Featuring scholarly and practitioner insights from HR and people leaders, industry experts, and researchers.

This research explores how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) implement talent management while navigating the pressures of state, union, and market institutional logics. Rather than being passive participants, these organizations exercise agency through specific tactics, such as using informal practices to bypass rigid regulations or framing selective development as universal programs. These strategic responses frequently trigger internal tensions, forcing managers to balance operational flexibility against employee security and strategic effectiveness against social legitimacy. The study highlights how geographic location and resource constraints further complicate these efforts, often leading SMEs to imitate larger firms to gain credibility. To overcome these obstacles, the research suggests that SMEs should move toward collective advocacy and ecosystem partnerships to build sustainable, authentic talent strategies. This analysis ultimately underscores that successful talent management in smaller firms requires a deep understanding of context-specific belief systems rather than simply adopting standard corporate models.

Abstract: Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face distinctive challenges when implementing talent management (TM) practices, yet research has historically focused on large organizations in Anglo-American contexts. This article examines how institutional environments shape TM implementation in SMEs through the lens of institutional logics. Drawing on qualitative research with French SMEs and broader comparative evidence, we identify three dominant institutional logics—state, union, and market—that function as antecedents to TM implementation. Critically, SMEs are not passive recipients of institutional pressures but exercise agency through various tactics: minimal formal compliance supplemented by informal practices, collaborative narratives with symbolic adherence, and cost-focused imitation. These agentic responses generate persistent tensions—flexibility versus security, effectiveness versus legitimacy, and authenticity versus conformity—that fundamentally shape how TM unfolds in practice. We contribute to the TM literature by contextualizing implementation challenges, revealing the interplay between institutional structures and organizational agency, and providing actionable insights for practitioners navigating complex institutional environments. The findings challenge one-size-fits-all TM approaches and underscore the importance of understanding context-specific belief systems, regulatory frameworks, and stakeholder expectations when designing and implementing talent strategies in resource-constrained organizations. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this podcast episode, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Anthony Taylor about strategy alignment and leadership. Anthony Taylor is the CEO at SME Strategy. Anthony has facilitated strategy sessions for organizations big and small across North America and beyond. He is the author of two books and the host of the Strategy and Leadership Podcast. He holds a degree in business administration with a specialization in marketing. Anthony speaks fluent French, loves soccer, and one of his life goals is to visit every MLB Stadium. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This research explores how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) implement talent management while navigating the pressures of state, union, and market institutional logics. Rather than being passive participants, these organizations exercise agency through specific tactics, such as using informal practices to bypass rigid regulations or framing selective development as universal programs. These strategic responses frequently trigger internal tensions, forcing managers to balance operational flexibility against employee security and strategic effectiveness against social legitimacy. The study highlights how geographic location and resource constraints further complicate these efforts, often leading SMEs to imitate larger firms to gain credibility. To overcome these obstacles, the research suggests that SMEs should move toward collective advocacy and ecosystem partnerships to build sustainable, authentic talent strategies. This analysis ultimately underscores that successful talent management in smaller firms requires a deep understanding of context-specific belief systems rather than simply adopting standard corporate models. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This research explores how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) implement talent management while navigating the pressures of state, union, and market institutional logics. Rather than being passive participants, these organizations exercise agency through specific tactics, such as using informal practices to bypass rigid regulations or framing selective development as universal programs. These strategic responses frequently trigger internal tensions, forcing managers to balance operational flexibility against employee security and strategic effectiveness against social legitimacy. The study highlights how geographic location and resource constraints further complicate these efforts, often leading SMEs to imitate larger firms to gain credibility. To overcome these obstacles, the research suggests that SMEs should move toward collective advocacy and ecosystem partnerships to build sustainable, authentic talent strategies. This analysis ultimately underscores that successful talent management in smaller firms requires a deep understanding of context-specific belief systems rather than simply adopting standard corporate models. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This research explores how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) implement talent management while navigating the pressures of state, union, and market institutional logics. Rather than being passive participants, these organizations exercise agency through specific tactics, such as using informal practices to bypass rigid regulations or framing selective development as universal programs. These strategic responses frequently trigger internal tensions, forcing managers to balance operational flexibility against employee security and strategic effectiveness against social legitimacy. The study highlights how geographic location and resource constraints further complicate these efforts, often leading SMEs to imitate larger firms to gain credibility. To overcome these obstacles, the research suggests that SMEs should move toward collective advocacy and ecosystem partnerships to build sustainable, authentic talent strategies. This analysis ultimately underscores that successful talent management in smaller firms requires a deep understanding of context-specific belief systems rather than simply adopting standard corporate models. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This research explores how business risk, rather than just technical capability, determines the actual impact of generative AI on the workforce. While modern algorithms excel at non-routine cognitive tasks, their integration is often slowed by concerns regarding legal liability, safety, and compliance. This creates a Cognitive Risk Asymmetry where high-level digital roles are more vulnerable to automation than physical trades or high-stakes professions requiring human accountability. Instead of total job replacement, organizations are moving toward augmentation models where humans act as essential auditors in "human-in-the-loop" systems. Consequently, the research suggest that future wage premiums may shift away from pure intellectual skill toward the ability to manage institutional risk and ethical complexity. To navigate this shift, the research advocates for proactive reskilling, transparent governance, and adaptive workforce planning.

In this HCI Webinar, I talk with Julie Winkle Giulioni about her book, Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go. Julie Winkle Giulioni is a champion for workplace growth and development. She believes that everyone deserves the opportunity to reach their potential. And she supports organizations and leaders who want to make that happen with keynote speeches, consulting and training. Julie is the co-author of the international bestseller, Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go: Career Conversations Organizations Need and Employees Still Want, translated into seven languages and coming out in its third edition in September. Her most recent book, Promotions Are So Yesterday: Redefine Career Development. Help Employees Thrive, has been recognized with Nautilus and Axiom Business Book Awards. She is a regular columnist for Training Industry Magazine and SmartBrief and contributes articles on leadership, career development, and workplace trends to numerous publications including Fast Company and The Economist. Named by Inc. Magazine as a Top 100 Leadership Speaker, Julie’s in-person and virtual keynotes and presentations offer fresh, inspiring, yet actionable strategies for leaders who are interested in their own growth as well as supporting the growth of others. Her firm, DesignArounds, creates and offers training to organizations worldwide and has earned praise and awards from Human Resource Executive Magazine’s Top Ten Training Products, New York Film Festival, Brandon Hall, and Global HR Excellence Council.