Philosophies on talent management systems in Australian subsidiaries of foreign MNEs

Abstract

We report a phenomenographic study that reveals philosophies elicited on talent management (TM) systems in a sample of Australian subsidiaries of foreign multinational enterprises. We label these philosophies as The Carrot, The Risk, The Caretaker, The Conversation and The Strength. Each philosophy portends a unique TM system, guided by an overarching tenet alongside operational principles across function, timeframe and stakeholder foci. We speculate that a set of internal and external contingencies, based on country- and firm-level contexts, influence philosophies on TM systems. Reporting these nuances and distinctions across philosophies, we contribute to a possible shift in the TM literature from non-contextualized, generalized TM models to explicit firm and country contextualized representations that convey the unique value and treatment of a firm’s talent, as it is understood by practicing managers.