International and Comparative HRM

Week 8
Global Talent Management

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Alhajie Saidy Khan (alhajie.saidykhan@anglia.ac.uk)
Lord Ashcroft International Business School
 Lecture aims

Outline and explain the core and superordinate

strategic integration activities and themes of IHRM

Explore conceptions about talent management

Explain talent management in global context
Identify and critically evaluate underlying principles
that inform global talent management
 Critical components in the management of
Global integration

Operational integration: using technology to create and provide single

global point of reference for integrating HR policies and practices
around a common employee brand

Intellectual integration: integration and sharing of knowledge as basis

for codifying and sharing intellectual capital (both HR and Business)
across the enterprise regardless of political. Social and economic
context

Social integration: using collective bonds of performance to clearly

communication HR goals and how they are pursued

Emotional integration: developing a shared sense of identity and

common meanings.

Ghoshal and Gratton(2002 in Brewster et al., 2011,Chap 16

 Superordinate themes involved in
strategic integration
Talent management and strategic workforce planning: identifying
and organising HR around talent

Corporate and global brand: protecting ownership-specific

advantages

Management of Global knowledge: strategies for managing

knowledge that distinguishes the enterprise and provides basis for
competitive advantage

Managing each of these at a globally level presents its unique

challenges

Nevertheless, they engender consistency in management of HR

across subsidiaries (common behaviour and action globally)
Brewster et al., 2011; Sparrow, 2007; Scullion and Colling, 2006)
 What is talent management?

The systematic attraction, identification, development, engagement,

retention and deployment of individuals of particular value to an
organisation, either in view of their high potential for the future or
because they are fulfilling business/operation-critical roles

This definition underlines:

the importance of recognising that it is not sufficient simply to attract individuals
with high potential;

developing, managing and retaining those individuals as part of a planned

strategy for talent is equally important;

as well as adopting systems to measure the return on this investment.

(CIPD, 2013).
 So, what is the purpose of Talent
management
Sustained competitiveness through strategic integration (HR competence
and behaviour with business activity and goals)

Product differentiation (innovation) as competitive strategy

Improved employment relations structures and processes
Talent and knowledge retention
Lower cost of external resourcing
The assumption is that demand for talented employees exceeded the
available supply thus The War for Talent.

Critical debate: should it be about stars, everybody, positions or all?

Brewster et al., 2011; Brokaw, 2012
 What is Global Talent Management

Calibration of talent on a global basis in order to identify:

the top people;
the key roles of the organization they needed to occupy;
how to develop and deploy key people and;
establish HR strategies for their career management and retention

Brewster et al (2011, p. 387)

A subset of IHRM activities (systematically linked IHRM policies and

business policies) to attract, develop, retain, and mobilize individuals
with high levels of current and potential human capital consistent for
the strategic directions of the multinational enterprise to serve the
objectives of multiple stakeholders
(Tarique & Schuler, 2010 in Tarique and Schuler, 2012, p. 10)
 Global talent management

One of the biggest challenges facing companies all over the world is
building and sustaining a strong talent pipeline.

Concerns what companies operating in numerous markets need to do

to attract and develop the very best employees so they can be
competitive globally?

Requires aligning recruitment and selection with overall corporate

strategy

Therefore, much broader than expatriate management and plotting

series of international assignments (Brewster et al, 2011, p. 187)

And need to identify key underlining principles that shape MNCs talent
management strategies.
Brewster et al., 2011; Brokaw, Sloane management, 2012
 Focus of Global talent management

Is about stars roles and capabilities:

High performing individuals also known as high potentials;

Strategic jobs. These jobs also refer to core jobs and are
critical to the organization in terms of creating competitive
advantage; and,

Therefore, is a capability based approach to strategic human

resource management.

Thus, subset of strategic IHRM

Tarique and Schuler, 2012
 So, is about positions, stars and
supporting HR strategies

Focus on developing pool of global talent and talent flow to

fill strategic positions and ensuring success through building
critical organisational capabilities

Developing differentiated set of HR policies and practices

that support the pool of global talent and talent flow in
relation to critical positions and capabilities

Ensure delivery of performance and organisational

capabilities in different national contexts

Brewster et al., 2011

 Drivers of GTM

Shortage of talented workers

Changing demographics
Changing attitude towards work and structure of
work

Country culture differences

Tarique and Schuler, 2012
 Underling principles for effective
global talent management
Aligning recruiting efforts with strategy (internal vertical fit).
Ensuring talent management practices fit with each other (horizontal fit).
Deliberately embedding corporate culture into talent management
processes such as hiring methods and leadership development;

Getting involvement of all managers, especially those in strategic

positions

Balancing global competitive strategy and local needs and

responsiveness

Finding ways to differentiate the company from its competitors.

Is it management of only top elites or is it viewing every employee as
talent
Sloane study of GE Corp, Feb, 2012