Talent identification transparency: an alternative perspective

Over the course of the last decade, talent management has attracted a great deal of attention in the academic literature. Even though the field has evolved, much scepticism continues to surround it, and many questions are still to be answered that may bridge existing gaps between science and practice. This article offers an alternative perspective on talent identification transparency, the practice of informing employees of their talent pool membership. In line with the social exchange perspective, we propose that even though the reactions of those employees who are identified as talent and informed of their talent pool membership seem to be positive, the negative reactions of employees who are either identified as talent and informed of their talent pool membership, and whose expectations are not as well met, or employees who are not identified as talent (which is arguably the majority of the employee population in most companies) may outweigh the positive. This article adds value to the existing research on talent management, promotes a dialogue, and encourages new directions in theoretical and empirical research within the field. We believe that a heightened understanding of the dark side of talent identification transparency may help organisational decision makers in better executing their strategic talent initiatives.peerReviewe

Evolving talent management patterns and challenges in Russia and Kazakhstan: Investigating employer perspective

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the evolving patterns and challenges of talent management (TM) in the emerging markets of Russia and Kazakhstan from the employer perspective. Increasing the understanding of how TM is recognized from the employer perspective may better equip us to address how to effectively manage and lead the available talents in these and other emerging markets. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a qualitative study comprising 50 semi-structured interviews, with 37 business leaders from Russian subsidiaries, and 13 from Kazakh subsidiaries, in all cases of Nordic Multinational enterprises (MNEs). Findings The study supports the object approach to TM in the emerging markets of Russia and Kazakhstan. The authors reveal that the exclusive and developable talent philosophy is predominant in these emerging markets, where TM faces the challenges of fierce competition for talents and an insufficient supply, so business leaders tend to be reluctant to inform employees of their talent pool membership. The results demonstrate that MNEs do not act independently of context, thus supporting calls for consideration of the local institutional context. Originality/value TM is still a somewhat novel idea in many emerging economies, and challenges related to managing talents are believed to be far more complex in such settings. Furthermore, to the best of authors’ knowledge, no studies have investigated the notion of talent and TM conceptualization in the emerging markets from an employer perspective.peerReviewe

an alternative perspective

Over the course of the last decade, talent management has attracted a great deal of attention in the academic literature. Even though the field has evolved, much scepticism continues to surround it, and many questions are still to be answered that may bridge existing gaps between science and practice. This article offers an alternative perspective on talent identification transparency, the practice of informing employees of their talent pool membership. In line with the social exchange perspective, we propose that even though the reactions of those employees who are identified as talent and informed of their talent pool membership seem to be positive, the negative reactions of employees who are either identified as talent and informed of their talent pool membership, and whose expectations are not as well met, or employees who are not identified as talent (which is arguably the majority of the employee population in most companies) may outweigh the positive. This article adds value to the existing research on talent management, promotes a dialogue, and encourages new directions in theoretical and empirical research within the field. We believe that a heightened understanding of the dark side of talent identification transparency may help organisational decision makers in better executing their strategic talent initiatives.peerReviewe