ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF TALENT MANAGEMENT ON THE PERFORMANCE OF THE EMPLOYEE: A CASE STUDY OF SELECTED BANKS IN DOUALA, CAMEROON

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

In the current demanding business environment, characterized by globalization and fierce rivalry, organizations face increasing pressure to exceed previous performance levels. The creation and preservation of knowledge and talents has grown in importance over time as a means of boosting organizational capacity to adapt to market shifts and increasing competitiveness (Bryan, 2019). This involves the crucial and challenging task of deploying employees' abilities and personalities in the best possible ways to maximize performance. Furthermore,  in banking sector, employees play an important role in keeping records of transactions, issue receipts and cash cheques and advise customers of services and products., and increasing company profits. Therefore, there is need to maintain and develop talented employees in order to meet the increasingly stringent demands of the market

Conceptually, talent management is therefore the systematic recruitment, evaluation, growth, engagement, retention, and deployment of people who are especially valuable to a company, either because of their "high potential" for the future or because they are performing vital functions for the company's operations. According to Vance (2019),talent management refers to the anticipation of required human capital the organization needs at the time then setting a plan to meet those needs. Similarly, it means how a company manages its resources ranging from the recruitment process, employee placement, job assessment, training and career development, until employees leave the company so that in the end the company’s goals can be achieved (Lewis, 2018). In the same view, talent management encompasses the strategic utilization of human resources to enhance business value and enable companies to achieve their objectives. This includes all activities related to attracting, retaining, developing, rewarding, and maximizing the performance of individuals, alongside strategic workforce planning (Cascio, 2016). For a talent management strategy to be effective, it must align closely with the overall business strategy. Talent, in this context, refers to employees who can significantly impact organizational performance either through their current contributions or their potential for future excellence (Zikmund, 2020). However, Karuri (2018) argued that talent management has a major positive effect on employee engagement. These conclusions stem from investigations on how talent management techniques are perceived as means of influencing employee outcomes, which have a substantial impact on an organization's success. According to research by Bhatnagar (2018), employees who have a low workload from their employers also have low levels of employee attachment, and vice versa—a high workload suggests high levels of employee attachment. While talent management has been shown to significantly impact employee performance within organizations. Identifying talented individuals allows organizations to focus their investment on the professional development of these individuals. This investment typically involves decisions regarding learning, training, and development aimed at fostering growth, succession planning, performance management, and more (Phillips, 2021). Thus, talent management simplifies the process of deciding where to allocate resources for individual development.Furthermore, a robust talent management culture also influences how employees perceive their organization as a workplace. Nevertheless, positive perceptions of talent management practices within an organization lead to employees having greater confidence in the organization's future.Therefore, a survey will be conducted to assess the impact of talent management on the performance of the employee: A case study of selected banks in Douala, Cameroon.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

In today's labor market, it is observed that there is a rise in labor mobility, changing demographics, globalization, an aging workforce, shorter product lifecycles, and technological progress. The importance of talent management within organizational operations cannot be overstated. With the imperatives of globalization, banking sectors increasingly recognize the need to identify, attract, and leverage talented individuals from diverse business cultures. According to McDonnell et al. (2018), talent management holds particular significance for multinational enterprises. Consequently, according to Scullion and Collings (2018) talent management serves as a crucial avenue for nurturing and engaging skilled employees  who can significantly contribute to organizations, both domestically and internationally.

Recently, banking sector has experienced employee attrition to other sectors, despite efforts to foster a conducive work environment through effective governance, leadership, and management.  

Additionally,  employees also appear to be stuck in their jobs with no opportunity for advancement, which lowers their levels of dedication and breeds employee dissatisfaction. These problems lead to a host of other issues in the targeted organizations, including low morale, voluntary resignation, a bad attitude toward work, and high turnover rates of top people. Employee morale, skill, loyalty, and contentment are all impacted by this, which makes them less likely to put forth as much effort, which has an impact on the overall performance of the company.However, despite implementing improved employee reward systems and other human resource management practices, the organization continues to face departures. This raises questions about whether the talent management strategies employed effectively retain staff, improve their performance despite the Human Resource Department's implementation of best practices in this area. Hence, it is in the light of these that the study seeks to assess the impact of talent management on the performance of the employee: A case study of selected banks in Douala, Cameroon.

1.3  Objectives of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to assess the impact of talent management on the performance of the employee: A case study of selected banks in Douala, Cameroon. Specifically, the study will;

Find out whether a significant relationship exist between talent management and employee performance 

Identify the talent management methods adopted among banks in Cameroon.

Find out the impact of talent management and employee performance in the banking sector of Cameroon.

1.4 Research Questions

The following questions have been prepared for the study:

Is there a significant relationship between talent management and employee performance?

What are the talent management methods adopted among banks in Cameroon?

What is the impact of talent management on employee performance in the banking sector of Cameroon?

1.5  Research Hypothesis

H0: There is no significant impact of talent management on the performance of the employee.

Ha: There is a significant impact of talent management on the performance of the employee.

1.6  Significance of the Study 

The findings will assist organizational management in formulating policies to enhance talent among individual employees, groups, and the organization as a whole. Additionally, other organizations can benefit from the results of this study, particularly in today's talent and knowledge-driven economy, where talent output is crucial. Moreover, this study will also contribute to promoting fair labor practices and regulating basic employment conditions. It will address issues such as working hours, employee leave entitlements, and other essential rights that should be upheld for employees. 

Further more, subsequent researchers will use it as a literature review. This means that other students who may decide to conduct studies in this area will have the opportunity to use this study as available literature that can be subjected to critical review. Invariably, the result of the study contributes immensely to the body of academic knowledge with regard to the impact of talent management on the performance of the employee: A case study of selected banks in Douala, Cameroon.

1.7 Scope of the study

The scope of this study is boarded on the impact of talent management on the performance of the employee: A case study of selected banks in Douala, Cameroon. Empirically, this study will find out whether a significant relationship exist between talent management and employee performance, identify the talent management methods adopted among banks in Cameroon and find out the impact of talent management and employee performance in the banking sector of Cameroon.

Geographically, the study will be delimited to employees of some selected banks in Douala, Cameroon.

1.8 Limitation of the study

In the course of carrying out this study, the researcher experienced some constraints, which included time constraints, financial constraints, language barriers, and the attitude of the respondents. In addition, there was the element of researcher bias. Here, the researcher possessed some biases that may have been reflected in the way the data was collected, the type of people interviewed or sampled, and how the data gathered was interpreted thereafter. The potential for all this to influence the findings and conclusions could not be downplayed. 

More so, the findings of this study are limited to the sample population in the study area, hence they may not be suitable for use in comparison to other schools, local governments, states, and other countries in the world.

 1.9 Definition of Terms

Talent Management: is a systematic strategic effort planned by the company to use a set of human resource management practices that include employee acquisition and evaluation, learning and development, performance management, and compensation to attract, retain, develop and motivate employees.

Employee Performance: is a dimension to measure the success of an organization in which an organization must be able to create high employee performance in order to maintain survival and a sustainable competitive advantage

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