An examination of talent management processes in Australian higher education

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the best processes that are currently used in managing talent in Australian higher education (HE) and to examine the policies in terms of talent management processes (TMPs) that are derived from objective one. Pragmatic benefits for academic institutions focused on enhancing talent. Design/methodology/approach This study selects the mixed method as its research design. In the qualitative study, there were three methods: brainstorming, focus group and individual interviews, followed by the quantitative questionnaire study. The sample consisted of 6 participants for brainstorming, 11 in focus group, 6 individual interviews and 286 participants for the quantitative questionnaire, all conducted in nine Australian universities. Findings Three key themes: talent retention, talent development and talent attraction were explored by the qualitative study. The quantitative study tests the level of an importance regarding the three TMPs explored. Practical implications This empirical research is one of the first few studies that extended the previous investigation of TMPs in various industries to the HE sector. This research provides more debates for adding more new ideas in the Australian education strategic plans for HE. Originality/value This study offers a value-add to talent management literature through designing a quantitative measurement of TMPs for the educational sector. Consequently, there is a deficiency of pragmatic evidence in terms of TMPs in the aforementioned sector. Furthermore, this study provides a clear and comprehensive outline of the extant scholarly research of TMPs from the period 2006–2018.