Talent Management Issues Relevant to the Field of IHRM - Assignment Example

Talent Management Issues Relevant to the Field of IHRM Executive Summary This research gives a comprehensive understanding about the difficulties that are being faced by organisations in recent market scenario on the basis of international standards. Global organisations are preparing talent management modules on the basis of traditional standard. According to the obtained understanding from this paper, it can be stated that the position which demands skilled talents must have ample scope for the employee to grow. In the current day context it has been observed that skilled talents are scarce in supply; hence, the expectations of the available talented resources in today’s market are higher from the company’s management. Therefore, the management must take measures to retain the asset through effective talent management. In this respect, organizations need to prepare their potential employees for the leadership position by exposing them to different business cultures and challenges. Table of Contents Introduction 3 Credibility of the Research 4 Validity and Reliability 6 Validity 6 Singh & Et. Al., 2012. “Talent Management: A Research Based Case Study in the GCC Region”. International Journal of Business and Management 7(24): 94-107. 7 Reliability 7 Authors’ Arguments Compared with the Wider Research and its Significance to IHRM 8 Recommendations 12 Conclusion 14 References 15 Bibliography 18 Introduction The objective of the study is to critically review the article written by Collings & Mellahi (2009) with the title “Strategic talent management: A review and research agenda”. The study also aims to identify issues related with talent management in relation to the context of International Human Resource Management (IHRM) with reference to the findings from the above mentioned article. According to Collings and Mellahi (2009), talent management plays a vital role to drive the performance of the organisation both at the group level and the individual level1. Talent is directly related to human assets. Performance of the employees contributes towards the accomplishments of the long term goals and short term objectives2. Talent management is the procedure to attract productive employees, to identify the right potential possessed by the workforce, to grease their potentials for better results and to take measures for retaining the assets over the long run3. However, organisations should understand that only attracting the employees would not suffice the sustainability and productivity goals; identifying the strengths and then grooming them accordingly is also important4. Talent management methodologies help in analyzing the performance of the employees. As stated by Collings and Mellahi (2009), in the recessionary context maximization of the talent present in the existing employees holds important priority among global organisations. It is worth mentioning in this context that effectiveness of the talent management is directly proportional to the appointment of right person for the appropriate job which encourages productivity as well as employee contribution over the long term period5. Credibility of the Research Talent management is also known as succession planning. Conceptualising ‘Talent management’ can be identified as a multidimensional and complex phenomenon. According to the survey conducted by Collins and Mellahi (2009), it is found that definition of talent management, goals of talent management and its scope have often been presented in a complex way lacking comprehensiveness. The assumptions considered in the article Collins and Mellahi (2009) signified that actual operations of talent management are far different from the actual definition provided in previous literature. The credibility of the research conducted by Collins and Mellahi (2009) can be identified in reference to its intention to draw a clear picture of the term, ‘talent management’ from a contemporary perspective Notably, it has been observed that talent management has been influencing the HRM practice efficiencies of various organisations in the current day context, fundamentally owing to the prevalence of mixed cultural prospects6. Focusing on this highly debated issue, the article emphasises on assessing an impact on the effectiveness of proper information related to the conceptualisation of talent management. The findings generated were expected to conclude to an accurate decision for talent management efficiency which can further assist professionals in determining their overall organisational performance in today’s contemporary era. According to the survey conducted by Collins and Mellahi (2009) taking into account the operations of global companies it was revealed that organisations often have to face the scarcity of potential employees as per demand, which ultimately causes hindrance in the ultimate growth of the company. The article also depicts that a considerable amount of resources are invested upon talent management by these organisation; however, because of the scarcity of talented employees, the organisations have to face inevitable issues. The journal hence shows the importance of talent management which again signifies its credibility given the assumption, that the concept of talent management is often misrepresented in a incomprehensive way7. Validity and Reliability Validity The article by Collins and Mellahi (2009) revealed that the challenges faced by small scale business units to implement talent management in their organizations even after allocating abundance of resources. The article further stated that insufficient HR intervene, information’s and cost effectiveness acts as a major hurdle in the talent management process which has often been argued to be a crucial topic in the contemporary HRM practices. In revealing these findings, the article had made use of various peer-reviewed journals which particularly emphasised on the identified research issue in concern. It is also worth mentioning in this context that the authors have made use of recent articles by a large extent in order to present a contemporary and current view of the research phenomenon. However, few journals used in the research by Collins and Mellahi (2009) were also observed to be dated prior 40 years approximately which can be critically reviewed as a drawback for the study in terms of its validity. It is also worth mentioning in this context that although the out-dated journals can be criticised of offering irrelevant data, it can also be considered as quite beneficial in terms that these studies had been some of the initial texts of ‘talent management’ and thus can be used as raw materials for the research purpose in the article. Hence, based upon the quality of the resources used, it can be stated that the findings obtained through this study are valid. This particular aspect can also be justified by reviewing the findings quoted in various recent journals. For instance, Hartmann & Et. Al. (2010) stated that talent management methods are globally accepted as the most important tool to measure the performance of the employees effectively where organisations often have to face the scarcity of such resources presenting a similar view to the findings generated in Collins and Mellahi (2009)8. Additionally, according to the article, managing human capital is the biggest challenge for the employers today. Development and retention of the worthy talents should be thus kept first in the priority list while measuring talent management which can also be observed in the research conducted by Singh & Et. Al. (2012)9. Reliability The problem addressed in the article by Collins and Mellahi (2009), indicates that various challenges are faced by the management in relation to employee retention owing to scarcity of resources and also because of lack of comprehensive understanding about the concept of talent management. Hence, the article aims at develop a conceptual framework of talent management in relation to the managerial doctrine of International HRM. Revealing the various attributes and loopholes often witnessed by organisations in practicing effective talent management. The findings obtained through the survey conducted in this study further aims at suggesting measures which can be taken by the organisations to gain efficiency in implementing effective talent management strategies. The study gives a comprehensive understanding on the application of the talent management not only limited to national level but also on a global context. The strengths and weaknesses of the study can be identified on the basis of the research method used, its alignment with the identified research issue and the comprehensiveness of the discussion to accomplish the pre-determined research aim, i.e. to define the concept of talent management from a contemporary perspective and with adequate simplicity. Correspondingly, the method used in this research can be identified as qualitative in nature with a contingency approach where primary focus has been provided towards studying various authenticated peer-reviewed journals and analysing the survey results. Applying secondary data sources and primary data sources simultaneously, this research article was able to present an in-depth understanding of the issue in concern which can be attributed as one of its strengths. The study was also able to render a comprehensive view regarding the concept of talent management. One of the limitations witnessed in this article is that it lacks in presenting a critical view of the weaknesses persisting in the currently practiced IHRM strategies by organisations which in turn extends the scope for future studies. Authors’ Arguments Compared with the Wider Research and its Significance to IHRM Collins and Mellahi (2009) presented a comprehensive view of the obtained findings through a diagrammatic presentation which has been represented as follows. Source: (Collins & Mellahi, 2009) As stated by Collins and Mellahi (2009), the talent pool comprises of the ‘internal labour market’ and the ‘external labour market’. These constituents are further used to suffice the ‘pivotal position’ which in turn infers the attributes of ‘work motivation’, ‘organisational commitment’ and ‘extra-role behaviour’. These components of the entire talent management concept tend to further influence the ‘firm performance’ and thus should be considered as vital by the organisations applying IHRM strategies10. It was also argued by Collins and Mellahi (2009) that initial concern must be rendered towards identifying the pivotal positions that need to be filled in. Subsequently, the importance of the pivotal position in the organizational success and ultimately managing the talents accordingly at par with the position requirements must be considered by organisations when practicing IHRM. According to Collins and Mellahi (2009), talent management needs broader horizons to deal with as it includes all the departments within it and is certainly not confined within the periphery of IHRM11. The authors further argued that the massive investments made on the human capital demands certain positive returns. In often instances, it has been observed that due to lack of enough knowledge regarding talent management, the organisations face the burden of higher investment incurred in the process thereby affecting the cost of the company. A similar concern has also been observed in the study conducted by Iles & Et. Al. (2010)12. Collins and Mellahi (2009) further concluded that talent management can be beneficial in motivating the employees and raising their organisational commitment by a substantial extent13. According to the arguments of Collins and Mellahi (2009), the fundamental reason for organisations to witness challenges in applying effective talent management is the lack in conceptual clarification to many of the managers applying the IHRM strategies. In the former part of the report it has been mentioned that only ‘A’ performers need to fill the pivotal positions. However, when reviewing other studies, it was observed that it shall be quite pious to aim at filling the top positions only with the involvement of top graders or ‘A’ grade employees and might vary according to the skills as well as requirements of the position. Furthermore, it needs higher investments by the company to fill the pivotal positions only concentrating on ‘A’ grade employees which may in turn cause significant financial hazards when practicing IHRM14. Based on these arguments, it can be affirmed that the findings generated through this article represents a ‘sound knowledge’ or rather a comprehensive view of the research issue in concern i.e. the conceptualisation of talent management. By presenting their arguments through diagrammatic presentation, the authors were also successful in depicting the relation of talent management with IHRM as well as with the overall performance of the firm. Throughout the study, the authors have been focused on depicting a collective description of talent management using and relating various other dimensions of IHRM which evidently substantiates its determined aim. Hence, it can be affirmed that the findings obtained can be effectively used in the collective knowledge base development process related to IHRM. Recommendations Based on the findings generated in Collins and Mellahi (2009), it can be suggested that the management needs to have a clear understanding of the concept, its related dimensions and the processes prior to its effective utilisation. In correspondence to this article, it can also be stated that organisations should efficiently identify the pivotal positions and its importance to the company when defining the skills or rather talents required among the most potential employees. The continuous changes currently observed in the business environment in lieu of globalization have apparently been thrusting a pressure upon the companies to absorb talents from the ‘internal labour market’ and the ‘external labour market’ to attain competitive advantages in the long run as well as in the short run. Efficient employees are very much in demand in the present scenario but are scare in proportion. Hence, it is the responsibility of the organization to identify the potential employees and to enhance their skills by providing training and thus make them eligible for the pivotal positions. Contextually, it is suggestible that it is better to identify potential employees from within the organization rather than investing on the external factors which costs higher. The potential employees seek better attention in terms that they should not be attached to a job having limited scope which in turn limits their potentiality of brainstorming. In tremendous shortage of skills and change in demographics are also thrusting the management to maintain a balance between an emerging and matured IHRM strategies15. Conclusion With reference to Collins and Mellahi (2009), it can be stated that there is a higher amount of implication of talent management over the IHRM practices currently observed among modern day organisations. In recent market scenario, the corporate workforce is changing globally where it has been observed that talent management models are not being able to keep a pace with this change fundamentally due to the lack of conceptual understanding among the professionals. Consequently, organizations are not being able to manage effectively the challenge of talent management. Additionally, the requirements of the skills for the pivotal positions in the organizations are changing continuously. Therefore, ineffectiveness of the process in the IHRM in respect to talent management t is creating a hurdle in the growth of the organisations globally. Conclusively, it can be concluded from the research that even in the current phenomenon, organizations are following traditional approach of talent management which is resulting in the ineffectiveness of the firm. References Anderson, V., 2009. “Approaches to gathering data in HR research”. “CIPD”. http://www.cipd.co.uk/NR/rdonlyres/9B0FB658-EBEF-43A2-839F-6C7AA5973F9D/0/9781843982272_sc.pdf Bader, G. & Lasprilla, M., No Date. “Cornerstones of Successful Talent Management”. “Lodestonemc”. http://www.lodestonemc.com/files/test/Cornerstone%20of%20Successful%20Talent%20Management.pdf Collings, D. G. & Mellahi, K., 2009. “Strategic talent management: A review and research agenda”. Human Resource Management Review 19: 304–313. Hartmann, E. & Et. Al., 2010. “Talent management of western MNCs in China: Balancing global integration and local responsiveness”. Journal of World Business 45: 169–178. Iles, P. & Et. Al., 2010. “Talent Management and HRM in Multinational companies in Beijing: Definitions, differences and drivers”, Journal of World Business, 45 (2): pp.179-189. Matthews, P., No Date. “Building a new talent management model to boost growth”. “Ernst & Young”. http://www.ey.com/GL/en/Issues/Driving-growth/Growing-Beyond---Paradigm-Shift---Overview Matthews, P., No Date. “Does your talent model measure up? Three strategies for success”. “Ernst & Young”. http://www.ey.com/GL/en/Issues/Driving-growth/Growing-Beyond---Paradigm-Shift---Does-your-talent-model-measure-up--Three-strategies-for-success Mehta, A., 2011. “Human Capital Management: A Comprehensive Approach to Augment Organizational Performance”. Review of Management 1(2): 44-57. Nikravan, L., 2013. “How to Build an International Talent Pipeline”. “News & Analysis”. http://talentmgt.com/articles/view/building-an-international-talent-pipeline Schwartz, T., 2013. “Want Productive Employees? Treat Them Like Adults”. “HBR Blog Network”. http://blogs.hbr.org/schwartz/2013/03/treat-employees-with-trust.html Singh & Et. Al., 2012. “Talent Management: A Research Based Case Study in the GCC Region”. International Journal of Business and Management 7(24): 94-107. Terence, J., 2002. “The Management of People across Cultures: Valuing People Differently”. Human Resource Management, 41(4): pp. 455–475. Bibliography Bersin, J., 2006. “Talent Management: What is it? Why now?”. “University of Michigan”. http://www.bf.umich.edu/docs/KeyReferenceArticles.pdf Burgoyne, J. & Et. Al., 2004. “The Development of Management and Leadership Capability and its Contribution to Performance: The evidence, the prospects and the research need”. Research Report RR560. Scullion, Hugh. & Collings, David. G. Global Talent Management. New York: Taylor & Francis, 2011. Read More