Global Talent Management

Global talent management (GTM) has its origins in international human resource management, and it emerged around the turn of the 21st century as a key strategic issue for multinational corporations (MNCs) confronted with talent shortages and mobility of staff on a global scale. It refers to the activities and processes that involve the systematic identification of key positions which significantly contribute to the organization’s sustainable competitive advantage, and the identification, attraction, selection, recruitment, development, and retention of talented individuals on a global scale to effectively fill in these roles. So, as a concept, GTM is both broader than leadership succession and more exclusive than human resource management. It focuses on key positions considering the global scope of the organization, key individuals (with high levels of talent) to step into these roles, and a differentiated human resource architecture to effectively manage such talented individuals. GTM is differentiated from strategic talent management (TM), since strategic TM deals with the TM matters of domestic organizations, while GTM is focused on the TM issues of organizations operating on a global scale. GTM, however, is strategic and multidisciplinary in nature. As mentioned previously, it is mostly rooted in the subjects of international human resource management, international management, economics, and organizational psychology. Other contributing disciplines include sociology and political science.