High potential workers incentives for participating in talent pool

Abstract

Talent pool as a method of managing personnel is becoming more and more popular at the Russian universities which is demonstrated by a growing number of professional conferences and publications on this topic. This article aims at evaluating talent pool programs from the point of view of individual expectations of university staff members participating in these programs. The task is to identify leading stimuli for entering university talent pool for employers with high professional and leadership potential. The research is made on the basis of in depth semi-structured interviews with 116 participants of talent pool at National Research Tomsk State University. The choice of this method is explained by the need for obtaining the most relevant answers concerning employees' motivation not limited with question format or group influence. Based on research results the most important stimuli inducing employees to participate in talent pool were identified, such as: a chance to develop professional and personal competen- cies, meeting colleagues, material benefits, career growth. The key result of the research is identification of an overall high potential employees' need in general university programs for personnel potential development. This need is related to broadened number of communication forms for talented young employees and university management as well as opp ortunities for implementing employees' initiatives and their consolidation with university development strategy. Besides that the authors make a conclusion concerning the imp ortance of improving technologies of working with talented staff members for modern university development. Identified stimuli can form the basis of'motivation packages" for talent pool members in talent pool programs created at Russian universities. Theoretical importance of the research is related to the development of staff management technologies in the specific higher educational context. The article is of practical interest for HR specialists at universities and representatives of university and corporate communities interested in such topic.