Exploring the determinants of an organisational talent culture for a Botswanan local government institution

Abstract

Orientation: Talented employees are essential for the service performance of local government institutions. Conducive organisational talent cultures can enable talent to deliver value-based services that meet public expectations.

Research purpose: To explore the determinants of an organisational talent culture for a Botswanan local government institution.

Motivation for the study: Research on organisational talent culture determinants in Botswana local government institutions is lacking.

Research design, approach and method: This research adopted a quantitative, cross-sectional research design. A self-developed questionnaire was used to measure the organisational talent culture determinants of a Botswana government institution (N = 405). The data was analysed using SPSS Statistics software. Descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analyses, linear regression analyses and multivariate analysis of variances (MANOVAs) were applied to the data.

Main findings: The factor analyses provided support for six organisational talent culture determinants: leadership talent mindset, success orientation and strategic intent, institutional values, dynamic operational capabilities, administrative governance and general people management practices. The results showed a weak application of all the organisational talent culture determinants. Leadership talent mindset was a significant predictor of organisational talent culture determinants. Significant differences exist between selected organisational culture dimensions based on the demographic characteristics of the participants.

Practical/managerial implications: The vital role of public sector leadership in enabling a conducive organisational talent culture is emphasised.

Contribution/value-add: This research contributed to the limited empirical knowledge on organisational talent culture determinants in public sector institutions.