Understanding talent management as a theory-driven field: a scoping review
Abstract
Purpose
Emphasizing the increasing role of talent management (TM) as a global phenomenon and a source of sustainable competitive advantage for organizations, this study aims to present a scoping review of empirical literature on TM, examining the transition of TM from a phenomenon-driven to a theory-driven field.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a scoping review, this study analyzed 200 empirical studies published between 2010 and 2023 on TM.
Findings
The results indicate that TM is extensively studied in nationally operated, large, private, engineering-led organizations in Anglo-Saxon countries. The study highlights the necessity for more empirical studies and statistically robust evidence to establish the effectiveness of TM.
Research limitations/implications
This review intends to provide a vision and direction for future researchers, guiding TM towards becoming a theory-driven field characterized by widely accepted theoretical frameworks and research designs.
Practical implications
The findings of this study may not be generalizable to other types of organizations or cultural contexts, as it primarily focused on large private engineering-led organizations in Anglo-Saxon countries.
Originality/value
This paper offers a comprehensive view of the definitions, contextualization, conceptualization, frameworks, practices, processes and under-explored areas of TM, which are essential for its development as a discipline.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge the three anonymous reviewers and the editors for their valuable feedback and suggestions during the review process.
Funding: This work was supported by University Grants Commission, New Delhi, India, under the scheme Junior Research Fellowship in Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences [359/(SC)(NET-NOV.2017)].
Declaration of Competing Interest: The authors report no declarations of interest.
Data availability statement: The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article or its supplementary materials. The data of this study are also available from the corresponding author, Prof Usha Lenka, upon reasonable request.
Complete Address of the corresponding author: Prof Usha Lenka, Department of Management Studies, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, India.
Citation
Marlapudi, K. and Lenka, U. (2023), "Understanding talent management as a theory-driven field: a scoping review", The Learning Organization, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/TLO-12-2022-0161
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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