Talent management as a strategic priority for competitive advantage. : A qualitative case study on talent management implementation within a Multinational Company.

Abstract: Talent management has become a management priority among business leaders as a result of the transition from a commodity to a knowledge-based economy. Organizations are entering a new era affected by demographical challenges, increased globalization and a generation shift in the labor market that forces organizations to rethink how they attract, develop and retain talented employees. Research predicts that there will be a shortage on labor as a result of the baby boomers retirement in the coming years. Talent management strategies and processes linked to the business strategy is a key to organizational advantage. Organization´s most critical assets are the employees and by having the right people who perform in the right jobs is essential to get a sustainable organization. The concept of talent management is often ill defined and underdeveloped and talent management practice appears to vary widely among organizations. The purpose of this thesis is to get a deeper insight into the concept of talent management processes and framework. Through a single case study approach, this study explores how talent management practice and processes are implemented in a multinational knowledgebased company. The intention is to understand how line leaders and HR managers work with talent management activities by following a hermeneutic research method. A semi-structured interview method has been performed to collect the empirical data. The empirical findings show that many of the talent management activities are implemented in a sophisticated organizational process called the EMS (Employee management system). Employees are rated and evaluated based on their performance throughout the year. Line leaders are mainly accountable for employees’ development and growth in the organization. Findings also show that line leaders are mentors, coaches and a guidance to employees in the daily work. Findings show that HR managers support both leaders and employees in the work with talent management. HR managers’ responsibilities are to influence and coach the leaders in decision-making, in addition to work for employees’ well-being at the work. The organization has presently low turnover. This affects both the recruitment of new employees and hinders presents employee development. The competence level in the organization is estimated to be high and the organization struggle to store critical knowledge.