Global talent management and performance in multinational enterprises: a multilevel perspective
Collings, David G.ORCID: 0000-0003-1252-7080, Mellahi, Kamel and Cascio, Wayne F.
(2018)
Global talent management and performance in multinational enterprises: a multilevel perspective.
Journal of Management, 45
(2).
pp. 540-566.
ISSN 0149-2063
The link between global talent management (GTM) and multinational enterprises’ (MNEs)
performance has not been theorised or empirically tested. We develop a theoretical
framework for how GTM links to performance at the headquarters (HQ), subsidiary, and
individual employee levels. Using the resource-based view as a frame, we highlight the
routines of pivotal positions, global talent pools, and a differentiated HR architecture as
central to GTM. We show that at the HQ level, an MNE’s adoption of a global, multidomestic,
or transnational strategy determines the objectives of the GTM system and
significantly influences the performance of the enterprise. At the subsidiary level, the
alignment between HQ intentions and subsidiary implementation of GTM routines is a key
variable in our analysis. We consider the effects of these higher-level factors on individual
performance through the lens of human-capital resources, focusing on how individual human
capital can translate or amplify to a unit-level human-capital resource. We argue that, through
the vertical fit of these higher-level factors with GTM routines at a given level, an MNE can
develop an effective GTM system and expect that to translate into sustainable performance
aligned with objectives set at headquarters. The paper concludes with an agenda for future
research.
Item Type:
Article (Published)
Refereed:
Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords:
Global Talent Management; Routines; Dynamic Capabilities; Human Capital; MNE Strategy; Alignment; Performance