"Talent Management in SMEs: Unraveling the Role of Contextual Factors"

Authors:
Franca Cantoni (University Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Piacenza)
Caterina Muzzi (University of Brescia)
Martina Gianecchini (dSEA University of Padova)

Employing a multiple case study analysis, this paper, published in the Human Resource Development Quarterly, explores the contextual factors—internal, external, and relational—that affect small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in designing their approaches to talent management (TM). Results underscore the significance of two
prominent internal variables—namely, organizational size and ownership structure—alongside an external determinant represented by the industry/sector within which the company operates. The study also revealed that the economic and social context in which the company is situated is not only a geographical characteristic (thus constituting an external factor) but also furnishes valuable relational resources subsequently influencing the approaches to TM. Additionally, we found that while industry/sector simply dictates competency needs (hard or soft), the size of the company (affecting TM resource availability) combined with the ownership structure (affecting TM scope and level of formalization) generates specificities in TM practices. Relational factors—namely “local embeddedness”—appear to assume a pervasive role.

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