An example of conducting literature review tasks on talent management: for MBA students

An example of conducting literature review tasks on talent management: for MBA students

A review of the academic article of: Heike Schinnenburg  (2025) “Re-focusing talent management: Frontline and essential work as the contemporary challenge” Human Resource Management Review 35: 101090

What are the main research objectives and research questions of this article?

The main research objectives of the article are:

1.    To critically examine the mainstream Talent Management (TM) discourse, highlighting significant doubts about the traditional focus on top talent and knowledge workers, and to bring attention to the largely overlooked group of frontline and essential workers (FEWs), including many migrants, in TM research.

2.    To explore major societal phenomena and trends—such as demographic shifts, education policies, migration, and Artificial Intelligence (AI)—that impact HRM and TM in Western countries, with a focus on Germany as a case example. The authors aim to investigate how context-specific and company-specific TM programs are emerging for employees outside the typical exclusive TM target groups.

3.    To develop key research implications and propose a more future-oriented and inclusive TM framework that better reflects diverse workforce realities and guides future research in the area of TM involving FEWs.

These objectives implicitly address the following research questions:

• How adequate is the traditional focus of TM on high potentials and knowledge workers in light of emerging societal and labor market challenges?
• What role do frontline and essential workers play in organizational capability and talent pools, and how can TM practices better include this group?
• How do megatrends such as demographic changes, migration, and AI shape the future of TM, especially for FEWs?
• What are effective TM practices and frameworks to support a more inclusive and future-oriented approach to managing a diverse workforce?

 

Does the literature review of the article involve the following review tasks:

1.    Defining, evaluating and extending the relevant academic ideas.

2.    Updating the readers on the latest academic development as related to the article's research theme.

3.    Examining the research issues as related to: (1) the relevant theories, perspectives and concepts and (2) the relevant research methods employed to study the related research topics and themes.

4.    Synthesize the relevant academic ideas to come up with a more comprehensive research framework or theories.

5.    Discuss how some of the relevant theories and concepts can be employed to inform the research methodology (and research methods) for this study.

 

Yes, the literature review in this article includes several of these review tasks, as detailed below:

1.    Defining, evaluating and extending the relevant academic ideas: The article defines Talent Management (TM) concepts, such as strategic TM, workforce differentiation, and inclusive TM, quoting key definitions (e.g., Collings & Mellahi, 2009; Lepak & Snell, 2002). It evaluates mainstream TM research focused on knowledge workers and high potentials and critiques this exclusive approach. The authors extend the discussion by highlighting overlooked groups like frontline and essential workers (FEWs) and migrants in TM research, thereby broadening the traditional TM discourse.

2.    Updating the readers on the latest academic development related to the article's research theme: The review discusses recent developments such as the impact of COVID-19 on HR practices, the rise of digitalization and AI in TM, and contemporary calls for inclusive TM approaches. It also cites very recent studies on AI in HRM and the challenges associated with managing FEWs and migrants, showing awareness of current academic debates.

3.    Examining the research issues as related to: (1) relevant theories, perspectives, and concepts and (2) relevant research methods employed: The authors analyze relevant theories such as the Resource-Based View (RBV), workforce differentiation, and paradox perspectives in TM. They also consider cultural, institutional, and contextual influences on TM practices. While the literature review primarily focuses on theoretical and conceptual issues, it references empirical research methods like case studies and interview-based research as common approaches in studying TM and HRM practices.

4.    Synthesizing the relevant academic ideas to come up with a more comprehensive research framework or theories: A key contribution is the development of a future-oriented inclusive TM framework that integrates insights from RBV, workforce differentiation, and the analysis of megatrends such as migration and AI. This framework is proposed as a more holistic, inclusive approach to TM beyond traditional exclusive talent pools.

5.    Discussing how some of the relevant theories and concepts can be employed to inform the research methodology (and research methods) for this study: While the article discusses the importance of context-specific and case study research, including empirical studies involving HR experts and organizational observations, it does not deeply elaborate on how the theories specifically inform methodological choices. However, it does recommend case study designs and engaging with real-world organizational issues as fruitful research methods to explore TM for FEWs and to bridge theory and practice.

In summary, the literature review addresses tasks (1) through (4) explicitly and partially addresses (5) by suggesting methodological directions aligned with the theoretical framework.

Overall, is the literature review of the study clearly research objectives-driven?

Yes, overall, the literature review of the study is clearly research objectives-driven.

Evidence from the article shows that the review is systematically structured to support the study's aims of re-focusing Talent Management (TM) toward frontline and essential workers (FEWs) in the context of evolving labor markets influenced by demographic shifts, migration, digitalization, and AI. Specifically:

·        The review defines and evaluates existing TM concepts, highlighting the predominant focus on high potentials and knowledge workers and identifying gaps related to FEWs and migrants, which directly aligns with the objective to broaden the TM focus.

·        It critically assesses current exclusive TM paradigms and synthesizes calls for more inclusive approaches, paving the way for proposing a new framework, which corresponds with the authors’ objective of developing a future-oriented, inclusive TM model.

·        By integrating discussions on megatrends such as AI and migration, and foregrounding the limited state of research on FEWs within TM, the literature review sets the foundation for ensuing research directions that the article promotes, showing that the review is purposefully directed at guiding these objectives.

·        The literature review also connects theoretical underpinnings with practical and contextual challenges, thus driving the study’s goal of exploring TM in diverse national contexts with empirical case studies and suggesting research methods.

In sum, the literature review is not a generic summary but strategically focused to inform, justify, and frame the article’s research objectives of broadening TM beyond traditional elites, emphasizing inclusivity, and adapting to contemporary labor market realities.

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