MAINSTREAMING TALENT INCLUSIVITY IN ORGANISATIONS; A DEONTOLOGICAL IMPERATIVE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46827/ejhrms.v10i1.2176Nøgleord:
deontology, talent management, inclusivity, leadership, global north, global southResumé
Diversity is being invited to the dance, and inclusivity is showing off your dancing skills without fear or favour. The strategic imperative to mainstream inclusivity in talent management in human resources management is strongly linked to the deontological moral theory of human rights and goodwill. Inclusivity in talent management in a global development organisation is not only an ethical imperative but also a strategic advantage, with the potential to facilitate competitiveness in the labour market, innovation, employee engagement, and overall organisational performance. Using a mix of quantitative and qualitative data, this study analysed data from a global organisation of factors that enable or restrict talent inclusivity in its human resources management practices. Our conclusion is that eight key factors are important to enable talent inclusivity in an organisation. Namely, senior leadership commitment based on a deontological imperative, internships and graduate recruitment, onboarding as a tool for socialisation of the right organisational culture, extending talent pools, performance management, building technical capacity through learning and development, compensation and employee engagement touch points. This study contributes to HR knowledge and practice by introducing a novel research area that looks at the ethical basis for talent and links ethical philosophy with inclusive talent management practices in global development organisations. It provides an emerging area of research and practice for HR-Practitioner scholars to study further.Referencer
Al-Manasra, E. (2013). What Are the "Glass Ceiling" Barriers Effects on Women Career Progress in Jordan?. International Journal of Business and Management, 8(6), pp.40 – 46. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijbm.v8n6p40
Anlesinya, A., Dartey-Baah, K., & Amponsah-Tawiah, K. (2019). Strategic talent management scholarship: a review of current foci and future directions. Industrial and Commercial Training, 51(5), pp. 299–314. Retrieved from https://sw.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2022/07/Strategic-talent-management-scholarship-Anlesinya-et-al-2019.pdf
Bombuwela, P. & De Alwis, A. (2013). Effects of Glass Ceiling on Women's Career Development in Private Sector Organizations – Case of Sri Lanka. Journal of Competitiveness, 5(2), pp. 3-19. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.7441/joc.2013.02.01
Boudreau, J. W., & Ramstad, P. M. (2007). Beyond HR: The new science of human capital. Boston: Harvard Business Press. Retrieved from https://books.google.ro/books/about/Beyond_HR.html?id=rrtFBlw1DB8C&redir_esc=y
Collings, D. G. (2014). Toward mature talent management: Beyond shareholder value. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 25(3), 301-319. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.21198
Collings, D. G., Scullion, H., & Vaiman, V. (2011). European perspectives on talent management. European Journal of International Management, 5(5), 453-462. https://doi.org/10.1504/EJIM.2011.042173
Cox, E. T. (2017). Creating an Inclusive Workplace: Understanding and Leveraging the Impact of Diversity and Inclusion in the Corporate Culture. McGraw-Hill Education. Retrieved from https://www.glmc.com/pdf/Creating-Inclusive-Workplaces-2.pdf
Creelman, D. (2004). Return on investment in talent management: Measures you can put to work right now. Human Capital Institute, 2121
Davis, K. (1960). Can businesses afford to ignore social responsibilities? California Management Review, 2, 70-76. https://doi.org/10.2307/41166246
Devillard, S., Sancier, S., Werner, C., Maller, I. & Cossof, C. (2013). Women Matters. McKinsey & Company. Retrieved from https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/featured%20insights/women%20matter/addressing%20unconscious%20bias/womenmatter%202013%20report%20(8).pdf
Dries, N. (2013). Talent management, from phenomenon to theory. Human Resource Management Review, 23(4), 267-271. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2013.08.006
Ernst & Young (2011). The Working Mother Report: What Moms Choose. [Online]. Available at: http://www.wmmsurveys.com/WhatMomsChoose.pdf (Accessed 11th March 2026)
Franze, L. (2014). Ambition and gender at work. Institute of Leadership & Management. [Online]. Available at: https://www.i-l-m.com/~/media/ILM%20Website/Downloads/Insight/Reports_from_ILM_website/ILM_Ambition_and_Gender_report_0211%20pdf.ashx (Accessed: 11 March 2026)
Gallardo-Gallardo, E., & Thunnissen, M. (2016). Standing on the shoulders of giants? A critical review of empirical talent management research. Employee Relations, 38(1), 31-56. https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-10-2015-0194
Hemphill, B. (2015). Social Justice as a Moral Imperative. The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy (3). https://doi.org/10.15453/2168-6408.1150
Holck, L. & Stjerne, I. (2019). How Inclusive Can Exclusive Talent Management Be?. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83909-093-620201009
Huselid, M. A., Becker, B. E., & Beatty, R. W. (2005). The workforce scorecard: Managing human capital to execute strategy. Boston: Harvard Business Review Press. Retrieved from https://hbsp.harvard.edu/product/2454-HBK-ENG
les, P., Preece, D., & Chuai, X. (2010). Talent management as a management fashion in HRD: Towards a research agenda. Human Resource Development International, 13(2), 125-145. https://doi.org/10.1080/13678861003703666
Janis, I. L. (2013). Groupthink: Psychological studies of policy decisions and fiascoes (2nd ed., [Nachdr.]). Wadsworth. Retrieved from https://books.google.ro/books/about/Groupthink.html?hl=de&id=7oVEAAAAMAAJ&redir_esc=y
Kagzi, M., & Guha, M. (2018). Does board demographic diversity influence firm performance? Evidence from Indian knowledge-intensive firms. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 25(3), 1028–1058. https://doi.org/10.1108/BIJ-07-2017-0203
Kirsch, A. (2018). The gender composition of corporate boards: A review and research agenda. The Leadership Quarterly, 29(2), 346–364. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2017.06.001
Kramer, M. R., & Porter, M. (2011). Creating shared value. Harvard Business Review, 89(1/2), 62-77. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272576643_The_Big_Idea_Creating_Shared_Value_How_to_Reinvent_Capitalism-and_Unleash_a_Wave_of_Innovation_and_Growth
Lewis, R.E. and Heckman, R.J., (2006). Talent management: A critical review. Human resource management review, 16(2), pp. 139-154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2006.03.001
Lockwood, N. (2004). The Glass Ceiling: Domestic and International Perspectives. SHRM Research Quarterly. [Online]. Available at: http://www.shrm.org/Research/Articles/Articles/Documents/040329Quaterly.pdf(Accessed: 11 March 2026)
Marinakou, E., & Giousmpasoglou, C. (2019). Talent management and retention strategies in luxury hotels: evidence from four countries. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management 2(8). https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-10-2018-0862
McCauley, C. & Wakefield, M. (2006). Talent management in the 21st century: Help your company find, develop, and keep its strongest workers. The Journal for Quality and Participation, 29(4), pp. 4-10. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/291877466_Talent_management_in_the_21st_century_Help_your_company_find_develop_and_keep_its_strongest_workers
McGuinness, P. B., Vieito, J. P., & Wang, M. (2017). The role of board gender and foreign ownership in the CSR performance of Chinese listed firms. Journal of Corporate Finance, 42, 75–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2016.11.001
Meyers, M. C., & Van Woerkom, M. (2014). The influence of underlying philosophies on talent management: Theory, implications for practice, and research agenda. Journal of World Business, 49(2), 192-203. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2013.11.003
Minbaeva, D., & Collings, D. G. (2013). Seven myths of global talent management. The International Journal of Human Resource Management 24(9): 1762–1776. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2013.777539
Mullen, B., Anthony, T., Salas, E., & Driskell, J. E. (1994). Group cohesiveness and quality of decision making: An integration of tests of the groupthink hypothesis. Small Group Research, 25(2), 189–204. https://doi.org/10.1177/1046496494252003
Mucha, R.T. (2004). The Art and Science of Talent Management. Organization Development Journal, 22(4), pp. 96-100.
Nkomo, S. M., & Cox, Taylor A. (2019). Diverse Identities in Organizations: Exploring the Dark Side of Diversity and Inclusion. Routledge. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281179249_Diverse_identities_in_organizations
Preece, D., Iles, P., & Chuai, X. (2011). Talent management and management fashion in Chinese enterprises: exploring case studies in Beijing. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 22(16), 3413-3428. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2011.586870
Pucheta-Martínez, M. C., & López-Zamora, B. (2018). Corporate social responsibility strategies of Spanish listed firms and controlling shareholders’ representatives. Organization & Environment, 31(4), 339–359. https://doi.org/10.1177/1086026617722147
Ready, D.A. and Conger, J.A. (2007). Make your company a talent factory. Harvard Business Review, 85(6), pp. 68. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17580649/
Robinson, G. (2020). Inclusive Leadership: A Framework for the Global Era. Palgrave Macmillan.
Rothwell, W.J. (2011). Replacement planning: A starting point for succession planning and talent management. International Journal of Training and Development, 15(1), pp. 87-99. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2419.2010.00370.x
Schiemann, W.A. (2014). From talent management to talent optimization. Journal of World Business, 49(2), pp. 281-288. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2013.11.012
Schruijer, S. (2005). Do Women Want to Break the Glass Ceiling? A Study of Their Career Orientations and Gender Identity in The Netherlands. Management Revue, 17(2), pp. 143–154. Retrieved from https://www.imrpress.com/journal/MRev/17/2/10.5771/0935-9915-2006-2-143?utm_source=researchgate.net&utm_medium=article
Schuler, R. S., Jackson, S. E., & Tarique, I. (2011). Global talent management and global talent challenges: Strategic opportunities for IHRM. Journal of World Business, 46(4), 506-516. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2010.10.011
Sheehan, M. & Anderson, V. (2015). Talent management and organizational diversity: A call for research. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 26(4), pp. 349-358. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.21247
Sparrow, P., Scullion, H. & Tarique, I. (2014). Multiple lenses on talent management: Definitions and contours of the field. Contemporary issues in International Context, Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/strategic-talent-management/multiple-lenses-on-talent-management-definitions-and-contours-of-the-field/0AC60145174D294C0E7E24F9FC97A518
Subramaniam, I., Arumugam, T. & Abu Baker Akeel, A. (2013). Demographic and Family Related Barriers to Women Managers’ Career Development. Asian Social Science, 10(1), pp. 86–94. https://doi.org/10.5539/ass.v10n1p86
Swailes, S., Downs, Y., & Orr, K. (2014). Conceptualising inclusive talent management: Potential, possibilities and practicalities. Human Resource Development International 17(5): 529–544. Retrieved from https://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/21519/3/Inclusive_talent_management_Revised_12_May_FINAL.pdf
Tarique, I. & Schuler, R.S. (2010). Global talent management: Literature review, integrative framework, and suggestions for further research. Journal of World Business, 45(2), pp. 122-133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2009.09.019
Tatli, A., Vassilopoulou, J., & Özbilgin, M. (2013). An unrequited affinity between talent shortages and untapped female potential: The relevance of gender quotas for talent management in high-growth potential economies of the Asia Pacific region. International Business Review, 22(3), 539-553. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMBPP.2012.12558abstract
Terjesen, S., Sealy, R., & Singh, V. (2009). Women directors on corporate boards: A review and research agenda. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 17(3), 320–337. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8683.2009.00742.x
Thomas, R. (2019). Inclusion and Diversity in the Workplace: Building a Culture of Belonging. Harper Collins.
Wentling, R. & Thomas, S. (2009). Workplace culture that hinders and assists the career development of women in information technology. Information Technology, Learning and Performance Journal, 25(1), pp. 25–42. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED504735.pdf
Wilson, E. (2014). Diversity, Culture and the Glass Ceiling. Journal of Cultural Diversity, 21(3), pp. 83 – 89. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25306838/
Womack, S. (2005). Juggling family and work is career barrier, say women. The Telegraph. [Online]. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1499944/Juggling-family-and-work-is-career-barrier-say-women.html Accessed 11th March 2026.
World Economic Forum (2011). Global Talent Risk – Seven Responses. Geneva: World Economic Forum. Retrieved from https://www3.weforum.org/docs/PS_WEF_GlobalTalentRisk_Report_2011.pdf
Worrall, L., Harris, K., Thomas, A., Stewart, R., Jessop, S., McDermott, P. & Platten, A. (2008). Organisational Cultures: Progression and Retention Barriers to Women in the UK Construction Industry. The International Journal of Diversity in Organisations, Communities and Nations, 8(3), pp. 33-39. Retrieved from https://salford-repository.worktribe.com/output/1435632/organisational-cultures-progression-and-retention-barriers-to-women-in-the-uk-construction-industry


