Search

Samenvatting Een Leven Lang Ontwikkelen (LLO) staat al verschillende decennia op de beleidsagenda, maar de daadwerkelijke implementatie van een LLO-beleid is onvoldoende succesvol. In diverse publicaties wordt gepleit voor een regionale aanpak, in wat de ILO een ‘regionaal LLO-ecosysteem’ noemt. In dit verkennende onderzoek is op basis van gesprekken met actoren in de Noord-Brabantse arbeidsmarktregio’s verkend welke actoren betrokken zijn bij het faciliteren van LLO in de regio en hoe de samenwerking verloopt. Het onderzoek wijst op de complexiteit van het LLO-thema op zowel nationaal als regionaal niveau, en de moeite die de actoren in de onderzochte arbeidsmarktregio’s hebben om in de samenwerking om te gaan met de complexiteit en dynamiek. Een veelheid van actoren speelt een rol, maar drie van de vier belangrijkste actoren – werkgevers, werknemers en onderwijs – zijn onvoldoende betrokken bij de besluitvorming over en realisatie van LLO in de regio, waardoor het oplossen van de knelpunten bij deze drie actoren wordt belemmerd.

This chapter explores the academic debate regarding the linkage between human resource management (HRM) and performance, and in particular to the extent to which this discussion suits the specific public sector context. In the early 2000s, the general HRM and performance debate not only focused on organizational outcomes, but also on employee outcomes such as job satisfaction, motivation, turnover, absence due to illness, and commitment. Academics involved in the public sector performance debate state that in the measurement of performance, context specific characteristics have to be taken into account. Private companies define organizational performance in terms of productivity, service quality, sales, profits, market share, and market value. The model heavily builds on multiple stakeholder theory and situational factors known from strategic contingency approaches of the 1970s and 1980s. The public values are determined by the existing institutional and cultural framework.

This paper aims to offer a critical reflection on the way Talent Management (TM) is investigated in practice, by addressing the key issues regarding the quality (in terms of rigor and relevance) of academic empirical TM research and therefore the critical scrutiny of TM scholars’ work. We will argue that despite the growth in the quantity, the quality of many empirical TM papers is lagging behind and hindering the progress of the academic field of TM. Based on a content analysis of 174 peer-reviewed articles published between 2006 and 2017, the paper outlines nine critical issues regarding the quality of the existent empirical TM research. In order to improve the positioning of the field as well as the impact of TM research on practice it is absolutely necessary for TM scholars to secure the quality of academic empirical TM research. Also, the collaboration between practitioners and scholars should increase. JEL classification: J24, M50, Keywords: Talent management, Empirical research, Content analysis, Methodology, Rigor and relevance

Public sector organizations are confronted with the intensifying competition for talent and suffer from a chronic shortage of talented people. There is little empirical research on the specific talent management (TM) issues in the public sector. This article aims to clarify how public sector organizations conceptualize TM, and particularly what (contextual) factors influence the adoption of an inclusive or a more segmented people management approach in the public sector. Theory on institutional mechanisms and institutional logics is used to clarify the impact of contextual factors. The empirical data are collected in two substudies on TM in the public sector. The data show that TM is highly contextual. Both the organizational internal and external context affect the intended TM strategy, including the actors involved in TM and their interrelated logs. This article is among the first to explore conceptually and empirically the influence of institutional logics on the different aspects of TM approach and as such provides some new directions for future TM research.

Current TM literature shows a lack of empirical research on the actual implementation of TM as a mediating step in the TM process, and on the role of the line managers in that stage. Bos, Thunnissen and Pardoen look into this ‘black box’ of TM and focus in their study on the role of line managers in the actual implementation of TM. In particular, the impact of the line manager’s leadership style on employee reactions to TM is investigated, as well as the constraints in the line manager’s role in executing TM. Their exploratory, quantitative study on the role of the line manager demonstrates that the line manager can support employees in deploying and developing their talents, and when they do so employees feel more empowered and committed to the job. Most line managers are willing to support their employees in developing and utilizing their talents, and that they think they have the capability of doing. However, the study shows that in many cases the line manager overestimates his/her actions regarding the mobilization of employee’s talents, and employees often have different perceptions of the line manager’s behaviour to TM than the line manager him/herself. The bigger the gap in perceptions, the more it has a negative effect on employees’ cognitive and affective reactions to TM. The authors call for more research on the role of the line manager in TM, and in particular on this gap in perceptions.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify and explain what happens in practice in TM, in order to contribute to the building of a broader and more balanced theoretical framework for TM in which the impact of the organizational context and its interrelated actors are taken into account. Design/methodology/approach – The empirical data were collected in an explorative, longitudinal study on TM policies and practices in five Dutch university departments. Findings – The two crucial actors in TM – the organization and the talented employee – have a different perception of the intended and actual value of TM. The organization is capable of shaping and implementing a TM system that meets its needs, so from an organizational perspective TM is effective. Since the needs of the talented employees are insufficiently addressed in the intended and actual TM practices, TM has less value for them. Various influence factors at the institutional, organizational and individual level are identified. Research limitations/implications – The study was a first step in opening the “black box” in TM, but several questions on the TM process still remain unanswered. The author therefore encourages more research on the multiple levels in the TM process, and the factors that cause variability. Practical implications – Knowledge of the factors which influence the TM process from strategy to outcomes can help practitioners to build a more effective TM approach. Originality/value – Theoretical approaches from companion academic disciplines are linked to the dominant viewpoints in the TM literature. Moreover, to give counterbalance to the tendency to use universal models to explain TM, this study contextualizes TM. Finally, this study goes beyond a focus on management interests, and investigates to what extent other stakeholders (employees) benefit from TM.

The annual rankings of the GTCI and HCI indicate that the Netherlands belongs to the 10% of countries in the world that offer organizations and individuals an excellent context to attract, identify, develop and deploy their talents. This chapter shows that the country excels in developing or growing talent through its educational system. Yet, the in-depth and critical analysis of this system also points at some weaknesses which may threaten a sustainable talent development. The Netherlands has a strong profile regarding the attraction and retention of talent on the Dutch labor market. The workforce is well educated and highly productive. However, there is tension between the insiders and the outsiders on the Dutch labor market, indicating a qualitative and quantitative ‘underutilization’ (in the case of groups such as women, ethnic minorities and older workers) and ‘overutilization’ (leading to excessive workload and time pressure) among large groups of workers. This situation can be a hindering factor for being a sustainable ‘breeding ground’ for talent in the future. Yet, research is presented which shows that this can be addressed through local collaboration between educational and knowledge institutes, the business community and local government.

This article presents the findings of an exploratory study on the use of talent scans in practice. The data is gathered by interviews with HR-professionals and representatives of assessment agencies, and by an analysis (in terms of content, validity and reliability) of eight frequent used talent scans. The study shows that although HR-professionals have a holistic and multidimensional view on talent, in measuring talent they often prefer to use one talent scan that only focuses on a single aspect of talent. The choice for a specific scan is often based on practical reasons (the usefulness of the scan in practice, and the limited costs in time and money) and not necessarily on the quality of the scan, i.e. its validity and reliability. The eight talent scans which were investigated in our study appear to be valid and reliable, yet all measure different aspects of talent and they measure them differently. We recommend HR-professionals to be more critical on the talent scans they use, and to only use scans that are relevant for practice and rigorous in the way they measure talent. In dit artikel bespreken we de bevindingen van een verkennend onderzoek naar talentscans. Doel van het onderzoek was om meer inzicht te krijgen in het gebruik van talentscans in de praktijk en om een aantal veel gebruikte talentscans te onderzoeken op hun meetpretentie. De informatie is verzameld door middel van een praktijkonderzoek (interviews met HR-professionals en assessment bureaus) en een scaninventarisatie (acht talentscans). Het toont aan dat in de praktijk talentscans vooral worden gebruikt bij ontwikkelings- en mobiliteitsvraagstukken. De keuze van HR-professionals voor een bepaalde scan wordt vooral ingegeven door praktische overwegingen. De bruikbaarheid in de praktijk en de prijs-kwaliteit verhouding staat veelal voorop, en daarmee hebben de meeste HR-professionals weinig oog voor de validiteit en betrouwbaarheid van de scans. Ook al zeggen de HR-professionals een holistische kijk op talent te hebben, in de praktijk worden bij het meten van talent maar één of twee talentscans gebruikt. Dat betekent dat bij de medewerker talent niet in zijn volle breedte wordt gemeten. Een inventarisatie van beschikbare scans laat zien dat het aanbod aan scans weliswaar groot is maar dat in de praktijk slechts een kleine selectie daarvan veelvuldig gebruikt wordt. Acht van die veel gebruikte scans hebben wij nader onderzocht, waarbij bleek dat zij in de meeste gevallen aantoonbaar valide en betrouwbaar zijn. Echter, er is geen eenduidigheid in de kenmerken of talenten die de scans meten en hoe zij dat meten. Dat maakt het voor HR-professionals lastig om snel een overzicht te krijgen van het aanbod van talentscans. Zij zullen zich (kritisch) moeten verdiepen in de scans die zij willen gebruiken.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the development of a broader, multi-dimensional approach to talent that helps scholars and practitioners to fully understand the nuances and complexity of talent in the organizational context. Design/methodology/approach – The data were collected in two complementary research projects on the definition and identification of talented academics in the early stages of their careers. The first study focussed on defining and developing talent within university departments, in which the perspectives of management, policy advisors and talented employees themselves were taken into account. The second study investigated talent selection in the specific context of grant allocation by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). Findings – The results suggest that the conceptualization of talent cannot be disconnected from its context. In particular, the perceptions of the different stakeholder groups in an organizational context have a major impact. Although talent is generally perceived as a combination of multiple components, this general outcome conceals the unilateral approaches to talent of the separate stakeholder groups. These unilateral interpretations of talent also affect the design of the talent management system. The paper describes the difficulties organizations are confronted within developing and implementing their talent programs. Originality/value – This broader approach regards talent as a bundle of integrated components, and takes the impact of the organizational context and its interrelated stakeholders into account.

Private and public sector organizations are confronted with intensifying competition for talent. Talent management in the public sector, however, is an underexplored field of research. The aim of this chapter is to define talent management in the public sector context by putting it in a public sector human resources management framework and linking it to public sector developments and tendencies. Thus, we apply a multidisciplinary approach to talent management, using insights from human resource management, public administration, and public management. First, we describe relevant public sector characteristics and developments. Then, we define talent management in the public sector context based on what is already know from previous research and the literature, and we discuss key issues, dualities, and tensions regarding talent management in the public sector. Finally, we suggest a future agenda for talent-management research in public sector contexts and present some implications for practitioners.

This special issue (SI) aims to assemble a high-quality set of papers, which improve our understanding of how contextual factors impact the conceptualization, implementation and effectiveness of Talent Management. The context can be used several ways, e.g. to frame the relevance of the study, to interpret results or even by using theoretical frameworks in which the contextual factors and variables are incorporated.

This paper aims to contribute to the development of a broader, more balanced approach to talent management that will help in studying and implementing talent management across different contexts. The paper starts with an overview of the advances made in previous reviews and studies with respect to three central themes: the definition of talent, intended outcomes of talent management, and talent management practices. We identify the one-dimensional and narrow approach to the topic as a main limitation of the existing talent management literature. Through the use of theories from the organizational theory and the strategic HRM domain, we add new perspectives and develop a multilevel, multi-value approach to talent management. In so doing, we offer an in-depth discussion of the potential economic and non-economic value created by talent management at the individual, organizational, and societal level.

The aim of this paper is to provide a critical review of the academic literature on talent management in search of alternative perspectives. We found three dominant themes: the exploration of the concept of talent (definitions), the intended outcomes or effects of talent management and talent management practices. These themes are explored in more detail, and we discuss possible limitations of the current points of view on talent management. Our main finding was that the current talent management literature has a too narrow and one-dimensional approach. It can be characterized as managerialist and unitarist and has a limited view of the practices and activities of human resources. To broaden this view to a more balanced or pluralistic approach to talent management, we added new perspectives, such as stakeholder theory, multiple goals and an extended consideration of practices. The new perspectives are not only valuable for the development of the field of talent management in general but also essential for...

Talent and performance management are becoming a key strategic HRM issue for universities. This study adds to our knowledge by critically examining recruitment and selection practices for junior and senior academic talent in the Netherlands. We show that academic subfields differ in terms of how appointments are organised, how candidates are sought and identified and how performance indicators play a role in recruitment. We identify three key dilemmas in talent and performance management for universities: (a) transparency versus autonomy, (b) power of HR versus power of academics, (c) equality versus homogeneity. This article challenges the view of an academic world where the allocation of rewards and resources is governed by the normative principles of transparency and objective performance systems, and it highlights the distance between these HRM instruments and the actuality of social interaction in academic recruitment practices.

Across Europe, within the current welfare state systems, the influence of new public management (NPM) and new public governance (NPG) is still evolving, particularly through the focus on governing performance in all aspects of management. Boek beschikbaar voor medewerkers en studenten van de Hogeschool Utrecht.

There is little doubt that the attraction, development, and retention of talent are nowadays one of the most critical challenges faced by companies worldwide. Despite the increasing scholarly attention during the last years many questions remain, particularly, those related to how (and why) talent management (TM) is conceived, implemented and developed within organizations, not to mention about its outcomes or effectiveness. We argue that organizational context has been underappreciated in TM research, which is an omission since context affects the occurrence, meaning and implementation of TM. Therefore, we edited a special issue which seeks to contribute to advance our knowledge of how contextual factors affect the conceptualization, implementation and effectiveness of TM. In this opening article, we offer a brief overview of how context is integrated in previous TM research. We then introduce the four articles in this special issue and their contributions which addresses gap in TM research and, finally, we offer some suggestions on how to improve contextualized TM research