Applying a talent management lens to career management: the role of human capital composition and continuity

The aim of this study was to gain empirical insight into how organizations' human capital composition (in terms of both uniqueness and strategic value) affects the way they design and implement their career management policies. We formulate our hypotheses based upon conflicting assumptions found in the careers literature and the talent management literature. Organizational-level surveys administered to the HR directors of 306 companies located in Belgium provided the data for the study. Our basic assumption – in stark contrast to prevailing assumptions in the careers literature – was that the more importance organizations attach to continuity in light of their human capital composition, the more they will adhere to ‘traditional’ models of career management (i.e. strategic, paternalistic, bounded and formalized). Our study yielded mixed findings. Both threats of qualitative (value) and quantitative (uniqueness) human capital shortages were found to be important determinants of importance attached to continuity as a career management goal and, consequently, of an organization's approach to career management. We argue that the careers literature might take lessons from the talent management literature by acknowledging the fact that careers serve strategic functions for organizations, whereas the talent management literature might build on insights from the careers literature on the mechanisms by which to retain and engage individual career actors.