Summary Two assumptions about employee reactions are currently driving debates around talent management (TM): First, that TM leads to positive outcomes in employees identified as talents; and second, that TM creates differences between talents and employees not identified as talents. This review critically evaluates these assumptions by contrasting theoretical arguments from the non‐empirical literature on employee reactions to TM with the empirical evidence available. Our analysis partly supports both assumptions. Although positive reactions to TM were indeed found in terms of affective, cognitive, and behavioral employee outcomes, our review also found evidence for negative affective reactions in employees identified as talents. Significant differences between talents and non‐talents were found for behavioral reactions, but not for affective and cognitive reactions; for the latter types of reactions, our review found mixed effects. We summarize these findings in an integrative framework on the basis of social exchange theory, which our review shows is the dominant theory underlying assumptions about employee reactions to TM. We propose that 3 elements are missing in our current understanding, which can help explain our review findings: uncertainty, power, and social identity. We conclude with recommendations for TM research and practice.
In this paper, we propose that untapped potential acts as a subjective temporal meaning‐making mechanism. Using a two‐wave survey design, we examine the relationship between job characteristics, untapped potential, and work meaningfulness in a heterogeneous sample of 542 employees. We found that employees’ perceived amount of untapped potential mediates the effects of skill variety, autonomy, and job feedback on work meaningfulness. This mediated relationship was moderated by the valence employees attributed to their untapped potential. Moreover, decreases in the perceived amount of untapped potential over time were related to increases in perceived work meaningfulness. Our research shows that work that allows employees to move beyond the here‐and‐now by providing opportunities to realize future work selves is experienced as particularly meaningful. We conclude that, if we wish to understand what makes work meaningful for employees in the present, we need to know how it aligns with their self‐perceptions in the future.
It is assumed that employees display favorable attitudes (e.g., high organizational commitment) and behaviors (e.g., high work effort) when identified as organizational talent. If they did not, the idea that talent management creates value by making disproportionate investments into organizational talent would need to be reconsidered. We reviewed the literature to explore whether the assumed favorable reactions among talent are valid and the results are not straightforward. Many studies found evidence for the assumption; however, several studies revealed that talent designation bears considerable risks: Being identified as talent creates (overly optimistic) expectations of receiving rewards and benefits from the organization and it increases the felt pressure to meet high performance standards. We discuss the findings in the light of social exchange theory, psychological contract theory, and others commonly used in talent-management research, highlighting key issues regarding talent designation and identifying avenues for future research.
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Mensen verlangen naar een job die hen toelaat om hun potentieel te verwezenlijken. Echter, in de praktijk is dit lang niet altijd het geval. In dit onderzoek vroegen we een groep van 542 Belgische werknemers in verschillende functies en sectoren in welke mate hun potentieel onbenut was op het werk. Op basis van de zelfdiscrepantietheorie van Higgins (1987), voorspelden we dat werknemers die een grote hoeveelheid onbenut potentieel percipiëren hun werk ook als minder betekenisvol ervaren, omdat hun huidige activiteiten niet in lijn liggen met wie ze wensen te zijn op het werk. Zoals verwacht, toonden onze resultaten een negatieve relatie tussen de mate van onbenut potentieel en de betekenisvolheid van werk. Deze relatie was nog sterker voor werknemers die hun onbenut potentieel negatief beoordeelden als een hindernis in plaats van positief als een opportuniteit tot toekomstige ontwikkeling.
Algemeen wordt verondersteld dat een werknemer die geïdentificeerd wordt als talent binnen zijn of haar organisatie daar positief op reageert qua attitude (bv. door een sterkere betrokkenheid bij de organisatie) en gedrag (bv. door een grotere inzet op het werk). Indien dergelijke positieve reacties uitblijven, zouden organisaties namelijk moeten afstappen van de kerngedachte dat exclusief talentmanagement meerwaarde creëert door onevenredige investeringen te doen in talenten in vergelijking met de 'gemiddelde' werknemer. In dit artikel evalueren we alle bestaand onderzoek naar werknemersreacties op talentmanagement, met als doel na te gaan of bovenstaande basisveronderstelling klopt. De resultaten van ons literatuuronderzoek zijn minder eenduidig dan verwacht. Hoewel vele, zij het niet alle, studies bewijs vinden voor positieve reacties bij talenten, tonen de resultaten van meerdere studies ook aan dat de identificatie als talent aanzienlijke risico's inhoudt. Zo zullen werknemers die geïdentificeerd worden als talent bijvoorbeeld veeleisender worden in hun verwachtingen naar hun werkgever toe, en voelen ze zich onder sterke druk gezet om aan hoge prestatienormen te voldoen. We interpreteren deze resultaten vanuit de kaders van de social exchange theory, de psychologische-contracttheorie en andere theorieën die vaak worden toegepast in talentmanagementonderzoek. Op basis hiervan identificeren we mogelijke randvoorwaarden voor effectief talentmanagement in de HRM-praktijk.It is generally assumed that employees identified as talents by their organizations will react positively to this status both in terms of attitudes (e.g., increased organizational commitment) and behaviour (e.g., increased work effort). Should such positive reactions fail to manifest, the core assumption that exclusive talent management adds value to organizations, through disproportionate investments in above-average employees leading to disproportionate returns, may be untenable. In the present article we evaluate the existing empirical research on employee reactions to talent management, with the aim of weighing the evidence for the above assumption. The results of our literature review are less straightforward than expected. Although many, but not all, studies find some evidence for positive reactions among talents, multiple studies also show that being identified as a talent entails risks and side effects. For example, employees (knowingly) identified as talents will become more demanding towards their employer, but also feel more pressure to conform to strict performance standards. We interpret these findings from the frameworks of social exchange theory, psychological contract theory, and other theories often applied to talent management research. Based on all of the above we identify a number of potential boundary conditions to effective talent management in HRM practice.
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