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

In this podcast episode, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Mike Horne about his book, The People Dividend. Empowering Leaders for Over Three Decades, Mike Horne, Ph.D., is a distinguished global corporate Human Resources and Organization Development leader. As an executive coach, best-selling author, and sought-after speaker, Mike empowers innovation from within and guides executives and their teams to excellence. 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.

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.