Global talent management and performance in multinational enterprises: A multilevel perspective

David G Collings, Kamel Mellahi, Wayne F Cascio
Journal of Management,Vol. 45, Issue 2, Pages: 540-566.
The link between global talent management (GTM) and multinational enterprises’ (MNEs) performance has not been theorized or empirically tested. We develop a theoretical framework for how GTM links to performance at the headquarters (HQ), subsidiary, and individual employee levels. Using the resource-based view as a frame, we highlight the routines of pivotal positions, global talent pools, and a differentiated HR architecture as central to GTM. We show that at the HQ level, an MNE’s adoption of a global, multidomestic, or transnational strategy determines the objectives of the GTM system and significantly influences the performance of the enterprise. At the subsidiary level, the alignment between HQ intentions and subsidiary implementation of GTM routines is a key variable in our analysis. We consider the effects of these higher-level factors on individual performance through the lens of human-capital