Talent Without Borders

by Robert E. Ployhart (Author), Jeff A. Weekley (Author), Julian Dalzell (Author)

Talent is one of the most important strategic resources in the modern economy: it is the resource that creates economic growth through exceptional innovation, service, and performance. But talent is scarce, and finding the right talent, in the right place, and at the right time, is challenging. Talent is not distributed evenly within and across borders. Hence, generating a competitive advantage in the modern economy is dependent on identifying, attracting, hiring, and retaining the talent needed to implement a firm's strategy. Talent Without Borders shows how to generate a competitive advantage through the effective use of global recruitment and staffing.

Based on a century of science, Talent Without Borders offers a practical approach to help managers think about acquiring talent globally. With explicit consideration of real-world issues that influence the implementation of global staffing solutions, the book shows managers how to use analytics and data to enable evidence-based decisions. Emphasizing national culture, strategy, and competitive advantage, it considers the entire talent life cycle, from attraction through retention. Together, the three authors represent a unique blend of expertise in HR executive leadership and consulting with deep technical expertise in the science of recruitment, selection, and assessment. Their collective experience yields numerous practical insights woven throughout the book. Ultimately, they skillfully link staffing to organizational strategy, financial performance, and competitive advantage.

Review
"With a combination of deep academic expertise and expansive practical experience, the authors skillfully make a compelling case for managing talent for competitive advantage. Useful for both student and practitioner, the book is brought to life by the story of an HR professional's realistically portrayed struggles with a range of issues, many of which mirror my own experiences in the global field." –Ronald Schellekens, Group HR Director, Vodafone


"Talent Without Borders rightly positions talent, its acquisition, selection, development, organization, and integration, at the center of business strategy and the pursuit of differentiated advantage. This book brings academic and practitioner insight into how to develop and operate a talent process, while the use of a fictional new HR Manager provides a real life sense of the challenges in creating and implementing such a talent process in a global context. [This is] something I could personally relate to." –Hugh Mitchell, Chief Human Resources and Corporate Director (retired) of Royal Dutch Shell

"Talent Without Borders, through the combined experience of three authors who are recognized globally as leaders in HR, consulting, and academics, nicely blends the science and practice of how to use talent to drive business strategy and create competitive advantage. The clear portrayal of how global talent acquisition is done in the real world-including the cross-cultural challenges, judgment calls, and trade-offs that are always present - makes it essential reading for managers and students." –Nigel Guenole, Executive Consultant for IBM Talent Management Solutions and co-author of The Power of People: Learn How Successful Organizations Use Workforce Analytics to Improve Business Performance

About the Author
Robert E. Ployhart is the Bank of America Professor of Business Administration and an internationally recognized expert in human resources, staffing, talent analytics, and legal issues relating to talent. He has published over 100 scholarly articles and chapters on these topics, written two books, and served as an Associate Editor for multiple academic journals. He has received many scholarly awards, and is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the Association for Psychological Science, and the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. He has also engaged in an active consulting practice with domestic and global organizations. He has a Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Michigan State University (1999).

Jeff A. Weekley is a Clinical Professor and Director of the Human Resource Management program at the University of Texas at Dallas. Previously, he was the Global Leader for Talent Consulting in IBM's SmarterWorkforce, leading that team in the development and implementation of systems for employee assessment, development, succession planning, and HR analytics. He has also held several senior human resource management positions with Zales Corporation, Southland Corporation, and Greyhound Lines. Dr. Weekley received his Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from the University of Texas at Dallas and Master of Science in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Texas A&M. His research has focused largely on talent acquisition issues, particularly in the realms of situational judgment testing, personality and values, interviewing, faking, and talent flows through organizations.

Julian Dalzell has over 49 years of experience in the field of global resources management as both practitioner and educator. He held increasingly senior HR leadership roles on three continents and five countries with the Royal Dutch/Shell group of Companies and has been teaching in South Carolina's prestigious Masters in HR program for the past six years.