Identifying the Talent Management Components of Faculty Members

Background: Since employing talent management as a system to identify, recruit, train, promote, and retain talented faculty members to optimize the capabilities of the university to achieve goals seems necessary, the current study aimed to identify the talent management components of faculty members. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted on the directors and faculty members of Isfahan University, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, and Isfahan University of Technology, Iran. A purposive sampling method was used and semi-structured interviews conducted to collect data. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, and transferred to a computer using MAXQDA software. Following this, the data were coded, categorized, and interpreted, and then analyzed using a content analysis method. Results: After interviewing 18 university directors and faculty members, data pooling, data saturation, and data replication were performed. Accordingly, 107 codes were extracted from the obtained data and categorized into seven major classes. These were Defining and identifying talent needs, discovering talent sources, Attracting talents, Developing the potential abilities of talents, Strategically deploying talents, Retaining talents, and evaluation and alignment of talent management activities. Conclusions: Based on the results, 7 main classes and 20 subclasses of talent management components of faculty members were identified. These components are provided in a conceptual model. The evaluation and alignment of talent management activities are the main factors supporting talent management. Furthermore, dynamic coherence and integrity in identifying, discovering, attracting, developing, retaining, and effectively using talent, and the alignment of such features with the general strategy of the university were considered the strengths of the suggested conceptual model. Keywords: Talent Management, Competencies, Faculty Member

The Effect of Communication Skills Training on Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) of Nurses

Introduction: The lack of communication skills among employees could result in less organizational citizenship behavior. Hence improving communication skills is of high necessity. The aim of this research is to determine the effect of communication skills training on the organizational citizenship behavior of nurses. Methods: In this quasi-experimental research, the statistical population included all the nurses employed by Isfahan’s Kashani hospital in 2009 (158 male and female nurses in 12 wards). By applying the random stratified sampling, 20 participants were assigned to the experimental group and another 20 to the control group. The experimental group received an 8-session training course on communication skills. To measure and evaluate the organizational citizenship behavior of each group before and after training, Organizational Citizenship Behavior Questionnaire was used (Cronbach’s Alpha=0.74). Analysis of the data was done using descriptive statistics (average and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (correlation coefficient and co-variance analysis). Results: After adjusting the effect of pre-test scores, the mean score for organizational citizenship behavior in the experimental group a month after the intervention (66.45±3.57) showed a statistically significant difference (p<0.01) compared to its previous value (62.85±4.34). According to ANCOVA, main effect of organizational citizenship behavior of nurses, before training was 0.364 whereas a month after the intervention, this increased to 0.607, (p<0.01). Conclusion: Communication skills training increased the nurses’ organizational citizenship behavior in the experiment group and the effect sustained a month after the intervention. Running standard communication skills training programs, with the help of specialized lecturers, is recommended in various nursing feilds such as education, research, management, and clinical nursing

The Effect of Talent Management Process on the Research Performance of Faculty Members with the Mediating Role of Organizational Justice

The research performance of faculty members is one of the main criteria for measuring a university's overall performance, and universities and higher education centers seek to improve research because of their purpose and their commitment to various parts of society. The present research aims at determining the effects of the components of perceived talent management on the research performance of faculty members with the mediating role of perceived organizational justice. The research is a correlational-descriptive study based on structural equations and its statistical population consists of the faculty members at the University of Isfahan, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences and Isfahan University of Technology. For the sample size, using the SPSS Sample Power software, of 562 individuals 130 were selected using stratified random sampling proportional to sample size. For data collection, faculty members' research performance record, a talent management questionnaire and a perceived organizational justice questionnaire were used. Convergent validity for both questionnaires (AVE) was calculated to be more than 0.5 and the reliability of both questionnaires using Cronbach's alpha coefficient was calculated to be more than 0.75. Data analysis was performed using the Smart PLS 3.2.6 statistical software. Findings indicated that the components of the variables of perceived talent management and perceived organizational justice account for a total of 61 of the variance of the variable of research performance variable and the mediating role of the variable of perceived organizational justice variable was found to be insignificant. As a result, it can be said that the improvement of talent management processes can lead to increased faculty members' increased sense of organizational justice and ultimately improved research performance