MAINSTREAMING TALENT INCLUSIVITY IN ORGANISATIONS; A DEONTOLOGICAL IMPERATIVE

Diversity is being invited to the dance, and inclusivity is showing off your dancing skills without fear or favour. The strategic imperative to mainstream inclusivity in talent management in human resources management is strongly linked to the deontological moral theory of human rights and goodwill. Inclusivity in talent management in a global development organisation is not only an ethical imperative but also a strategic advantage, with the potential to facilitate competitiveness in the labour market, innovation, employee engagement, and overall organisational performance. Using a mix of quantitative and qualitative data, this study analysed data from a global organisation of factors that enable or restrict talent inclusivity in its human resources management practices. Our conclusion is that eight key factors are important to enable talent inclusivity in an organisation. Namely, senior leadership commitment based on a deontological imperative, internships and graduate recruitment, onboarding as a tool for socialisation of the right organisational culture, extending talent pools, performance management, building technical capacity through learning and development, compensation and employee engagement touch points. This study contributes to HR knowledge and practice by introducing a novel research area that looks at the ethical basis for talent and links ethical philosophy with inclusive talent management practices in global development organisations. It provides an emerging area of research and practice for HR-Practitioner scholars to study further.