Do employees find inclusive talent management fairer? It depends. Contrasting self‐interest and principle

Abstract

In this paper, we critically examine the assumption that most employees, and especially those not identified as talents, find exclusive talent management less fair than inclusive talent management. Across two factorial survey studies—one of which manipulates talent status experimentally (N = 300), the other using field data on meta‐perceived talent ratings (N = 209)—we examine the extent to which the perceived fairness of talent management is predicted by self‐interest (i.e., the extent to which you yourself are seen as talented) versus principle (i.e., a dispositional preference for equality‐vs. merit‐based allocations). We found a clear effect of talent status, indicating that perceived fairness is at least partly determined by self‐interest (i.e., whether one personally stands to gain or lose from exclusive talent management). We also found an effect for preferred allocation norm—implying that fairness perceptions are influenced by matters of principle, independently from self‐interest—but only on the boundary condition that organizations provide a transparent justification for their chosen (inclusive or exclusive) talent philosophy. Two major gaps are addressed: the lack of data on how employees perceive and experience talent management practices, and the inability of common study designs to make causal claims.

Inclusive Human Resource Management and Nurses’ Innovative Behavior during Crisis Events: The Roles of Job Crafting and Shared Leadership

“…Relationally, inclusion entails building strong relationships with employees and encouraging their participation [31]. From an equity standpoint, inclusion means that employees have the right to express themselves and be appreciated regardless of their social status or class [32]. Taking the optimal distinctiveness perspective, Shore et al [20] identifed inclusion as the extent to which employees feel respected in their work teams based on how well the organization fulflls their need for belongingness and uniqueness.…”

“…It allows nurses to break away from the constraints of their previous roles and routines so that they can try out various work methods, fully develop their potential, and improve their efcacy [45]. Tus, nurses under high shared leadership have a higher sense of competence and believe that they can better utilize the opportunities provided by IHRM to craft their job [32]. In addition, since job crafting is the readjustment and optimization of nurses' tasks and relationships related to their work, this process involves the change of the original work pattern and approach, which may be impeded and constrained by their colleagues [49].…”

“…People's interpretations of inclusion and related practices may vary across cultures. In the Western context, scholars have mainly concerned with the fair and equal treatment of diverse employees, such as providing employees with opportunities to participate in organizational processes and decision-making through practices such as information sharing and employee involvement, thereby reducing discrimination and confict inside and outside the organization [32,36,37]. However, inclusion in the Chinese culture (also known as bao rong) has a broader meaning that consists of two critical elements, "seeking commonalities" and "utilizing diferences," highlighting the importance of making employees feel respected and integrated into the organization to experience a sense of belonging while preserving and utilizing employee uniqueness to optimize their personal strengths [26].…”