Orientation: Job satisfaction is the paramount tool to gauge whether employees are willing to stay or leave an organisation. Talent management as a key aspect of human resources management has a fundamental role to play in ensuring that employees are satisfied with their work so that they can stay within the organisation.Research purpose: The purpose of this study was to establish the impact of talent management on job satisfaction of registered nurses in public hospitals of Malawi.Motivation for study: There is a need for scientific knowledge concerning the connection between talent management and job satisfaction of registered nurses in public hospitals of Malawi as limited studies have been conducted in the Malawian context despite the nursing profession witnessing a dire voluntary attrition of nurses leading to severe shortages of nurses.Research approach/design and method: The study uses a quantitative design by way of a cross - sectional survey method to determine the impact of talent management practices on job satisfaction of registered nurses. Data were collected from a sample of 834 registered nurses from the four main public hospitals of Malawi that were purposively selected. An adapted version of Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) combined with Human Capital Index questionnaire was administered to 834 nurses. Finally, 580 responses were found to be acceptable for analysis.Main findings: The findings of the study demonstrate that talent management practices do not contribute towards job satisfaction of registered nurses in Malawian public hospitals. Regression analysis indicated that amongst nine elements of talent management practices, the predictors that are most effective in predicting the job satisfaction of registered nurses include, staffing, talent development and talent deployment.Practical/managerial implication: The results of this study underscore the problematic nature of implementing talent management practices in public hospitals of Malawi. Management of public hospitals should appreciate these results as poor talent management practices can reduce job satisfaction among employees.Contribution/value add: The findings, therefore, add to the body of knowledge on how talent management practices can contribute to job satisfaction.

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate nurses’ perception towards the current application of talent management practices in Malawian public hospitals. It further explores whether significant differences exist between the registered nurses’ perceptions of the current application of talent management practices based on their demographic factors.Design/methodology/approachThe study employed a quantitative research approach, using a cross-sectional survey strategy. An adapted version of Human Capital Index (HCI) questionnaire with 45-items was administered amongst 947 registered nurses in four public hospitals. Eventually, 580 responses, representing 61.2 per cent were found to be acceptable for analysis. Stata version-16 software programme was used to analyse the data.FindingsFindings of the study demonstrated that talent management practices are currently poorly applied amongst the nurses. Substantial gaps existed between the current applications versus the importance of talent management practices. Significant differences exist between the nurses perceptions of talent management practices based on their marital status.Research limitations/implicationsThe study only focused on a single perspective (registered nurses) and a single area (Malawian public hospitals) – an issue that disregarded different views (e.g. doctors, hospital administrators, hospital directors and other hospital staff). Furthermore, the results of this study cannot be generalised to other public and private hospitals settings because the data were collected from central hospitals only.Practical implicationsPractically, this study highlights the problematic areas of talent management practices hence the need for effective talent management for nurses.Social implicationsThe study has huge social implications in that the results will inform best practices for public hospitals thereby improving welfare of the patients and society at large.Originality/valueThe study contributes to new knowledge on nurses’ perception towards the application of talent management practices within the Malawian health sector and presents a valid and reliable measure to assess their perception.

This paper analyses the effectiveness, fairness and consistency of disciplinary actions and procedures in the civil service of Malawi. The overall purpose of the study was to critically analyze the perceptions of civil servants regarding the effectiveness, fairness and consistency of disciplinary actions/procedure within the civil service.The study employed a qualitative research design by using both primary and secondary data collected from participants who were purposely selected. Skinners' reinforcement theories were adoptedto analyse the effectiveness and consistency of disciplinary actions and procedures in the civil service of Malawi. The results indicated that the theory is very relevant in the civil service as far as the aims of disciplinary procedure/actions are concerned. Hence, learning is the main aim of disciplinary procedure/actions, where employees learn the desirable behavior through reinforcement.The results also indicated that disciplinary procedure in the Civil Services faces a number of challenges. These among others include: lack of expediency, inconsistencies in handling disciplinary issues, failure to keep disciplinary records properly and favouritism. Similarly,the results also revealed that disciplinary procedure/ action was not effective. On the other hand, employees felt disciplinary procedure was not consistently applied, and that not all employees received the same treatment for similar actions. Therefore, the general view was that employees in the civil service are deprived of organizational justice due to weaknesses associated with the disciplinary procedure/action in civil service. The study then recommends that leaders within the civil service receive guidance and appropriate training to correct this perception, hence leading to the consistent application of discipline and appropriate treatment of all employees.

The Malawi government established and implemented various talent management practices within public hospitals in the country to enhance accessibility, productivity and energy of its health personnel, and to boost the quality of health service delivery. Innovative work behaviours such as the creation, introduction and application of new ideas are key to achieving productivity, accessibility and energy of health personnel. The sure way of achieving innovative work behaviour is through the implementation of talent management. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of talent management on innovative work behaviour of registered nurses in public hospitals of Malawi. A quantitative research approach was employed, and an adapted Innovative Work Behaviour Questionnaire (IWB) was administered to a convenience sample of 947 (N=947) registered nurses in public hospitals of Malawi. The results of the study showed that talent management practices did not contribute to innovative work behaviour of registered nurses in public hospitals of Malawi. The study, therefore, recommends that management of public hospitals should pay attention to effective talent management practices of healthcare workers, particularly that of nurses in public hospitals. The implication of this study to management in public hospitals is that the results can be used to improve the application of talent management practices at healthcare facilities and help to advance innovative work behaviour of healthcare workers.

No abstract