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The purpose of this paper is to answer two research questions: How does a self-initiated migrant (SiM)'s talent identity work operate in relation to their culture, the societies in which they live, their interpersonal relationships and their tacit knowledge development? and how can global talent management be re-imagined in light of this?

This co-constructed autoethnography is produced from reflexive, dyadic interviews and text “conversations” with an SiM doing “global talent identity work” and uses narrative analysis to investigate how liminal competence is developed across the life cycle.

This study shows how talent identity work is rooted in the lived, meaningful experiences of individual talent, from childhood to adult life in a pandemic. The authors add to knowledge about COVID-19 experiences of SiMs, uncover poignant examples of the role of migrant ethnic and knowledge discrimination and identify lessons for managerial practice in engendering liminality competence by combining global talent management and knowledge management.

Lessons are drawn for global talent management strategies that appreciate and support individual talent ethnic and knowledge inclusion of underappreciated migrant talent.

Examining the connection between talent identity work and liminality competence, the authors show how an individual's talent might be wasted through different forms of discrimination and highlight how ethnic discrimination during a pandemic points the way to positive changes in talent knowledge management initiatives. This study suggests ways in which ethnic and knowledge discrimination might be addressed through talent management strategies.

The philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein once claimed that ‘what can be said at all, can be said clearly; and whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent’. When the term talent transformed from being a rigid term referring to a specific object, e.g. a coin, in the actual world into an empty signifier referring to multiple objects, e.g. individuality or gifts, in a possible world then talent became something that we could not talk about in a clear and unambiguous way; something that talent management then should have been silent about. The reason is that such an unambiguous and accidental use of the term has led to an arbitrary understanding of talent and subjective bias in talent identification, recruitment, and selection systems and to talent management becoming dysfunctional. Moreover, it has also led to an absence of work identity in talent management that inhibits the individual talent and the talent manager in identifying and talking clearly about the qualification and competencies of the individual as they pertain to the job requirements. This could further enhance subjective bias and reinforce the arbitrary understanding of talent and, in the end, lead to insufficient and ineffective talent management processes.

This paper aims to examine the ways in which discourses of talent management (TM) reinforce and perpetuate structural barriers of exclusion and discrimination. The argument is made that dominant TM discourses must be interrogated if authentic talent development (ATD) practices are to succeed. This interrogation will require a shift from an organizational emphasis on talent identification towards ATD’s focus on talent cultivation.

A conceptual approach is used to critically analyse TM discourses to assess the degree to which they are inclusive. Building upon the work of Debebe (2017), an alternative ATD approach is suggested that, together with the novel concept of authentic otherness, may enable scholars and practitioners to reflect upon current organizational practices and devise new approaches that encourage talent cultivation in diverse employees. This, in turn, may foster a greater sense of organizational belonging.

Findings identify a number of ways in which organizational norms and structures are maintained and perpetuated through dominant, mainstream TM practices. This hinders ATD for many due to social ascription processes. By exploring the concept of “authentic otherness” (Gardiner, 2017), alongside Debebe’s (2017) approach to ATD, the argument is made that systemic inequities in the workplace may be addressed when we create conditions to support the cultivation of talent for all employees.

This paper builds on recent arguments in the critical TM literature concerning the exclusionary nature of mainstream TM practices in organizations. The concept of authentic otherness is clarified and defined with a view to using this new term as a heuristic device to encourage a reflective understanding of how ATD practices can be developed.

To develop a concept of managing intangible assets in contemporary organisations. Insight is given into the rise of the network organisation and the importance of talent, social capital and identity in this kind of organisation.

This paper develops a conceptual framework based on a theoretical analysis of recent literature in the fields of human resource management and organisational identity.

Organisations in contemporary society fundamentally differ from the ones dominating the twentieth century. Work nowadays is providing service(s), organising based upon a mix of people's talents, social capital and information and communication technology (ICT). Modern organisations depend on talent. Talents make the distinctive difference between an organisation and its competitors. Organising with talents requires a second‐order form of networks: (social) cohesion in the network quintessential to make it work. This can be found in the notion of “social capital”. Yet talents and social capital only thrive in an excellent community of work. Organisations as communities of work hold together by a common identity. With the rise of the modern organisation in the information society the community of work has become a fundamental part of organising.

First there is a growing inter‐affiliation and interdependency of work processes and the community of work. Second, assumptions regarding the manageability of “organisations” are under pressure. More research is needed in the field of the relationship between organisational processes, commitment and identity.

In order to survive and prosper, “modern” organisations acting in the information society need to be flexible configurations bearing a recognisable identity.

This paper gives insight in the relationship between core competencies and identity on the one hand and work processes and the community on the other hand. Talents and social capital need to be placed at the heart of the modern organisation. This demands a re‐balance in the relations between the individual and the organisation.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the interplay between identity and global mobility in the careers of senior, female talent, uniquely taking into account the perceptions of both female and male participants. In addition, the role organisations can play in enabling women to overcome these identity constraints is identified.

This interpretivist study draws on data from 38 in-depth interviews with senior managers in a large, multinational organisation to elicit a rich picture of how such careers are enacted.

Findings reveal how identity conflicts function as a glass border for globally mobile, senior female talent. Ways in which talent can access positive identity narratives to inform global mobility choices are identified.

The limitations of this study include the relatively small sample size and the single case design of this research. The findings, however, offer insights into the identity work of globally mobile, female talent across different contexts.

Organisations can facilitate access to identity narratives through mentoring, face-to-face forums and via the internet to enable globally mobile, female talent to make more informed global mobility choices.

Drawing on identity theory, this paper examines how identity work for globally mobile, female talent has more fluid interpersonal boundaries than for men, creating on-going identity struggles. In highlighting how identity narratives can act as a means of breaching the glass border and facilitating global mobility for female talent, a contribution is made to existing debates in the fields of identity, gender studies and global talent management.

This chapter address how critical feminist organization studies can shed light on the dominance of masculinist logics in TM theorizing in both theory and practice and open up opportunities to review TM systems that stress inclusion and equity. The exclusive approach is most worrisome given that contemporary events such as the prosecution of Harvey Weinstein the global ‘#metoo campaigns and the Sustainable Development Goals have highlighted the importance of equality agendas. We draw on transnationalism, intersectionality and postcolonialism approaches to illustrate how TM reinforces inequalities. Our contribution questions the elite logics, and the white Global North males that dominate both TM theorizing, and TM practitioners and denies many stakeholders voices and contributions to organization life. We also question the longevity of the elite mantra of MNCs’ HRM policy given that the Sustainable Development Goals are increasingly being advocated by the business community, and contradict entirely an organizational ethic premised on valuing the elite.

This paper aims to describe how the multidisciplinary studies in the special issue expand and enrich the framework of authentic talent development in sociocultural context.

The study presents a framework of authentic talent development in sociocultural context and identifies key themes from the seven interdisciplinary studies of the special issue to enrich and expand our understanding of sociocultural barriers to authentic talent development for individuals from low-income and minoritized communities, including women.

The studies included in the special issue illustrate several ways in which social identity ascription truncates the talent trajectory of individuals from low-income and minoritized groups. They also show how ascription processes can be mitigated through policy, reformed organizational structure and practice and growth fostering relationships.

The findings of this paper have implications for developing strategies to mitigate social identity ascription in talent development in the domains of public policy, schooling and the workplace.

The special issue brings together contributions from multiple disciplines to holistically understand the nature of social identity ascription in talent development across the life course. Collectively, the contributions identify a number of complimentary tools at several levels that might allow effective mitigation of social identity ascription processes, facilitating authentic talent development for individuals from low-income and minoritized communities.

This paper aims to examine the ethics of authentic talent development in socioeconomic context by considering a set of alternative ethical frameworks. It juxtaposes the ideals of civic virtue, which involve a concern for the common good, with the reality that socioeconomic deprivation and sociocultural practices severely constrain talent development opportunities and choice.

The paper draws on several frameworks complementary to the ideals of civic virtue – the basic goods approach, human capital theory, the capabilities approach and the ethic of care – to elucidate the barriers to talent development embodied in sociocultural context, as well as policy and institutional practices to overcoming these barriers.

While multiple ethical frameworks are necessary to fully capture the issues related to authentic talent development in socioeconomic context, a focus on the ethic of care and basic goods provision is an important starting point. There are also a few fundamental starting points for human resource development in responding to ethical concerns regarding authentic talent development.

While the prevailing approach to talent development is implicitly based on a logic of social identity ascription, this paper promotes an alternative approach based on the ethics of civic virtue. While the former is oriented to the support of social hierarchies based on identity, the latter is oriented to fostering both social and human well-being via choice and authentic talent development.