Augmenting talent management for sustainable development in Africa
| Pages | 41-49 |
| Date | 12 February 2018 |
| Published date | 12 February 2018 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/WJEMSD-03-2017-0012 |
| Author | Natasha Katuta Mwila,Mabel Ironn Sky Turay |
| Subject Matter | Strategy,Business ethics,Sustainability |
Augmenting talent management for
sustainable development in Africa
Natasha Katuta Mwila and Mabel Ironn Sky Turay
Monash South Africa, Roodepoort, South 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.
Keywords South Africa, Talent management, Narrative inquiry, Sustainable development goals,
Psychometric testing
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
A paper by McKinsey & Company (2010) examined the direction of growth of the African
continent and found that the tide was changing with less emphasis on the labour intensive
extractiveindustries to more prospects in therelatively more sophisticatedsectors of banking,
fast moving consumergoods, infrastructure and telecommunications. The talentneeds of the
continenthave therefore evolved, resulting in noticeablevoids with businesses beingunable to
fill their employment vacancies with appropriate talent. A perpetuation of this status quo is
not sustainable and would see the development thus far severely compromised.
This paper conceptualises sustainable development on the basis of the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development spearheaded by the United Nations (2015). According to this
perspective, sustainable development is a process towards meeting the present goals of
human development whilst supporting the ability of natural resources and ecosystems to
satisfy future needs(United Nations, 2015). The disciplineand practice of talent management
has the potential to contribute to at least 3 of the 17 sustainable development goals, namely:
(1) Goal 1 –no poverty;
(2) Goal 8 –decent work and economic growth; and
(3) Goal 17 –partnership for the goals.
It is therefore imperative to conceptualise talent and talent management for this discussion.
In general language use talent is one’s natural aptitude or skill. This definition perceives
talent as an innate skill as the word natural suggests. It implies therefore that any
individual, regardless of social class, academic achievements or gender can be talented.
In contemporary talent management literature, the definition of talent is viewed from both
World Journal of
Entrepreneurship, Management
and Sustainable Development
Vol. 14 No. 1, 2018
pp. 41-49
© Emerald PublishingLimited
2042-5961
DOI10.1108/WJEMSD-03-2017-0012
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2042-5961.htm
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Augmenting
talent
management
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