Programa del congreso

Objectives: to help in the advancement of the understanding of the Talent Management (TM) field by identifying Talent Retention practices adopted by a cohort of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the Information Technology (IT) industry SMEs in Spain. Challenges in TM are higher for companies of this kind as they face higher constraints than multinational enterprises (MNEs), and their success is highly tied to their people.

Methodology: the study uses an inductive approach based on semi-structured interviews. A list of companies was obtained from a business directory by selecting those candidates that fall into the category of SMEs, their activity is linked to software development and are located in the Barcelona area. After curating the list, representatives were contacted, and we held semi-structured interviews with them until we reached sample saturation. Data was then coded and analyzed.

Results/implications: we identified a set of practices that could be translated into a framework of four blocks that may help IT companies set a Talent Retention agenda and help them remain competitive in the current talent competition scenario.

Objectives: This study critically examines the role of line managers (LMs) in implementing talent management (TM). While TM is recognized as a strategic priority, research has largely overlooked LMs, focusing instead on senior management and HR professionals. The paper synthesizes existing literature, identifying key challenges and factors influencing LMs’ effectiveness in TM.

Conceptual Framework: The study takes into account the different theoretical frameworks used in the incipient research on this topic, a lot of which is embedded in the HRM implementation literature. Some of these frameworks are AMO, paradox theory and political skill in HRM decision-making.

Methodology: A literature review was conducted using “talent management” and “line manag*” and related nomenclatures as search terms, yielding 262 studies. After refining criteria, 21 relevant studies were analyzed.

Results/Implications: Findings highlight LMs’ critical role in TM but reveal significant barriers, including cognitive biases, lack of training, and competing short-term pressures. Effective TM implementation depends on factors such as LMs’ competencies, organizational support, and role identity. Organizations must enhance LMs’ HR skills, reinforce TM-oriented roles, and mitigate structural constraints. Future research should explore LMs’ agency and contextual barriers in TM execution.

We examine the talent management practices of Chinese state-owned enterprises via semi-structured interviews with expatriate employees. Specifically, we investigate how employees both within and outside the talent pool respond to exclusive talent management. The findings indicate that exclusive talent management exerts varying degrees of negative impact on all employees. Notably, employees who are excluded from the talent pool but perceive themselves as talent experience the most significant negative effects, exhibiting the lowest levels of perceived distributive justice. Additionally, our study reveals that for some employees out of the talent pool, perceptions of distributive justice are moderated by work restructuring.

Objectives: In a context of growing attention towards talent management (TM) in organizations, talent communities remain deeply underexplored, despite their contribution to talent retention and engagement.

Theoretical framework: We aim to explore these communities by incorporating elements that can provide valuable insights into overlooked aspects of TM, drawing from the HRM-as-practice perspective and the innovation literature.

Methodology: Through a longitudinal single-case study, we explore the practices of self-organized community of expert talents in the financial sector in France. Data collection is based on participant observation.

Results/implications: Our research highlights the specific practices of motivation, invention, implementation and labeling employed by talents in designing and launching a new agenda for the community. This work advances the TM research field by offering new theoretical and empirical insights about how talent communities work in practice.