What do we mean by the term "talent" in talent management?

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to consider the ways the notion of “talent” has developed over many years, both historically and linguistically, in a number of European and non-European languages and in use in organisations, and its use in talent management. Design/methodology/approach – The information was gained from a literature review of key reports on talent management and a major review of ten organisations across sectors and by interviewing over 100 individuals involved in talent management programmes in the UK and abroad. Holden and Tansley also conducted a philological analysis of the word “talent” from both an historical and a linguistic-comparative perspective analysing publications by consultancies and articles in the management press considering both literal (denotative) definitions and metaphoric (connotative) associations of the term talent in English, noting contrasting usages of the word in other languages

Hiring in the age of social media: new rules, new game

Companies are beginning to bypass traditional agency channels with new in-house recruitment practices, new executive search entities are challenging existing models, and individuals are using novel pathways to reach out to prospective employers. This is one of the areas of interest for a team of researchers and industry partners in the University of Sydney’s Digital Disruption Research Group (DDRG), which is looking at fundamental changes that are occurring in business as a result of digital technologies. In this study, we worked alongside a large, global professional services firm to understand the impact of social media on corporate recruitment, and to identify ways in which the recruitment processes can be effectively managed for better quality outcomes

Filling the "discursive void" in the construction of talent management policy knowledge: a Slovak case study [forthcoming]

HRM practices have fared well across national borders due to globalization. The field of international HRM has learnt us a great deal by exploring different effects on HRM implementation in different countries. Our symposium is rooted in two main streams of the literature, HRM effectiveness and HRM challenges of Multi-National Corporations (MNCs) in different regions of the world. Overall, it is acknowledged that HRM philosophy and practices are context specific and shaped by specific organizational dynamics as well as socio-cultural, economic and political contexts. Therefore, one must expect HRM policies and practices to differ in content and emphasis across national borders. Along with a long list of HRM-related issues, the literature does not pay attention yet enough to the involvement of line managers in HRM implementation in international context. In case of MNCs structures, HRM philosophies and policies are usually designed at the headquarters and communicated through towards subsidiaries, but it may be line subsidiaries-based managers who, in the end, take final responsibilities to implement centrally designed HRM systems. In case of indigenous organizations, the main logic remains: line managers stay responsible for the execution of HR practices

The currency of talent management - a reply to "talent management and the relevance of context: towards a pluralistic approach"

In this paper we provide a commentary on the article in this special issue by Thunnissen, Boselie, and Fruytier on the relevance of context to the field of talent management. We agree that further research is needed to explore the link between macro, meso and micro-level considerations. The authors pose a question in relation to the contribution of talent management to the social and moral development of society; which, for us, raises issues as to the extent to which individual agency in ethical issues is possible in environments designed to regulate and control talent. We concur that a more critical, pluralist approach to talent management scholarship is needed and that talent management should go beyond a mere economic exchange. We suggest, as Yet unexplored, notions of strategic exchange, and individual identity provide a richer picture of the employment relationship. Thus this paper raises a number of possible directions for future TM research

A Theory of Mind investigation into the appreciation of visual jokes in schizophrenia

BACKGROUND: There is evidence that groups of people with schizophrenia have deficits in Theory of Mind (ToM) capabilities. Previous studies have found these to be linked to psychotic symptoms (or psychotic symptom severity) particularly the presence of delusions and hallucinations. METHODS: A visual joke ToM paradigm was employed where subjects were asked to describe two types of cartoon images, those of a purely Physical nature and those requiring inferences of mental states for interpretation, and to grade them for humour and difficulty. Twenty individuals with a DSM-lV diagnosis of schizophrenia and 20 healthy matched controls were studied. Severity of current psychopathology was measured using the Krawiecka standardized scale of psychotic symptoms. IQ was estimated using the Ammons and Ammons quick test. RESULTS: Individuals with schizophrenia performed significantly worse than controls in both conditions, this difference being most marked in the ToM condition. No relationship was found for poor ToM performance and psychotic positive symptomatology, specifically delusions and hallucinations. CONCLUSION: There was evidence for a compromised ToM capability in the schizophrenia group on this visual joke task. In this instance this could not be linked to particular symptomatology

Talent management: the good, the bad, and the possible

In this essay we offer a critical investigation of talent management practices (TMP), which is an increasingly influential concept in contemporary organisations. We try to show how these organisational practices could have both a negative and a positive ethical impact on those identified as ‘talent’ within organisations. A critical analysis of how talent is defined, and how this impacts on individuals’ capacities for ethical reflection, allows us to highlight the ethical ambiguity inherent in talent management. We then highlight examples of some ‘bad’ consequences of TM, and explore some ‘good’ counter-examples. To highlight what may be ‘possible’ in talent management, we propose a more constructive relationship between talent management and ethics based on two dimensions: 1) the acceptance of ambiguity and personal struggle and 2) the development of more qualitative approaches to performance that could enable a better understanding of and sensitivity towards the broader context within which organisations function

Towards liminality competence: a migrant's talent identity narratives for re-imagining global talent management

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to answer two research questions: How does a self-initiated migrant (SiM)'s talent identity work operate in relation to their culture, the societies in which they live, their interpersonal relationships and their tacit knowledge development? and how can global talent management be re-imagined in light of this? Design/methodology/approach: This co-constructed autoethnography is produced from reflexive, dyadic interviews and text “conversations” with an SiM doing “global talent identity work” and uses narrative analysis to investigate how liminal competence is developed across the life cycle. Findings: This study shows how talent identity work is rooted in the lived, meaningful experiences of individual talent, from childhood to adult life in a pandemic. The authors add to knowledge about COVID-19 experiences of SiMs, uncover poignant examples of the role of migrant ethnic and knowledge discrimination and identify lessons for managerial practice in engendering liminality competence by combining global talent management and knowledge management. Practical implications: Lessons are drawn for global talent management strategies that appreciate and support individual talent ethnic and knowledge inclusion of underappreciated migrant talent. Originality/value: Examining the connection between talent identity work and liminality competence, the authors show how an individual's talent might be wasted through different forms of discrimination and highlight how ethnic discrimination during a pandemic points the way to positive changes in talent knowledge management initiatives. This study suggests ways in which ethnic and knowledge discrimination might be addressed through talent management strategies