Talent management and gender: insights from an Australian study

Talent management has become a significant topic in the field of human resource management (HRM) with a substantial increase in academic literature within this domain in recent years. However, definitional ambiguity around the term ‘talent management’ remains, as well as a lack of theoretical framing in talent management research. Furthermore, questions regarding the assumed objectivity of talent management are beginning to be raised, along with potential concerns regarding equity and inclusion. The main objective of this thesis is to explore the conceptualisation and operationalisation of talent management, as recounted by participants in Australian organisations, with a particular focus on the ways in which such conceptualisation and operationalisation can have gendered meanings and implications. Therefore, this is a qualitative study, underpinned by interpretivism, and focused on a thematic analysis of data from semi-structured interviews with employees of Australian organisations across a range of sectors. Acker’s perspective of gendered organisations is used as a theoretical tool to explore and understand the gendered aspects of talent management, showing the extent to which gendered characteristics (traditionally masculinised and feminised attributes) are valued when talent management actors conceptualise and operationalise talent management. It is found that talent management actors often favour masculine norms to achieve desired outcomes, particularly when a performance-oriented approach is employed in conceptualising and implementing talent management. Such support of masculine norms and ideals is likely to have negative consequences for inclusion and gender equity in organisations. While participants rarely stated outright that there were strong gendered themes in their talent management practices, the analysis of their responses reveals that: there is an emphasis on masculine values when defining talent; there is an expectation of maintaining a masculinised working norm; there are greater development opportunities for those who exhibit traditional masculinised attributes and behaviour, and gendered views about person–job fit. All these aspects ultimately signify a potentially adverse effect on the selection, development, career progression and retention of female talent. This study contributes to the growing literature on talent management by investigating gendered aspects of talent management in the Australian context. Firstly, as there is very limited research on talent management in Australia, this study adds important empirical data regarding this locality. Secondly, the use of Acker’s theory of gendered organisations offers an interdisciplinary perspective, and an important way forward. Given that scholars in this field have pleaded for deliberate choices in terms of theoretical framing to advance conceptual and theoretical knowledge in the area, this study makes a further contribution by shedding light on the ways through which the gendered aspects of talent management can be unveiled.