Strategic Approach to Talent

Management in the Largest

Macedonian Export Companies

- Master’s Thesis –

Mentor: Prof. PhD Miha Škerlavaj

Candidate: Darko Petrovski

Agenda

1. Introduction

2. The survey

3. The results

4. Implications & Recommendations

5. Conclusions

Introduction

TM is one of the hottest topics in HR

TM is an umbrella concept

Strategic approach

Competitive advantage

Strategic Talent Management Approach

Creation of Human Capital centric organization with high

involvement of talents, who provide competitive advantage

Talent acquisition

and identification

Performance

management

Succession

planning

Workforce

planning

Competencies

modelling

The Survey

1. Quantitative

100 largest MK Export Co.

2. Qualitative

Interviews with experts

The Results

• TM not present in micro and small export companies.

• TM is not widely recognized for bringing comp. advantage.

• Responds came mainly from: a) big sized companies,

b) companies with foreign or mixed capital and/or

c) manufacturing industry.

• Most of the respondents have small or middle HR dept’.

• Experts say: having HR capacities is a precondition for TM.

• Deployment of TM practices comes from companies with

foreign or mixed capital.

• Only 5 (with foreign capital) have strategic approach to TM.

• Companies don’t ask for help in implementation of TM.

• Efforts for including TM in some HR university programs.

• HR professionals organizations have potential and interest

for awareness raising in regard to TM.

Implications and Recommendations

• Companies have to build adequate capacities in HRM

and knowledge and competencies in TM

• Managers have to support implementation of TM

practices aligned to company objectives and foster

usage of ICT

• Companies should maintain proactive relationships

with the universities and consulting providers.

• Managers should support HR specialists to participate

in trainings, competency building and experience

exchange within professional organizations.

• Macedonian economy needs to identify, develop and

retain crucial talent for improving competitiveness.

• Universities and consultants need to catch-up with the

advanced knowledge and practices in regard to TM.

Conclusions

• Companies need to assess their real needs and use a

systematic approach, so that the talents are attracted,

identified, recruited, developed and retained and fully

employed towards achieving sustainable strategic objectives.

• All forces (the political factors, the companies, the public

sector, the universities, the consultants and the HR experts

and professional organizations) in Macedonia need to join

their forces to raising the awareness of the advantages TM

brings, on the way to achieve competitive advantage on the

regional and global markets.

Charan & Conaty (2012)

“If firms managed their money as

carelessly as they manage their

people, most would be bankrupt.”