Global Talent Management: The Role of Corporate HR
This is a research collaboration between:
- Professor Hugh Scullion, National University of Ireland, Ireland
- Professor Paul Sparrow, Lancaster University Management School, UK
- Dr Elaine Farndale, Pennsylvania State University, USA
This study expands our knowledge of the process of talent management on a global scale in multinational corporations. In particular, it focuses on the role of the Corporate HR function in facilitating the successful management of key talent across the organization. Initial work carried out by the research team resulted in the development of a typology of Corporate HR roles in global talent management (published in Journal of World Business). This article remains on the Most Downloaded listings of the journal.
The research is now exploring this model further by carrying out empirical research in multinational organizations. We are currently conducting the research in a financial services organization and in a professional services firm. The team is now seeking access to other MNCs.
In the aftermath of the financial services crisis, talent management has become ever more critical given the outflow of key people from many organizations hit hard by the economic downturn. Some argue that there is therefore no longer a ‘war for talent’ given the larger numbers of unemployed as a result of the crisis, but at the same time, organizations have to focus even harder on finding the top people with the highest possible level of competence to justify the significant investment in this key talent. This study will explore the issues raised as a result of the financial crisis, as well as the more general approaches taken to global talent management from a corporate headquarters perspective.
Tha aims of the study
1. Enhance practitioner effectiveness:
The study will develop knowledge around the concept of global talent management in multiple settings. As this knowledge is shared, this will enable HR practitioners in multinationals to co-ordinate and manage the flow of key talent across the firm, and consequently impact on firm performance.
2. Enhance the effectiveness of global talent management practices, functions, or systems:
The study will clarify what the key roles in global talent management are, and how these roles can be carried out most effectively. The emphasis in the study is on including different types of corporate settings, some more centralized and others more decentralized, and across a range of industry sectors, in order to explore the impact of organizational context on the effectiveness of global talent management practices and roles.
3. Enhance the effectiveness of organizations through HR:
Global talent management is recognized as being of fundamental importance to the future successful development of multinational firms. One of the major difficulties firms face today is finding sufficient numbers of highly skilled, global managers who can implement the firm’s globalization strategy. Focusing on the successful flow of key talent around the firm is therefore crucial for future success, and is the core focus of this study.
The core research questions
1. What are the roles that HR carries out in the global talent management process, and how are these roles delivered in practice?
2. Does context matter?
3. What has been the impact of the global financial services crisis on HR’s role in global talent management?
Involvement of practitioners
For practitioners, the study will highlight how firms can most effectively manage the flow of talent globally. The interest of HR at the corporate centre is of fundamental importance to this study: The project involves collaborating with the academic research team in enabling the gathering of data within the firm. The second stage for the HR community is leading the dissemination of the results of the research across the broader corporation and the wider consortium of participating companies.
What we need from companies
- This is an interview-based study to be carried out in multinational companies with headquarters based in the UK, continental Europe, and the USA.
- No funding is required from any company at this stage of this research as this is currently a pilot study, funded by our universities.
- To participate in the research, we need access to 6-10 senior (HR) managers/directors to hold information gathering interviews. These interviews would likely be with those responsible for talent and international mobility at corporate HQ, regional, and country level, and general managers of business divisions. Interviews will be carried out predominantly face-to-face or by telephone where necessary, and will last approximately one hour. These will be recorded where permitted and will be led by a member of the core research team.
What you can expect from us
- In return for participation, each company will receive an overall summary report of the findings across all participant companies at the end of the study.
- An individual company summary of the interview findings will also be prepared per company as interviews are completed.
- Our experience is that it is useful to hold a workshop to discuss the overall research findings on completion of the study. We will be happy to arrange this if participant companies would value this, and a host can be arranged.
