Chapter 1: Talent Development in International Contexts

Talent management (TM) and talent development (TD) are of the most important areas of focus for organizational leaders and scholars around the world (Machado, 2015). Geographic boundaries have become increasingly permeable, with talent considerations being a key factor in the decision of where organizations locate their operations (Farndale, Scullion, & Sparrow, 2010). These changes in global market conditions have lead organizations to develop robust global TM and development strategies that help organizations attract and retain the best talent (Nilsson & Ellström, 2012). Still, most international TM and TD initiatives can be described as ad hoc, non-strategic, or based on exported models from the West (Machado, 2015).