Augmenting talent management for sustainable development in Africa

Abstract

Purpose-With the steady overall development of the continent, the African business landscape over the last decade has witnessed increased growth through numerous avenues. Growth has been through the emergence of formalised small and medium enterprises, the growth of business and transition from one scale to another as well as inward foreign direct investment. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how this business growth can be sustained, particularly in the area of talent management, within the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Design/methodology/approach-This paper presents the findings of a narrative inquiry conducted in 2016 on an expert panel of talent managers in businesses based in South Africa. Findings-The focus of the inquiry was the challenges in talent currently faced by South African businesses and what possible solutions, that address the question of sustainable development, may lie in talent management practices. The study finds that there may be scope for the augmentation of current practice in psychometric testing which may address a plethora of problems currently defining the talent context in African business. Originality/value-The growth of African businesses has presented interesting challenges in managing the African business particularly in the area of human resources and talent management. A persistent notion is the question of sustaining this growth on the continent. As enterprise grows, the need for talent is ever more pressing. This paper seeks to present pathways to sustainability in this regards.

Talent management as a facilitator of organizational intelligence

“…TM promotes organizational performance (Kehinde, 2012) and workforce productivity (Zadeh & Ahmadi, 2017), and helps the organization to solve problems more effectively (Poorhosseinzadeh & Subramaniam, 2012). TM helps fims to be more adaptable and proactive within the fast changing environment (Sareen & Mishra, 2016), and assists in sustaining business growth (Mwila & Turay, 2018). TM relates to leadership programs in that a talent can be merged with leadership roles, hence guides an organization to better production and business levels in terms of employee relations (Unseem, 2011).…”

“…OI which means the capability to create and utilize brain power in achieving organizational goals and missions represents the organization's talent (Nasiri et al, 2013). Therefore, TM potential is best revealed through measures of intelligence (Mwila & Turay, 2018).…”

Building service businesses in Africa: Introducing the business builder model

“…Although there are examples of success, challenges with identifying and hiring the right talent continues to be difficult. Mwila and Turay () found that the talent needs of the continent have evolved, resulting in noticeable voids with businesses being unable to fill their employment vacancies with appropriate talent. According to a PwC survey, around 80% of African CEOs see lack of talent as a threat to growth (Mugan, ).…”

From expatriation to global migration

“…The African business landscape over the last decade has witnessed increase through the emergence of formalized small and medium enterprises, the growth of business and transition from one scale to another as well as inward FDI (Mwila and Turay, 2018). However, the challenge is how this business growth can be sustained, particularly by TM in Africa.…”

“…TM is among the competencies that have the poorest application in African workplaces (Schutte et al , 2015) – in particular hiring practices are criticized for being too rigid (World Economic Forum, 2011). This rigidity is manifested in leaving talent behind, perpetuating the cycle of poverty, stunting economic growth and minimal business’ contribution for attaining the sustainable United Nations’ development goals drawn for most African countries (Mwila and Turay, 2018).…”