Exclusive Talent Management Practices: Reconciling Organizational and Boundaryless Careers?

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of talent management on the career paths of the individuals designated as talents by their organization, taking a career capital perspective. The research is based on a qualitative, explorative single-case study in a multinational company (MNC). We conducted 37 interviews, 29 with talents and 8 with HR managers. The results show that exclusive talent management programs lead to the accumulation of career capital and more precisely company-specific career capital, which influence the career path of participants: it leads to a hybrid career type, intra-organizational career with frequent career moves (including across divisions) and expatriation assignments. Finally, we propose that talents accumulate company-specific career capital, which increases their career satisfaction and intention to stay within the company. We contribute to the careers and talent management literature streams by making three research propositions to be tested. Furthermore, we provide practitioners with insights on how to develop and retain talent.