Analysis of talent management in public sector: A case study of Parliamentary Commission

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze talent management in public sector using a case study of the Parliamentary Commission. It was driven by the fact that Talent management enhances employee’s creativity and innovation which led to organization excellent performance as suggested by many scholars world over. The study was guided by three specific objectives which include: to examine the nature talent management at the Parliamentary Commission; to assess the challenges of talent management at the Parliamentary Commission and to design appropriate strategies that will minimize the challenges of talent management at the Parliamentary Commission. It covered only Uganda Parliament Commission. The study adopts a case study design with a quantitative approach which adapted a questionnaire data collection instrument. Data was analyzed quantitatively to derive descriptive statistics. It was revealed that promotion from within, flexible work arrangements, employees have diverse backgrounds in terms of Skills, age, gender, religion and marital status, job security, leadership development is a priority, conducive work environment, structured roles and responsibilities for employees, fair benefits distribution amongst employees were the dominant factors applicable for talent management. The dominant challenges were inconsistencies and lack of adherence to structure and human resource policies, pressure from politicians for job openings “God fathers”, poor communication amongst employees, lobbying by staff for opportunities like training abroad and promotion, diversity of the work force in terms of age, gender, religion and marital status, limited coaching and mentorship programs. However, the applicable strategies were putting the right people in the right jobs, top management commitment to training and developing staff, creating a culture of engagement, adjusting the frequency of feedback, proper succession planning, mentoring and coaching, equal opportunity policy at work place, team building activities and provision of opportunity for work life balance to enhance talent development and management in a public organization. The study recommends that government and other stakeholders should endeavor to apply the suggested strategies to effectively enhance organizational performance.