Integrating digital skills in talent management: A comprehensive bibliometric analysis

The operations and utilization of ICT are not well understood and have rarely been addressed both, nationally and internationally. The aim of this research is therefore to establish a base level of understanding of the operational core values of ICT in developing countries. The study used a qualitative research design that involves a desktop research. Data was collected through the review and analysis of available published or existing documents. Data analysis included using the documentary analysis derived from the journals, and books as well as reviewing the various data analysis done in relation to the assessment of the role of ICT in enhancing employees’ performance. Findings from previous literature revealed that there are constraints faced in the operations and utilization of ICT. The study confirmed some of the operational challenges to include lack of IT skills, and lack of clear understanding of ICT as well as training. This study provides an effective solution to identified challenges and impact as well as strategies to be adopted in order to reduce the failure rate of ICT. The implications of the findings are that unless the limitations named above are resolved, ICT in the developing nations will continue to experience poor service delivery, poor economic growth and development. Management of the municipality must ensure that adequate training in the use of ICTs is given to the employees in order to enhance performance. Authors: Prof. Oyelana Akeem Adewale Department of Public Administration, University of Fort Hare, Alice, P.B. X1314, Eastern Cape, 5700, South Africa Cell: +27837286640 E-mail: 201100592@ufh.ac.za Prof. D. Reckson Thakhathi PhD. Department of Public Administration, University of Fort Hare, Alice, P.B. X1314, Eastern Cape, 5700, South Africa E-mail: rthakhathi@uhf.ac.za *Address correspondence to: INTRODUCTION This paper presents a brief background of the study, defines the various forms of Information Communication Technology (ICT) and spells out the research problem and the research objectives. The importance of Information and Communication Technological (ICT) as well as the challenges and impact of ICT are also discussed. The literature review, research methodology, and limitations of the study are also discussed. Finally, the disposition of the paper is exposed. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) have an important “role to play in the innovative system of local authority. Innovative ICT can provide the technological infrastructure on which complicated organizations can be sustained. They may also provide the capability to influence exterior generated information so that local agencies are enhanced in order to be able to understand the economic and social background and make balancing policies to react to them” (Pratchett 1999:736). According to Khalifa et al. (2004) cited in Gichoya (2005:178), Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Assessment can be defined as bringing in both, quantitative and qualitative methods and usefulness of the ICT to the organization. The management and employees’ job performance cannot be concluded as good or bad without the valuable introduction of the ICT policies that enhanced the local government efficiency in South Africa. The scientific or equipped introduction of ICT infrastructure is of paramount importance to enhance the effective operation and administration of local government efficiency successfully. According to Fletcher et al. (2004:4), ICT is an application process within the firm, and could also be used as transactions with customers and suppliers. They further stressed, “It is important to note that ICT involves several stakeholders including the organization that concludes the transactions, its customers and suppliers”. 230 AKEEM ADEWALE OYELANA AND D. RECKSON THAKHATHI Study has indicated that surveys of the municipalities’ failure especially in the area of utilizing an effective ICT efficiency maintain that the managers often have ideas but they do not have a clear understanding on the maximum effective and efficient utilization of ICT in delivering qualitative services to the communities and as a result, this has hindered their operations and improvement (Chang and Victor 2002) cited in (Dlamini 2009:1). Hence, this study focuses on the assessment of the role of ICT in enhancing employees’ job performance effectively in Nkonkobe Local Municipality. It also identifies challenges faced by the employees on the effective and efficient utilization of ICT. Suggestions to solve these identified challenges would be made with references to the literature study and empirical research as well as to propose policies to address the sluggish introduction of ICT to promote and improve service delivery by the government in the province. Statement of the Problem Despite ICT bringing opportunities to the organizations to be more effective, Local Government Administration (LGA) in South Africa is still failing to perform well in servicing its citizens. This is seen from many service delivery protests and demonstrations. It is important for municipality employees to build their own capacity and competency in the field of ICT so that they can improve their performances and efficiency. Assessing the role of ICT efficiency in enhancing or improving employees’ performance and promoting service delivery within the Municipality was investigated. The ICT needs of employees and their abilities to utilize this technology were also assessed. Given the scenario of assessment of the role of ICT efficiency in enhancing effective employees’ performance within the local government and promoting service delivery by the government organizations in South Africa, there is a need to investigate the issues and reasons behind the impact of ICT utilization in Nkonkobe Local Municipality. To what extent could the ICT improve the employees’ performance? What are the challenges affecting the employees performance in utilizing ICT? Do the employees have the necessary qualifications, skills and knowledge in utilizing the ICT? What possible guidelines could be provided to facilitate the utilization of ICT efficiency to enhance the employees’ job performance by government? Objectives of the Study The objectives of the study was to assess the role and importance of ICT in enhancing employees performance in the Local Government Administration (LGA) for the purpose of improving and promoting service delivering in Nkonkobe Municipality and to identify challenges affecting employees job performance in utilizing ICT.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are major drivers of social and economic change. They are also one of the key Thematic Objectives (TOs) in the European Structural and Investment Fund (ESIF). The aim of these funds is to strengthen economic, social and territorial cohesion within the European Union. ICTs not only constitute an important sector themselves, but are also an important enabler of other sectors. This is why, analysis of ESIF data on planned ICT investments show EUR 12.2 billion encoded in the dedicated TO, but when ICT categories in other TOs are included, this amount almost doubles, to EUR 21.4 billion.\nFinding out more about the ICT investment plans of EU Member States and regions is not always a straightforward process. The available data for ESIF are structured in TOs and Categories of Intervention (CoIs); however, ICT investment often funds activities beyond the dedicated TOs and CoIs. To obtain a better picture of planned ICT investments, the European Commission Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content & Technology (DG CONNECT) and the JRC Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (JRC-IPTS) have developed an online tool to display planned ICT investment data on a regional basis. This tool will help EC officials, national and regional policymakers working on ICT issues, and beneficiaries of ESIF, to understand what kind of ICT activities are being planned in Europe.\nThe ICT monitoring tool can be searched using a number of predefined filters, or searches of TOs and CoIs can be customised. The tool also contains a database of keywords built up by a semantic search for keywords in Operational Programmes (OPs). This database allows the user to identify OPs that mention a number of ICT activities more frequently than others, and to identify if a specific topic is mentioned in a region at all. The data set included in the tool is based on an in-depth study of individual OPs, as well as on aggregated data sets.\nWhen studying the available data, we found that Thematic Objective 2 (TO2) does not account for all planned ESIF investments in ICT. Using a broader set of CoIs, planned spending on ICT almost doubled, from 3.8 % to around 6.6 % of the combined total of European Regional Development Funds (ERDF), the European Social Fund (ESF), Cohesion Funds (CF) and European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). However, it is likely that even this method fails to capture all planned investments, as respondents to our study indicated that substantial investments in ICT will be allocated to other categories, which would increase ESIF investments in ICT to EUR 35.5 billion. However, this estimate is not currently included in the tool, as the methods of estimating investments are not judged to be adequate. This range of different amounts of investment reflects the dual nature of ICT as an important sector and activity in itself, as well as an enabling technology in other public and private activities.\nTaking the moderate estimates, the EU Member States that plan by far the largest investments in ICT in absolute terms are Poland, Italy and Spain; the regions with the largest planned investments are Campania (IT), Sicilia (IT), Andalucía (ES), Slaskie (PL) and Puglia (IT). For example, the region of Campania plans to invest more ESIF in ICT than the whole of Germany. The greatest investments will be in broadband and ICT infrastructures (EUR 6.9 billion), e-Inclusion and digital skills (EUR 3.9 billion), e-Government (EUR 3.4 billion), and smart cities and smart grids (EUR 3.1 billion).\nTo get a more in-depth view of future plans, we carried out a keyword search of ESIF data. Among the most frequently mentioned keywords are ICT innovation, e-Inclusion, broadband and digital content. This is partly because these keywords are broad and all-encompassing, but the findings also reflect the ambition of many regions to invest in ICT-based innovation activities. Quite substantial ICT investments will go to ICT-based innovation and digital content, but this will be listed under CoIs related to support of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and research and innovation, rather than the core CoIs for planned ICT investments.

Is ICT innovation a recipe for carbon efficiency gains? Evidence from patent retrieval

Purpose Discussions on how companies manage their talent are still ongoing, addressing substantial contextual factors that influence the interpretation, implementation and effects of talent management (TM). This study aimed to investigate trends in definitions, theories and methodologies in previous research on TM in the context of small, medium and new enterprises, and to offer suggestions for future research. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review of 66 articles from the Scopus and Web of Science databases was conducted. Findings Researchers have used several terminologies for TM definitions and practices. Although they have similarities, their distinctions were highlighted by examining their interplay. A balanced mix of the reviewed studies employed exploratory and explanatory research designs. The deficient use of theories in the reviewed papers was also significantly noted. Practical implications The results show a need to better establish TM practices in smaller businesses. Small business leaders must be highly involved in tailoring TM practices to their companies and in exploring the effectiveness and outcomes of different TM strategies. Originality/value More articles in the TM field have considered the context of large and multinational companies than of smaller companies. Therefore, this study—acknowledging the importance of TM practices in small companies—provided an overview of TM discussions in the context of small, medium and new companies to inform further research.

Technological innovation and knowledge network in Asia: Evidence from comparison of information and communication technologies among six countries

How do MNCs translate corporate talent management strategies into their subsidiaries? Evidence from MNCs in Thailand

This report presents an update of the ICT Innovation Output Indicator based on the latest available data, and provides a measure of the performance of the European Union (EU) and its Member States in ICT innovation. The ICT Innovation Output Indicator is the contribution of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to the Innovation Output Indicator elaborated by the European Commission in 2013. \nThe contribution of ICT has been computed for each underlying component of the Innovation Output Indicator for all EU Member States. Depending on the indicator component analysed and data availability, the ICT contribution to innovation can refer either to innovation in the ICT sector as defined by the classification of economic activities, or to ICT use as a general purpose technology in the rest of the economy. The up-to-date ICT contributions for the EU aggregate are:\n1.\t28% in technological innovation as measured by patents;\n2.\t19% in absorption of skills as measured by employment in knowledge intensive activities;\n3.\t27% in competitiveness of knowledge goods as measured by exports of medium-high tech goods;\n4.\t20% in competitiveness of knowledge services as measured by exports of knowledge intensive services;\n5.\t23% in innovative firms’ dynamics as measured by employment of innovative fast-growing firms.\nAll data refer to 2013 with the exception of data on patents which refer to 2011. The methodology to compute the ICT Innovation Output Indicator follows the one presented in "How much does ICT contribute to innovation output? An analysis of the ICT component in the innovation output indicator" (Pesole, 2015 ). The reader is referred to this report for more detail on the methodology.\nThe 2013 EU aggregate ICT contributions are very similar to those in 2012 reported by Pesole (2015). The technological innovation component (i.e. ICT PCT patent) increased by two percentage points in 2011 (from 26% to 28%). Similarly, competitiveness of knowledge goods increased from 25% to 27% in 2013. The other contributions remain unchanged. \nThe ICT Innovation Output Indicator delivers a measure of output-oriented ICT innovation that captures both the technological and non-technological aspects of innovation in ICT and ranks Member States' performance. The three top performing countries remain the same as in Pesole 2015: Finland, Ireland and Sweden.

For young people home is an increasingly important place to use Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and to acquire new digital skills mainly by informal learning. In this study we focused on young people’s ICT activity in the home context to examine what kind of theoretical or practical added value as an analysis tool this factor can give for the studies concerning the relationship between young people and information and communication technology. Therefore we constructed a simple ICT role variable to describe young people’s ICT activity at home. In order to find out the expressive power and functionality of the new variable we used empirical data analysing young people’s personal qualities, external factors, ICT usage and ICT competence in the light of the ICT role at home. The research took 2 years (2005–2007) and its empirical data are based on the information given by the Finnish young at the age of about 14 in a geographically limited area. On the basis of the data the personal qualities of young people characterized a young person as an ICT expert at home better than the factors in his/her social and physical environments. The study revealed that the ICT role is a notable factor, when we want to learn more about the relationship between young people and ICT, for example, from the viewpoints of informal learning and diffusion of innovations and use or when we want to create a model of ICT usage or competence.

Purpose This paper aims to examine how technological advancements and innovation affect the practices of attracting, recruiting, developing and retaining talents in the Vietnamese banking sector. It proposes an emergent toolkit to guide bank managers in improving the effectiveness of implementing technological advancements and innovation in talent management activities. Design/methodology/approach This study used a qualitative approach, conducting in-depth interviews with 15 human resource professionals from four distinct Vietnamese commercial banks. Thematic analysis, a technique that enables the identification and interpretation of recurring themes within the interview data, was conducted. This research method allows the researcher to gain insights into the research problem from the participants’ perspectives. Findings The findings indicate that technological advancements and innovation have significantly enhanced talent management practices in the Vietnamese banking sector. Many banks have developed integrated human resource management systems based on a hybrid model of on-site and cloud computing technology. These systems allow managers to automate, manage, evaluate and make decisions on various human resource operations and activities accurately and efficiently. Additionally, technological advancements and innovation have enabled Vietnamese banks to reach a larger pool of potential candidates, reduce hiring time and foster e-learning programmes. However, technology cannot fully replace the human element in all aspects of talent management within the Vietnamese banking sector. Research limitations/implications The limitations of this research include a lack of quantitative methods to evaluate and substantiate the influence of technology-related factors on talent management effectiveness. Moreover, this study does not incorporate input from other key stakeholders such as employees and managers from other departments and hierarchical levels. Future studies should focus on addressing these limitations by using mixed methods and including a wider range of participants to produce more in-depth and comprehensive findings. Practical implications The authors have developed a new toolkit designed to assist with the application of technology in talent management practices within Vietnamese banks. This toolkit provides guidance on using technological advancements and innovation across various stages of talent management and offers practical tips for enhancing the effectiveness of these processes. The recommendations in the toolkit serve as valuable resources for managers, helping them implement talent management activities in the face of rapid technological advancements and innovation. Originality/value This study presents a practical model of suggestions for implementing technology in talent management within a specific industry, offering a novel approach compared to prior research. It also provides valuable insights for bank managers on enhancing the effectiveness of technological advancements and innovation in talent management by selecting appropriate technological tools. Furthermore, this study proposes a conceptual framework explaining the impact of digital transformation maturity on aspects of talent management effectiveness. This study contributes to the theoretical development of talent management practices, particularly in the context of a rapidly evolving business environment driven by technological advancements and innovation.

PurposeThis paper aims to focus on the role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in preparation for and management of human and/or nature induced disasters.Design/methodology/approachDrawing from the phenomenal growth of ICTs, initiatives aimed at disaster management, stakeholder theory, prior research and the successful development and implementation of 9-1-1 (emergency telephone service of the USA), this paper explores ICTs in the context of human and/or nature induced disasters.FindingsThis paper discusses a new ICT for mitigating disaster management, scans, using stakeholder theory, relevant initiatives and prior research to identify the stakeholders relevant for successful preparation for and management of disasters, and draws from the 9-1-1 example to discuss how ICTs can be successfully developed and adopted.Research limitations/implicationsThere are opportunities for researchers to develop ICTs that can make countries, developing and developed, more efficient and effective in their preparation for and management of nature and human induced disasters. In addition, researchers can investigate the role of stakeholders in facilitating the adoption of new ICTs developed for disaster management. Researchers could also help public policy in designing the most efficient and effective programs for the adoption of new ICTs.Practical/implicationsAs an example of new ICTs that can potentially mitigate the effect of disasters, this paper discusses the E711 text-message mobile phone service (named “I am OK”) and provides a description of how this protocol operates and can be implemented. There are tremendous opportunities to develop new ICTs in the context of disaster management.Social/implicationsThis paper argues that ICTs such as E711 can have a major impact on all countries in general and poor and developing nations in particular. Specifically, in the bottom of the pyramid (BOP) markets, developing ICTs for BOP market in the context of managing human and nature induced disasters and ensuring the diffusion of such ICT innovations is both critical and challenging.Originality/valueThis paper discusses the role and importance of ICTs in disaster management, identifies relevant stakeholders, discusses how ICTs can be diffused and implemented and calls on and hopes to provide an impetus to research on ICTs that can aid in the preparation for and the management of disasters.

Introduction: Talent management plays an essential role in the retention of competent employees in the workplace.Research purpose: The main objective of this research was to determine the relationship between talent management, job satisfaction and voluntary turnover intentions of employees in a selected South African government institution.Motivation for the study: Talent management research within the context of South African government institutions has yet to reach its full potential.Research design, approach, and method: This study followed a quantitative research design. Data was collected from employees at the head office of the selected government institution (N = 208). A Talent management measure, job satisfaction questionnaire and a voluntary turnover intention questionnaire were distributed.Findings: The results showed a weak leadership talent mindset. Talent management practices such as talent development, performance management, talent retention strategies and compensation practices were poorly applied. Almost half of the sample was dissatisfied with their jobs, whilst 68% considered quitting their jobs. Talent management practices were significantly related to job satisfaction and voluntary turnover intentions. Job satisfaction moderated the relationship between talent management and voluntary turnover intentions.Management implications: Government leaders are encouraged to adopt a talent mindset that will instil a talent culture where talented individuals are allowed to add value and contribute to the success of the institution.Value add: This research adds to the limited body of research done on talent management in the public sector context.Conclusions: This research highlights the importance of talent management in contributing to critical individual outcomes required for sustainable government institutions.

Does the coupling of digital and green technology innovation matter for carbon emissions?

In recent years, there is an explicit link of ICT innovation with deep structural reforms in public administrations. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are viewed as enablers of state reform towards the establishment of a minimal, agile and accountable government apparatus. The concept of administrative tradition allows us to understand how structural, historical, institutional and behavioral elements shaping a country’s perception of proper public administration interact with ICT innovation. In this paper, we examine a specific administrative tradition, the Napoleonic, in its Greek variation. The properties of Greek administrative tradition are identified and analyzed. Their interaction with ICT innovation is studied in the case of TAXIS, the flagship information technology project of the Greek government in the mid 1990s. TAXIS’s implementation occurred in a period of conscious and systematic effort of the Greek polity to radically change its operations and become aligned to the political structures of its Western counterparts. Thus, there is an explicit link between ICT innovation and the need for state reform. Nevertheless, ICT innovation did not follow an independent path but was infused by elements of the Greek administrative tradition producing a number of interesting outcomes.

The Proliferation of ICT and Digital Technology Systems and their Influence on the Dynamic Capabilities of Construction Firms

Although information and communication technology (ICT) has impacted many areas of society, its use in school contexts is still limited. In this study, we focused on teachers' attitudes towards ICT and the school facilitating conditions and examined their relationships to the teachers' emphasis on developing students' digital information and communication skills (TEDDICS) and ICT use. Furthermore, we tested whether school facilitating conditions moderated the relationships of attitudes and ICT use with TEDDICS. Overall, 552 teachers in primary and secondary education participated in our survey, and we analysed the resultant data via structural equation modelling. The results showed that positive attitudes towards ICT and ICT use were positively related. In addition, school facilitating conditions had a significant effect on both ICT use and TEDDICS. Notably, an interaction effect between school facilitating conditions and attitudes towards ICT existed—that is, better school facilitating conditions increased the effects of attitudes on ICT use and TEDDICS. These results show the importance of school facilitating conditions in teachers’ practices. A lack of school facilitating conditions may result in less ICT use in teaching, even for teachers who have positive attitudes towards ICT. Hence, promoting facilitating conditions along with positive attitudes in ICT use can be a viable strategy for implementing digitalisation in schools.