The high‐potential fast‐flying achiever: themes from the English language literature 1976‐1995

Examines the discourse on high‐flyers in business (management) in academic and practitioner literature (journals and books), published in English in Anglo‐Saxon countries in the past 20 years, with a stress on the last decade (1986‐1995). Ideas, examples and experiences reported are (in descending order of emphasis) from the USA, the UK and Canada; with a token representation for other Anglo‐Saxon countries. Following an outline of the key imagery employed, analyses the literature in terms of the meaning of the said phenomenon: high‐flying (fast track, achieving, high potential) for the individuals and organizations concerned, as well as its wider societal ramifications. Discusses issues pertaining to human resource management, in particular women’s careers.