Talent Management - Fad or Solution?

With the aim of trying to bridge the world of academia with that of the 'real world', this journal and the individual articles contained within were produced, not only as part of a module for a challenging Executive MBA, by individuals fulfilling full-time employment with part-time study, but also to showcase existing research around topics considered to be an aid for management in all aspects of business improvement; with some articles also offering case studies. Each article concludes by offering suggestions if they were in fact a management trend (fad) at the time, or if they were/are/could or will be a business solution. It is a fact all organisations no matter of size or number of employees are continually searching for the new latest and best management tools and techniques available to be implemented, in the hope of becoming one step ahead of the competition and reaping all the rewards. For example: being the very best at what they do, securing and retaining the best talent, making the most of resources at an affordable cost etc... etc...

In the current business scenario, talent management is known as a popular retention strategy for talented employees, but how talent management leads to greater employee retention is an unexplored terrain. Based on an extensive literature review, the present article suggests a theoretical framework that introduces job embeddedness as an intervening variable for exploring how talent management practices influences employee's intention to stay. In addition, it discusses the influence of talent management practices on various dimensions of job embeddedness. The multiple propositions suggested provides HR practitioners with insights to strive for retention of talented employees through talent management, by focusing on various initiatives that increase the link, fit and sacrifice dimensions of embeddedness.

Talent management (TM) has received lots of attention of academics, practitioners, researchers, scholars, and competitive firms in recent years, but there are many gaps left for further theoretical and empirical development. One of gap is lack of clarity of definition of TM, and the ongoing debate about whether it is merely repackaging of already existing human resource management (HRM) practices or a new concept. In this context, this paper concludes that TM practices are distinct from the traditional HRM practices. The authors have consolidated the existing literature on TM for designing an integrated model of TM including its antecedents and consequences. The study calls future research to empirically test the derived propositions. The paper includes various theoretical, economic, managerial, and future research implications.

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SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 2019

Orientation: The South African construction industry is constrained by the shortage of a skilled workforce due to global competition and insufficient graduate output. There is a need to evolve attract and retain the most valuable talent. Research purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate talent management in a prominent South African internationally operating construction company. The objective is to develop a framework for enhancement of talent management practices. Motivation for the study: The South African construction industry’s inability to retain talent, hampers global competitiveness and productivity. Talent shortages need to be addressed at a strategic level to remain competitive. Research approach/design and method: A qualitative research approach examined a single South African construction organisation in the Gauteng Province. Grounded theory was used to analyse data generated from interviews, participant observations and company documents. Main findings: Firstly, talent management in the construction industry supposes mutual actions from the organisation and its talented employees. Secondly, internal enablers drive business outcomes by in alignment with a well-crafted strategy. Thirdly, a regulatory framework should acknowledge labour market dynamics and diversity. Fourthly, internal and external enablers should be taken into consideration. Finally, effective implementation of talent management practices yields talent sustainability and competitiveness. Practical/managerial implications: The two conceptual frameworks developed indicate: (1) key factors that play a role in talent management, and (2) the interface between talented employees and the organisation. Contributions/value-add: The findings provide two proposed frameworks that could guide leadership to devise an enabling global competitive talent management environment in the construction industry. Keywords: talent management; talent attraction; talent development; talent retention; South African construction industry; talent management framework; qualitative research; thematic analysis.

Purpose-This study is aimed at examining the talent management system in an Indian IT organization. Design-Structured interviews were conducted to collect primary data and then content analyzed to develop the case study. Findings-Recruitment, talent development, knowledge management, social media, performance management, and rewards are the main practices associated with talent management. Originality-This is first study to unravel talent management in Indian IT industry context. Limitations-We acknowledge that study's scope is limited to IT sector and there is a lack of quantitative data empirical investigation. Implications-HR managers should embrace the practices of talent management of the case organization to effectively manage their workforce.

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to investigate the talent development antecedents in Malaysian Government Linked Companies (GLCs) Universities. There were four constructs elicited from the literature which are namely, talent identification, talent culture, competencies and talent development. Design/methodology/approach – The paper takes the form of a literature review, from which the authors identified four constructs: talent identification, talent development, talent culture and competencies. The data required for this research were collected by means of a survey and as well as online surveys sent to the 3 Universities below. A questionnaire was developed with 26 items adapted from previously validated scales. A non-probabilistic sampling procedure, i.e. convenience sampling, was adopted owing to the unavailability of a satisfactory sampling frame. Academics from three GLCs namely Universiti Tenaga Malaysia (Uniten), Universiti Petronas Malaysia (UPM) and Multimedia University of Malaysia (MMU) were provided with the questionnaires. A total of 300 questionnaires were submitted to the three GLC universities, from which 168 survey questionnaires were completed and were useable for data processing.The research findings revealed that overall competencies play a significant mediating role for talent identification and talent culture that is crucial for talent development in retaining competent academics in Malaysian GLCs Universities. Among the competencies construct, the study found that leadership and motivational factors were relatively high contributors, denoted by indicators in the measurement model. The findings also suggest that for talent development to attract and retain competent academics; GLC Universities should institute formal career development opportunities and career orientated strategic plans. Finally, public policy makers should incorporate key indicators of talent identification and talent culture, which constitute equitable performance rating systems and the rewarding of exemplary contributions so as to stimulate overall talent development.GLC Universities could cultivate a Talent Management culture to enhance competencies and thereby upskill academics and retain quality academic staff. This research implies that there is need to highlight aspects of potential benefits in cultivating Talent Management Culture. The results of this study will certainly benefit the GLC Universities specifically and other 46 educational institutions in general to identify, develop and retain competent academics. This is one of the very few studies which uses partial least squares to address a complex situation associated with the talent management competencies in government linked companies Universities.

Refereed paper submitted to the Leadership, Management and Talent Development track of the 16th International Conference on HRD, University College Cork, Ireland, 3rd-5th June 2015., 2015

Abstract Purpose: This paper reports the preliminary results of a study looking at how three organizations in the UK public and private sectors identify high potential employees. Specifically, the paper looks at how talent is constructed and identified and the barriers and challenges encountered with talent identification from the perspectives of both management and ‘talented’ employees. Design/methodology/approach: Three in-depth case studies involving multiple informants in the Civil Service, local government and retail were written based on 21 interviews with HR/Talent & leadership development managers as well as managers on talent schemes. Additional data was obtained from corporate documentation. Findings: All three companies had different drivers for talent management which influenced the constructions of talent used and frameworks for talent identification. The civil service and retail sectors used a categorising tool that enabled a common language for defining potential and facilitated identification practices. Despite this, definitions of potential and competency frameworks in both the retail and civil service sectors differed as well as their processes for identification. The challenges and barriers to talent identification appeared more similar than different but notably and in contrast to the public sector (the civil service and local government) which had an exclusive talent management practice, the retail sector operated a more inclusive talent strategy which was driven by a culture of openness, honesty and a rigorous talent identification framework. Research Limitations: Talent management practices were mostly in their start-up phase being two to five years old and still evolving. Inclusion of the views of employees not in the talent pools would create a broader perspective on the process of identification. This paper reports work in progress and further analysis of case data is continuing. Originality/value: This empirical study contextualises talent definition and identification practices from the perspectives of HRM specialists, line managers and high-potential employees. Since the majority of research on talent management concerns practices from the U.S. or Multi-nationals, this study adds value to the limited research on talent management outside these contexts. Keywords: Talent, talent management, talent identification

Texila International Journal of Management, 2019

The management of State-Owned Enterprises (SOE’s) in Namibia are faced with mammoth of challenges especially ensuring the organisation has the right people ready for critical roles now and in the future. This is absolutely necessary, to avoid inefficient and ineffectiveness in performances. One of the major approaches used to achieve the availability of talent pools in performing organisations is the practice of Talent Management. This study sought to establish the level of existence and application of the systematic approaches required in managing the career growth of high potential employees in SOE in Namibia. Secondly the study is aimed at identifying the mechanisms implemented and challenges experienced by these companies in managing their talents. Interviews and structured questionnaires involving the participation of over four (4) SOE’s was used as the main tools for this study. The findings of this study revealed that the lack of understanding the Talent management practice and benefits to organisations is a critical factor affecting the practice of TM in Namibian SOE’s based in Windhoek. The study thus, recommends that SOE’s give this factor special consideration when strategizing their company performance approaches. The study further recommends that studies be done to explore other factors other than lack of understanding on the Talent Management Practice affecting the implementation of TM to continuously improve the SOE’s performances. Keywords: Talent Management, Talent pools, SOE’s, Succession plan, Replacement plan.