A large financial services firm had the right people on paper—but performance was stagnating.

The issue?

Their talent strategy was designed for control, not creativity. People were boxed into roles, with little room to grow or adapt.

Once they shifted to a dynamic talent marketplace—matching internal talent to real-time priorities—engagement rose, innovation unlocked and productivity jumped. Many staff thrived in what became ‘time to productivity’ challenges. They recognised that the pressure to become 80% competent in 20% of the learning time was both exciting and a skills accelerant.

💡 When you treat people less like machine cog and more as adaptive nodes in a living system, you activate the untapped intelligence sitting dormant in your organisation.

Next steps

To move beyond traditional talent management, consider these steps:

• 💥 Shift from roles to capabilities - Think in terms of what people can do—not just their job title.

• 💥 Recruit on traits – Traits such as learnability, innovativeness, creativity and being comfortable with ambiguity are more valuable in the long term.

• 💥 Build a talent marketplace - Use tech (and trust) to let people flow to where they’re most needed.

• 💥 Integrate sensing into HR - Real-time feedback loops help you understand mood, energy, and emerging needs. It also helps you manage the talent supply chain with greater finesse.

• 💥 Design for emergence - Support stretch assignments, side projects, and peer learning.

  
  

👣 Start small. Pilot with one team. It’s time to shift gears and move from people as cogs to people as cognitive athletes.

💡 People that are free to pursue opportunities and are adept at becoming productive quickly will not find themselves at the mercy of the AI steamroller.