Vol. 6 No. 3 (2018)
Economic Implications of the Global Financial Crisis

Other Articles

The Evolving Potential of Talent Management in Poland

Published 2018-09-23

Marianna Waters-Sobkowiak
Poznan University of Economics and Business

Tadeusz Kowalski
Poznan University of Economics and Business, Faculty of International Business and Economics

Stanley J. Smits
Georgia State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15678/EBER.2018.060310

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this article is to identify and assess recent progress in talent management (TM) among Poland’s MNEs. This article focuses on establishing a better understanding of TM practices in Poland at a time when its economy is becoming increasingly global and its young workforce is ready to move beyond the cultural constraints of its Communist past.
Research Design & Methods: The authors used a quantitative research design through an on-line survey. It was supplemented by post-survey interviews designed to help interpret the survey findings. A total of 83 MNEs in Poland responded to the survey.
Findings: The analysis presented here contrasted the 31 MNEs that rated TM as ‘high’ in strategic importance vs. the 22 companies that rated it ‘low’ in strategic importance. Six variables differentiated the ‘high’ vs. ‘low’ TM importance companies at the 0.05 level of confidence or beyond.
Implications & Recommendations: The discussion focuses on the continued need to improve TM/HRM practices among MNEs in Poland, the need to develop a Polish approach to TM, and reasons for optimism regarding TM in Poland in the decades ahead. The paper concludes with a recommendation to adopt learning organization practices to improve TM and to provide an enhanced competitive advantage for Polish MNEs in the global economy.
Contribution & Value Added: The paper offers insights into the national policies, research agendas, and workplace practices needed to move Poland forward in its quest to meet the talent requirements of its emergent global economy.

Keywords

talent management, the global economy, the global value chain, competitive advantage, the learning organization

PDF Untitled Tables Table 2 Table 3

Author Biography

Marianna Waters-Sobkowiak

Marianna Waters-Sobkowiak

Poznan University of Economics and Business

ul. Ratajczaka 42/7, 61-816 Poznań, Poland

+48 728701455

mfwaters@gmail.com

 

Marianna Waters-Sobkowiak is a graduate of the Poznań University of Economics and Business, Poland and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA. She currently works for a global management consulting firm. Her research interests are in talent management, global leadership, and cross-cultural management.

Tadeusz Kowalski

Tadeusz Kowalski, Ph.D., is Professor at Department of International Competitiveness, Poznan University of Economics and Business, Poznań. Editor in Chief of Economics and Business Review http://ebr.edu.pl/

Stanley J. Smits

Stanley J. Smits

Professor and Chair Emeritus

Department of Managerial Sciences

Robinson College of Business

Georgia State University

Atlanta, Georgia, 30303

 Home and E-mail Addresses (to be used for all correspondence)

 1795 Redbourne Drive

Atlanta, GA 30350

+1 770-394-0451

sjsmits@bellsouth.net

 

Stanley J. Smits, Ph.D., is Professor and Chair Emeritus, Department of Managerial Sciences, Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. His research interests are in leadership development, organizational culture, and organizational change.

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