C Tansley

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.Findings – There is no single or universal contemporary definition of “tale...

Effecting HRM‐style practices through an integrated human resource information system: An e‐greenfield site?

In examining attempts to move towards HRM‐style practices in organisations, the term “greenfield” helps to conceptualise the break with existing employee relations practices, either on new or on existing sites, or to undertake a philosophical break with the past. Focuses on one stimulus to such transformational change – the development of human resource information systems (HRIS) as an opportunity structure that can enable a break with the past. Considers a case study of a large company implementing an HRIS integrated with other functional systems, to examine whether an e‐greenfield site exists. This is defined as a break with the past in the design and use of a computerised HRIS at either new or old organisational locations, to facilitate a greenfield HR philosophy and enable a more strategic role for HR specialists.

Project social capital, leadership and trust: A study of human resource information systems development

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to consider how project leadership knowledge and behaviour influence project team trust and social capital development and use in the context of a global HR information systems project.Design/methodology/approach – A comparative interpretive case study approach was used, including interviews (n=45) and participant observation with members at all levels of the two examined projects. Interpretive patterns from situated activities enabled inferences to be drawn about different types of project leader (PL) knowledge and behaviours and trust and the bridging and bonding aspects of social capital.Findings – PLs need to apply knowledge in three areas in order for trust to develop within the project team (external leadership, internal leadership and hybrid leadership), which in turn is a necessary pre‐condition for the development and exploitation of social capital, a significant influence on project success.Research limitations/implications – The choice of two extreme cas...

Strategic Exchange in the Development of Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS).

The potential of computerised human resource information systems (HRIS) is often not realised for several reasons. Taking a relational/processual rather than a systems approach, a case study of a global HRIS developement project is examined using strategic exchange to highlight important social considerations of organisational, group and individual projects.

Rites of passage through talent management progression stages: an identity work perspective

Our aim in this study was to examine the experiences of organisational ‘talent’ as employees advance through progressive stages of a talent management programme and to identify ways in which identity work plays a major part in such transitional processes. A case study is presented which examines the experiences of accountancy professionals ‘talent’ in a global management consultancy as they progress through ‘rites of passage’ at different levels of a talent management programme. Findings firstly show that successful transitions through such rites of passage are the necessary precursors to talent advancement; secondly, that the exercise of identity work is a concomitant part of specific phases of such rites of passage (separation, liminality and incorporation); thirdly, that, particularly at the most senior management levels, ‘appropriate identities’ in line with normative assumptions of the organisation are required to be developed and displayed; and finally, that such progression is characterised by being in ambiguous and fluid relationships and contexts, which need to be overcome in an ongoing process of talent advancement. Lessons are drawn for the design of talent management interventions that take identity work into account.

Culturally distinctive manifestations in international knowledge management: a historical perspective

Knowledge Management (KM) practices are markedly influenced by country level variables that act as important filters influencing how organisational actors enact KM at micro-levels of activity. Specifically, we suggest that certain countries have a particular knowledge-sharing cultural ethos and that this is attributable to historical factors. We discuss Germany, Japan and Russia, contrasting their different national orientation to knowledge acquisition and development. The limitations of correlating national histories with knowledge-sharing behaviour are acknowledged, but we argue that particular and necessary insights are gained by doing this.

Tipping the scales: ambidexterity practices on e-HRM projects

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine and conceptualise the ways in which a balance can be achieved between optimising the efficiency and effectiveness of electronic human resource management (e-HRM) systems for human resource management (HRM) and enabling innovation to occur during the system implementation. Design/methodology/approach – An interpretive case study of a UK local authority e-HRM system implementation is examined using the notion of ambidexterity as an analytical device. Ambidexterity relates to how an organisation develops the ability to operate efficiently in the now, while at the same time being able to adapt to environmental changes around and ahead of them in order to grow into the future. Findings – As an intra-organisational capability, ambidexterity is found to derive from the simultaneous interplay and balancing of dual capabilities: exploitation and exploration. e-HRM exploitation concerned the capability to generate new knowledge with innovatory effects, created throu...

Talent development gamification in talent selection assessment centres

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between the use of sophisticated talent selection processes such as gamification and training and development interventions designed to ensure that candidates can successfully navigate the talent assessment process. Gamification is the application of game elements to non-game activities through the adoption of gaming tools, and little is known about how candidates (“talent”) struggle to learn about the structural mechanics of gamification as they engage with the hidden rules of talent selection, such as goals, rules, “levelling up”, feedback and engagement in competitive – collaborative activities. The term “talent development gamification” is coined and used as an analytical tool to consider how young talent are supported by development interventions in their inter-subjectivity as they learn how to survive and win in talent selection games. Design/methodology/approach Studying hidden dynamics in development processes inherent in gamified talent selection is challenging, so a cult work of fiction, “Ender’s Game”, is examined to address the questions: “How do candidates in talent selection programmes learn to make sense of the structural mechanics of gamification”, “How does this make the hidden rules of talent selection explicit to them?” and “What does this mean for talent development?” Findings Talent development in selection gamification processes is illustrated through nuanced theoretical accounts of how a multiplicity of shifting and competing developmental learning opportunities are played out as a form of “double-consciousness” by potential organizational talent for them to “win the selection game”. Research limitations/implications Using novels as an aid to understanding management and the organization of work is ontologically and epistemologically problematic. But analysing novels which are “good reads” also has educational value and can produce new knowledge from its analysis. In exploring how “Characters are made to live dangerously, to face predicaments that, as readers, we experience as vicarious pleasure. We imagine, for example, how a particular character may react or, more importantly, what we would do in similar circumstances” (Knights and Willmott, 1999, p. 5). This future-oriented fictional narrative is both illustrative and provides an analogy to illuminate current organisational development challenges. Originality/value The term “talent development gamification in selection processes” is coined to allow analysis and provide lessons for talent development practice in a little studied area. Our case study analysis identifies a number of areas for consideration by talent management/talent development specialists involved in developing talent assessment centres incorporating gamification. These include the importance of understanding and taking account of rites of passage through the assessment centre, in particular the role of liminal space, what talent development interventions might be of benefit and the necessity of appreciating and managing talent in developing the skill of double consciousness in game simulations.

Navigating the ethical maze through design action research

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to identify how ethical stances can be used to develop a frame set in the design of a web-based decision support system (DSS) for ethical decision-making and to test both the efficacy of these frames and the potential of such a tool for individuals and groups in both leadership development situations and organisational practice. Unethical behaviour by executives is a frequently cited reason for erosion of trust with other stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach – Utilising action research, by choosing ethics frames such as heuristics, a web-based ethics DSS designed to enable users to explore ethical issues from multiple perspectives was constructed and this was beta-tested with a major UK bank and a global oil company. Findings – In orchestrating constant revisions of the ethics frames in the tool, learning from each research cycle was identified, a new form of action research, a design action research, which emphasises the importance of collaboration in the desig...

The translator as agent in management knowledge transfer

We investigate the transfer of talent management knowledge to a Slovak manufacturing setting from a translation perspective. The translator is shown to be the key agent in the cross-national, cross-language knowledge transfer process, who not only provides linguistic translation but also provides cultural and political interpretation of key vocabularies. By drawing on different models of translation we show that (a) discourse and language cannot be separated in knowledge transfer interventions and (b) the translator is a key agent in shaping the transfer process by addressing the ‘discursive void’ that characterizes local experiences with, and knowledge about, talent management.