Cognitive mapping the topic of talent management

Cognitive mapping the topic of talent management

Joseph Kim-keung Ho

Independent Trainer

Hong Kong, China

Abstract: The topic of talent management is complex. By making use of the cognitive mapping technique to conduct a brief literature review on the talent management topic, the writer renders a systemic image on the topic of talent management. The result of the study, in the form of a cognitive map on talent management, should be useful to those who are interested in the topics of cognitive mapping, literature review and talent management.

Key words: cognitive mapping, literature review, talent management.

Introduction

In the subject of Human Resource Management, the topic of talent management is complex. It is thus useful to employ some learning tool to conduct its study, notably for literature review purpose. As a teacher in research methods, systems thinking and management, the writer is specifically interested in finding out how the cognitive mapping technique can be employed to study talent management as a literature review exercise. This literature review exercise is taken up and reported in this article.

On the cognitive mapping exercise for literature review

Literature review is an important intellectual learning exercise, and not just for doing final year dissertation projects for tertiary education students. On these two topics of intellectual learning and literature review, the writer has compiled some e-learning resources. They are the Managerial intellectual learning Facebook page and the Literature on literature review Facebook page. Conducting literature review with the cognitive mapping technique is not novel in the cognitive mapping literature, see Eden and Simpson (1989), Eden, Jones and Sims (1983) and Open University (n.d). In this article, the specific steps involved in the cognitive mapping exercise are as follows:

Step 1: gather some main points from a number of academic journal articles on talent management. This result in the production of a table (Table 1) with the main points and associated references.

Step 2: Consolidate  the main points from Table 1 to come up with a table listing the cognitive map variables (re: Table 2).

Step 3: Link up the cognitive  map variables in a plausible way to produce a cognitive map (re: Figure 1) on the topic under review.

The next section applies these three steps to produce a cognitive map on talent management.

Descriptions of cognitive map variables on the talent management topic

From the reading of some academic articles on talent management, a number of main points are gathered. They are shown in Table 1 with explicit referencing on the points.

Table 1: Main points from the talent management literature and referencing

Main points from the talent management literature	Referencing
Point 1.                    Strategic talent management as "activities and processes that involve the systematic identification of key positions which differentially contribute to the organization's sustainable competitive advantage, the development of a talent pool of high potential and high performing incumbents to fill these roles, and the development of a differentiated human resource architecture to facilitate these positions with competent incumbents and to ensure  their continued commitment to the organization".	Collings, D.G. and K. Mellahi. 2009. "Strategic talent management: a review and research agenda" Human Resource Management Review 19(4): 304-313.
Point 2.                    "Chief Executive Officers' (CEOs) are increasingly involved in the talent management process".	Collings, D.G. and K. Mellahi. 2009. "Strategic talent management: a review and research agenda" Human Resource Management Review 19(4): 304-313.
Point 3.                    It is difficult to "differentiate talent management from conventional human resource management" if  "the talent management system is applied to all of an organisation's employees".	Collings, D.G. and K. Mellahi. 2009. "Strategic talent management: a review and research agenda" Human Resource Management Review 19(4): 304-313.
Point 4.                    "TM [Talent Management] is said to be critical to organizational success, being able to give a competitive edge through the identification, development and redeployment of talented employees".	Iles, P., X. Chuai and D. Preece. 2010. "Talent Management and HRM  in Multinational companies in Beijing: Definitions, differences and drivers" Journal of World Business 45(2): 179-189.
Point 5.                    TM "challenges bureaucratic emphasis on systems and structures... and egalitarian models of HRM [human resource management]".	Iles, P., X. Chuai and D. Preece. 2010. "Talent Management and HRM  in Multinational companies in Beijing: Definitions, differences and drivers" Journal of World Business 45(2): 179-189.
Point 6.                    "'Talent' is a relative term - the talented exist in relation to the 'un'- or 'less talented'".	Iles, P., X. Chuai and D. Preece. 2010. "Talent Management and HRM  in Multinational companies in Beijing: Definitions, differences and drivers" Journal of World Business 45(2): 179-189.
Point 7.                    Talent is "a code for the most effective leaders and managers at all levels who can help a company fulfill its aspiration and drive its performance, managerial talent is some combination of a sharp strategic mind, leadership ability, emotional maturity, communication skills, the ability to attract and inspire other talented people, entrepreneurial instincts, functional skills and the ability to deliver results".	Iles, P., X. Chuai and D. Preece. 2010. "Talent Management and HRM  in Multinational companies in Beijing: Definitions, differences and drivers" Journal of World Business 45(2): 179-189.
Point 8.                    "A TM [talent management] perspective presumes talented individuals play a central role in the success of the firm. All corporate issues are seen from the perspective of 'how will this affect our critical talent?" and 'what role does talent play in this issue?"".	Iles, P., X. Chuai and D. Preece. 2010. "Talent Management and HRM  in Multinational companies in Beijing: Definitions, differences and drivers" Journal of World Business 45(2): 179-189.
Point 9.                    "Superkeepers are a very small group of individuals, who have demonstrated superior accomplishments, have inspired others to attain superior accomplishments, and who embody the core competencies and values of the organization".	Iles, P., X. Chuai and D. Preece. 2010. "Talent Management and HRM  in Multinational companies in Beijing: Definitions, differences and drivers" Journal of World Business 45(2): 179-189.
Point 10.               "The ability to attract, develop, retain a needed supply of critical talent is a challenge facing all organizations".	Tarique, I. and R.S. Schuler. 2010. "Global talent management: Literature review: integrative framework, and suggestions for future research" Journal of World Business 45, Elsevier: 122-133.
Point 11.               "A major topic that has emerged in IHRM [international human resource management]  is  the importance of maximizing the talent of individual employees as a unique source of competitive advantage".	Tarique, I. and R.S. Schuler. 2010. "Global talent management: Literature review: integrative framework, and suggestions for future research" Journal of World Business 45, Elsevier: 122-133.
Point 12.               Major global  talent management challenges in international human resource management include: "(1) easily getting the right skills in the right numbers  to where they are needed; (2)  spreading up-to-date knowledge and practices throughout the MNE [multinational enterprises] regardless of where they originate; and (3) identifying and developing talent on a global basis".	Tarique, I. and R.S. Schuler. 2010. "Global talent management: Literature review: integrative framework, and suggestions for future research" Journal of World Business 45, Elsevier: 122-133.
Point 13.               Global talent management is "about systematically utilizing IHRM [international human resource management] activities .... to attract, develop, and retain individuals with high levels of human capital.... consistent with the strategic directions of the multinational enterprise in a dynamic, highly competitive, and global environment".	Tarique, I. and R.S. Schuler. 2010. "Global talent management: Literature review: integrative framework, and suggestions for future research" Journal of World Business 45, Elsevier: 122-133.
Point 14.               Exogenous drivers of global talent management challenges are globalization, demographics and demand-supply gap.	Tarique, I. and R.S. Schuler. 2010. "Global talent management: Literature review: integrative framework, and suggestions for future research" Journal of World Business 45, Elsevier: 122-133.
Point 15.               Endogenous drivers of global talent management challenges are regiocentrism, international strategic alliances, and required competencies.	Tarique, I. and R.S. Schuler. 2010. "Global talent management: Literature review: integrative framework, and suggestions for future research" Journal of World Business 45, Elsevier: 122-133.
Point 16.               Global talent management effectiveness attributes are improving human resource's impact, competitive advantage and talent positioning.	Tarique, I. and R.S. Schuler. 2010. "Global talent management: Literature review: integrative framework, and suggestions for future research" Journal of World Business 45, Elsevier: 122-133.
Point 17.               "The various aspects of talent management are recruitment, selection, on-boarding, mentoring, performance management, career development, leadership development, replacement planning, career planning, recognition and reward".	Bhatnagar, J. 2007. "Talent management strategy of employee engagement in Indian ITES employees: key to retention" Employee Relations 29(6), Emerald: 640-663.
Point 18.               "In order to attract and retain the best talent anywhere in the world, an organization must have a strong and positive employer brand".	Bhatnagar, J. 2007. "Talent management strategy of employee engagement in Indian ITES employees: key to retention" Employee Relations 29(6), Emerald: 640-663.
Point 19.               "Recent research indicates that the war for talent is intense due to labour market shortages".	Bhatnagar, J. 2007. "Talent management strategy of employee engagement in Indian ITES employees: key to retention" Employee Relations 29(6), Emerald: 640-663.
Point 20.               "Employee engagement as a key to the retention of talent ... is an area  in which the lead has been taken by practitioners".	Bhatnagar, J. 2007. "Talent management strategy of employee engagement in Indian ITES employees: key to retention" Employee Relations 29(6), Emerald: 640-663.
Point 21.               Internal contextual factors for talent management include leadership, values, company culture and strategy/structure.	Schuler, R.S. 2015. "The 5-C framework for managing talent" Organizational Dynamics 44, Elsevier: 47-56.
Point 22.               External contextual factors for talent management include country competitiveness, country culture, level of economic development, industry characteristics.	Schuler, R.S. 2015. "The 5-C framework for managing talent" Organizational Dynamics 44, Elsevier: 47-56.
Point 23.               Consequences of talent management include: (1) individual: satisfaction, career development, coaching, and feedback, value fulfillment, compensation/benefits, and mobility, (2) organizational: attraction/ branding, motivation, retention, productivity/value, flexibility/adaptability, and relocation/reduction, and (3) country: development,  educational attainment, competitiveness and jobs.	Schuler, R.S. 2015. "The 5-C framework for managing talent" Organizational Dynamics 44, Elsevier: 47-56.
Point 24.               Stakeholders whose needs and objectives are to be served via talent management include: the company, employees, society, customers, investors and suppliers.	Schuler, R.S. 2015. "The 5-C framework for managing talent" Organizational Dynamics 44, Elsevier: 47-56.

With a set of main points collected, the writer produces a set of cognitive map variables. These variables are informed by the set of main points from Table 1. These variables are presented in Table 2.

Table 2: Cognitive map variables based on Table 1

Cognitive map variables	Literature review points
Variable 1: Internal contextual factors	Point 2: "Chief Executive Officers' (CEOs) are increasingly involved in the talent management process". Point 21: Internal contextual factors for talent management include leadership, values, company culture and strategy/structure.
Variable 2: External context factors	Point 22: External contextual factors for talent management include country competitiveness, country culture, level of economic development, industry characteristics.
Variable 3: Drivers on talent management challenges	Point 14: Exogenous drivers of global talent management challenges are globalization, demographics and demand-supply gap. Point 15: Endogenous drivers of global talent management challenges are regiocentrism, international strategic alliances, and required competencies. Point 19: "Recent research indicates that the war for talent is intense due to labour market shortages".
Variable 4: Challenges in practising talent management	Point 10: "The ability to attract, develop, retain a needed supply of critical talent is a challenge facing all organizations". Point 12: Major global  talent management challenges in international human resource management include: "(1) easily getting the right skills in the right numbers  to where they are needed; (2)  spreading up-to-date knowledge and practices throughout the MNE [multinational enterprises] regardless of where they originate; and (3) identifying and developing talent on a global basis".
Variable 5: Effective talent management practices	Point 1: Strategic talent management as "activities and processes that involve the systematic identification of key positions which differentially contribute to the organization's sustainable competitive advantage, the development of a talent pool of high potential and high performing incumbents to fill these roles, and the development of a differentiated human resource architecture to facilitate these positions with competent incumbents and to ensure  their continued commitment to the organization". Point 8: "A TM [talent management] perspective presumes talented individuals play a central role in the success of the firm. All corporate issues are seen from the perspective of 'how will this affect our critical talent?" and 'what role does talent play in this issue?"". Point 11: "A major topic that has emerged in IHRM [international human resource management]  is  the importance of maximizing the talent of individual employees as a unique source of competitive advantage". Point 13: Global talent management is "about systematically utilizing IHRM [international human resource management] activities .... to attract, develop, and retain individuals with high levels of human capital.... consistent with the strategic directions of the multinational enterprise in a dynamic, highly competitive, and global environment". Point 17: "The various aspects of talent management are recruitment, selection, on-boarding, mentoring, performance management, career development, leadership development, replacement planning, career planning, recognition and reward". Point 18: "In order to attract and retain the best talent anywhere in the world, an organization must have a strong and positive employer brand". Point 20: "Employee engagement as a key to the retention of talent ... is an area  in which the lead has been taken by practitioners".
Variable 6: Availability of engaged talents	Point 6: "'Talent' is a relative term - the talented exist in relation to the 'un'- or 'less talented'". Point 7: Talent is "a code for the most effective leaders and managers at all levels who can help a company fulfill its aspiration and drive its performance, managerial talent is some combination of a sharp strategic mind, leadership ability, emotional maturity, communication skills, the ability to attract and inspire other talented people, entrepreneurial instincts, functional skills and the ability to deliver results". Point 9: "Superkeepers are a very small group of individuals, who have demonstrated superior accomplishments, have inspired others to attain superior accomplishments, and who embody the core competencies and values of the organization".
Variable 7: Alignment with overall human resource management practices	Point 3: It is difficult to "differentiate talent management from conventional human resource management" if  "the talent management system is applied to all of an organisation's employees". Point 5: TM "challenges bureaucratic emphasis on systems and structures... and egalitarian models of HRM [human resource management]".
Variable 8: Impacts on individual employees	Point 23: Consequences of talent management include: (1) individual: satisfaction, career development, coaching, and feedback, value fulfillment, compensation/benefits, and mobility, (2) organizational: attraction/ branding, motivation, retention, productivity/value, flexibility/adaptability, and relocation/reduction, and (3) country: development,  educational attainment, competitiveness and jobs.
Variable 9: Impacts on the organization	Point 4: "TM [Talent Management] is said to be critical to organizational success, being able to give a competitive edge through the identification, development and redeployment of talented employees". Point 16: Global talent management effectiveness attributes are improving human resource's impact, competitive advantage and talent positioning. Point 23: Consequences of talent management include: (1) individual: satisfaction, career development, coaching, and feedback, value fulfillment, compensation/benefits, and mobility, (2) organizational: attraction/ branding, motivation, retention, productivity/value, flexibility/adaptability, and relocation/reduction, and (3) country: development,  educational attainment, competitiveness and jobs.
Variable 10: Impacts on the society	Point 23: Consequences of talent management include: (1) individual: satisfaction, career development, coaching, and feedback, value fulfillment, compensation/benefits, and mobility, (2) organizational: attraction/ branding, motivation, retention, productivity/value, flexibility/adaptability, and relocation/reduction, and (3) country: development,  educational attainment, competitiveness and jobs.

The next step is to relate the cognitive map variables to make up a cognitive map on talent management. The cognitive map is explained further in the next section.

A cognitive map on talent management and its interpretation

By relating the variables identified in Table 2, the writer comes up with a cognitive map on talent management, as shown in Figure 1.

The cognitive map on talent management  comprises the following types of variables:

Influencers on talent management: They are variables 1 (internal contextual factors), variable 2 (external contextual factors), variable 3 (drivers on talent management challenges) and variable 4 (challenges in practising talent management).

Primary talent management practice factors: They are variable 6 (availability of engaged talents), variable 5 (effective talent management practices) and variable 7 (alignment with overall human resource management practices).

Impact attributes: They are variable 8 (impacts on individual employees), variable 9 (impacts on the organization) and variable 10 (impacts on the society).

These cognitive  map variables are related to make up a systemic image of talent management. The links in the cognitive map (re: Figure 1) indicate direction of influences between variables. The + sign shows that an increase in one variable leads to an increase in another variable while a -ve sign tells us that in increase in one variable leads to a decrease in another variable.  If there no signs shown on the arrows, that means the influences can be positive or negative.

Concluding remarks

The cognitive mapping exercise captures in one diagram some of the main variables involved in talent management. The resultant cognitive map promotes an exploratory way to study talent management  in a holistic tone. The experience of the cognitive mapping exercise is that it can be a quick, efficient and entertaining way to explore a complex topic such as talent management. Finally, readers who are interested in cognitive mapping should also find the article informative on this mapping topic.

Bibliography

1.      Eden, C. and P. Simpson. 1989. "SODA and cognitive mapping in practice", pp. 43-70, in Rosenhead, J. (editor) Rational Analysis for a Problematic World, Wiley, Chichester.

2.      Eden, C., C. Jones and D. Sims. 1983. Messing about in Problems: An informal structured approach to their identification and management, Pergamon Press, Oxford.

3.      Literature on talent management Facebook page, maintained by Joseph, K.K. Ho (url address: https://www.facebook.com/Literature-on-talent-management-598500130297130/).

4.      Literature on literature review Facebook page, maintained by Joseph, K.K. Ho (url address: https://www.facebook.com/literature.literaturereview/).

5.      Managerial intellectual learning Facebook page, maintained by Joseph, K.K. Ho (url address: https://www.facebook.com/managerial.intellectual.learning/).

6.      Open University. n.d. "Sign graph" Systems Thinking and Practice (T552): Diagramming, Open University, U.K. (url address: http://systems.open.ac.uk/materials/T552/) [visited at April 10, 2017].

7.      Collings, D.G. and K. Mellahi. 2009. "Strategic talent management: a review and research agenda" Human Resource Management Review 19(4): 304-313.

8.      Iles, P., X. Chuai and D. Preece. 2010. "Talent Management and HRM  in Multinational companies in Beijing: Definitions, differences and drivers" Journal of World Business 45(2): 179-189.

9.      Tarique, I. and R.S. Schuler. 2010. "Global talent management: Literature review: integrative framework, and suggestions for future research" Journal of World Business 45, Elsevier: 122-133.

10. Bhatnagar, J. 2007. "Talent management strategy of employee engagement in Indian ITES employees: key to retention" Employee Relations 29(6), Emerald: 640-663.

11. Schuler, R.S. 2015. "The 5-C framework for managing talent" Organizational Dynamics 44, Elsevier: 47-56.