The public sector delivery system is one of the most critical methods to improve public welfare (Masuku & Jili 2019). Local government authorities are expected to provide sustainable services in the right amount and time (Huragu & Chuma 2019). However, public sector institutions remain under intense scrutiny and criticism as they fail to provide the required services for basic societal needs (Ndevu & Muller 2018). As a result, the past decade witnessed great public dissatisfaction that further escalated into unrest and destruction of public service properties (Morudu 2017).

To date, a great deal of research determined the causes of poor public service delivery. On a national level, diverse social needs, ageing societies, economic pressures, income equality and unequal access to services are challenging efficient service delivery (Lopes et al. 2017). Masuku and Jili (2019) emphasise the continuous political interference that undermines the effective roll-out of public service delivery strategies. Other disrupting factors include flawed management interpretation of policies, corruption and maladministration of resources (Mabitsela 2012), a lack of accountability (Odaro 2012), limited public participation in decision-making (Hasan 2013) and low capacity (Shaidi 2013). For the institution itself, a lack of integrated leadership approaches (Naidoo & Xollie 2011), ineffective leadership to drive strategies (Gqaji, Proches & Green 2016), low administrative competence levels (Van Antwerpen & Fereira 2016) and the brain drain to the private sector (Khan 2018) continue to undermine effective public service delivery. Consequently, many public sector institutions are experiencing a human capital crisis because of poor reputation, making it challenging to retain the talented workforce required for sustainable public service provision (Mabope 2018; Thunnissen & Buttiens 2017).

In the light of the above, the researchers aimed to explore the organisational culture determinants supporting talent management at a Botswanan local government institution. According to Gallardo-Gallardo and Thunnissen (2016), the organisational context is essential when implementing talent management. However, the vast majority of research alludes to public institutional culture inefficiencies that undermine individual and institutional performance. Therefore, local authorities need to rethink organisational culture aspects and refocus counsellors and employees, policies and processes to achieve national goals and priorities (Huragu & Chuma 2019).

Despite some considerable achievements, Botswanan public sector institutions are constrained by a scarcity of the human capital required to achieve sustainable service performance (Sharma 2010; Tshukudu 2020). Some factors fuelling the talent shortage include poor workforce planning, inadequate performance management and total rewards programmes and neglected talent retention strategies (Diseko 2015; Tshukudu 2020). According to Mohan, Muthaly and Annakis (2015), an institutional culture that enhances the skills, performance ratings and equitable rewards for talented employees can result in a higher retention rate for quality staff in local government. Mokgojwa (2019) found that a talent management culture should consist of management support, strategic direction, physical workspace and resources, safety and security and diversity management to support occupational talent management. An organisational culture that promotes talent management encapsulates a strong talent value proposition inclusive of a compelling organisational and employment brand and a properly assembled talent career life cycle (Saurombe 2017). A healthy organisational culture is essential for both employee and public sector outcomes (Zain-Ul-Abidin et al. 2020). Therefore, research on organisational talent culture determinants for a Botswanan public sector institution is imperative.

This research addresses the following specific research questions:

This research article is structured as follows. Firstly, a literature review is presented to conceptualise talent management in the public sector organisational culture context. This is followed by discussing the organisational talent culture components identified by the researchers for the public sector. The research design is then explained, followed by a presentation of the results obtained. The research article concludes with a discussion of the results as well as future recommendations for managers.

The results reveal a Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling adequacy of 0.954 (p = 0.000), which, according to the guidelines of Hair et al. (2010), provides that a KMO ≥ 0.60 be adequate for factor analysis. A subsequent principal component exploratory factor analysis by using varimax rotation resulted in six underlying factors for the organisational talent culture questionnaire, which explained 79.509% of the total variance. Three items were deleted because of problematic loadings. The factors were labelled as follows: strategic intent and success orientation (Factor 1), institutional values (Factor 2), general people management practices (Factor 3), dynamic operational capabilities (Factor 4), administrative governance (Factor 5) and leadership talent mindset (Factor 6). All items show acceptable loadings. The results of the Varimax rotation are reported in Table 1.

The descriptive statistics and reliabilities of the factors are reported next. Table 2 shows acceptable to excellent reliabilities for the underlying factors of the organisational talent culture measure. On average, the results showed a weak to mediocre demonstration of organisational talent culture dimensions in the institution. The institutional values were low, followed by poor people management practices and a lack of strategic intent and success orientation. The organisational talent culture further reflected mediocre administrative governance and a poor performance culture relating to a lack of dynamic institutional capabilities. Finally, the results also reflect a poor leadership talent mindset for creating an organisational talent culture for the public sector institution. Item analyses were performed to detect the contributing aspects of the weak organisational talent culture. The participants believed that the absence of clear institutional values resulted in inadequate guidelines and rules for employee conduct. Furthermore, there is a lack of focus on the innovation of products, services and processes on all institutional levels, contributing to inefficient institutional operational dynamics. Leadership is also failing to give strategic direction and connect the long-term vision with individuals’ daily performance requirements. Respondents therefore appear to have the conviction that the institution is not results driven or achievement orientated.

Next regression analyses were conducted to determine how the leadership talent mindset influences the selected government institution’s talent culture. The results are reported in Table 3.

The results shown in Table 3 show the following:

Next the MANOVA analyses between organisational talent culture dimensions and demographic characteristics of the participants are reported. The results in Table 4 show that respondents significantly differ in their perceptions of organisational talent culture based on their education level, job level and years employed in their current job. The results were further explored by applying post hoc analyses.

The Wilks’ λ for educational qualification is equal to 0.845 (F _{(30, 1114)} = 1.602, p ≤ 0.05). Analyses of each dependent variable, by using a Bonferroni-adjusted α level of 0.025, show that respondents differ in terms of general people management practices (F _{(5, 400)} = 5.583, p ≤ 0.05, partial n² = 0.909), leadership talent mindset (F _{(5, 400)} = 4.553, p ≤ 0.05, partial n² = 0.074), strategic intent and success orientation (F _{(5, 400)} = 3.722, p ≤ 0.05, partial n² = 0.062) and operational dynamics (F _{(5, 400)} = 5.839, p ≤ 0.05, partial n² = 0.094). Post hoc analyses showed that those with a Cambridge qualification (secondary school qualification) experienced poorer people management practices, leadership, strategic intent and success orientation and dynamic institutional capabilities compared with those with a diploma and bachelor’s degree as their highest level of education. The effects were medium.

The Wilks’ λ for job level is equal to 0.793 (F _{(24, 971.036)} = 2.775, p ≤ 0.05). Analyses of each dependent variable, by using a Bonferroni-adjusted α level of 0.025, show that respondents differ in terms of administrative governance (F _{(4, 401)} = 5.049, p ≤ 0.05, partial n² = 0.067), general people management practices (F _{(4, 401)} = 7.576, p ≤ 0.05, partial n² = 0.097), leadership talent mindset (F _{(4, 401)} = 6.492, p ≤ 0.05, partial n² = 0.084), strategic intent and success orientation (F _{(4, 401)} = 9.209, p ≤ 0.05, partial n² = 0.115), values (F _{(4, 401)} = 5.570, p ≤ 0.05, partial n² = 0.703) and dynamic institutional capabilities (F _{(4, 401)} = 7.644, p ≤ 0.05, partial n² = 0.098). The results show that operational staff experience a significant poorer level of administrative governance and general people management practices compared with senior management levels. Operational-level staff further experienced a significant poorer level of dynamic institutional capabilities compared with the rest of job levels (i.e. senior management, middle management, lower level management and supervisory level) and strategic intent and success orientation (i.e. senior management, middle management and lower level management). Operational-level employees experience a significant lower level of leadership talent mindset compared with middle management. All effects are medium.

The Wilks’ λ for years in current job is equal to 0.734 (F _{(30, 1114)} = 1.635, p ≤ 0.05). Analyses of each dependent variable, by using a Bonferroni-adjusted α level of 0.025, show that respondents differ in terms of administrative governance (F (5, 400) = 5.008, p ≤ 0.05, partial n² = 0.081), leadership talent mindset (F _{(5, 400)} = 3.061, p ≤ 0.05, partial n² = 0.051) and employee participation (F _{(5, 400)} = 3.224, p ≤ 0.05, partial n² = 0.054). Those working between 0 and 5 years in their current job experienced more efficient administrative governance, leadership talent mindset and employee participation compared with those working between 12 and 17 years in the institution. The effects for administrative governance and employee participation are medium, whereas the effect for leadership talent mindset is small.

This research’s main objective was to explore organisational culture determinants supporting talent management in a Botswanan local government institution. The factor analyses supported six dimensions that should form part of the government institution’s organisational culture to support talent management: strategic intent and success orientation, institutional values, general people management practices, employee participation, administrative governance, dynamic institutional capabilities and leadership talent mindset. These factors support the NPM paradigm that government institutions should adopt a more strategic process to create public value through its critical organisational capabilities: human capital (Alford & Greve 2017; Höglund et al. 2018).

The participants in this study perceived a weak demonstration of the identified organisational talent culture dimensions. These findings contrast Meng et al. (2016) who advocate that organisational culture should be present in all talent management functions. The absence of values destabilises the foundation on which the institution’s talent culture should be built (Ertosun & Adiguzel 2018). Consequently, the government institution will find it challenging to display the required individual behaviour to deliver trustworthy and ethical services to the public (Andersson 2019; Molina & McKeown 2012; Pereira et al. 2015). Moreover, a lack of institutional values can also prevent the ethical and socially responsible implementation of talent management practices to ensure a healthy and sustainable workforce (Swailes 2020). Without a strong value foundation, the government institution will fail to create the talent value proposition required to attract and retain talent (Saurombe 2017). Molobye (2020) mentioned that talented employees are more likely to associate themselves with a workplace that embraces their values.

The organisational culture influences the operationalisation of people management functions (Kosiorek & Szczepańska 2016). As evidenced in the present study, inadequate administrative governance systems and a lack of dynamic operational capabilities undermine talent performance and productivity (Adeyemi et al. 2012). The results also support the notion of Botswaucracy (see Mosweunyane 2013), whereby bureaucracy in public sector workplace settings is strengthened to the detriment of employees and employers. Establishing a favourable and collaborative administrative work environment is essential to enable employee participation, responsible behaviour and accountability (Pečarič 2013; Tuurnas et al. 2019). In particular, a misaligned organisational talent culture, as uncovered in the present study, undermines strategic people management practices (Harrison & Bazzy 2017) and results in low deployment, inadequate planning, a lack of comprehensive retentions strategies and poor working conditions (Seitio-Kgokgwe et al. 2016). Therefore, the government institution needs to be less bureaucratic and refocus talent management processes and procedures to achieve national goals and priorities (Huragu & Chuma 2019; Luna-Arocas & Lara 2020).

The sustainability of any local government institution, to a large extent, depends on its strategic direction (Eaton & Kilby 2015; Ghannay & Mamlouk 2015). The lack of strategic direction and success orientation of the government institution in this study limits the institutional reform and transformation required to achieve NPM principles (Höglund et al. 2018). As such, the government institution might fail to meet the performance requirements as set out by the NPM for Botswana and execute broader national strategies (Alford & Greve 2017). The lack of strategic direction undermines the development of personal talent growth mindsets required to support the wider public (Damer 2020). Government institutions should create a ‘talent management language’ (Painter-Morland et al. 2019) that leverages talent management as a strategic organisational priority (Bwowe 2016) in the pursuit of overarching institutional goals.

In this study, the leadership talent mindset had a significant role in how the organisational talent culture translated in the government institution. The results showed that the poor leadership talent mindset was a significant predictor of a lack of institutional strategic intent and success orientation, limited employee participation, poor administrative governance, dynamic organisational capabilities and weak institutional values. These results support various other studies that leadership is the catalyst for establishing a value-adding public sector service culture (see Magada & Govender 2016; Yosinta 2016). The leadership talent mindset further emphasises a commitment to attracting and retaining the human capital required to breed sustainable public sector institutions (Diseko 2015; Welby-Cooke 2010). The results of this research confirm the need to educate leadership more in the practice of leadership in Botswanan government institutions (Rudhumbu & Maphosa 2015).

Given the significance of individual characteristics in establishing organisational cultures (see Lopes et al. 2017), the researchers also explored whether significant differences exist between the perceived organisational talent culture dimensions based on their demographic characteristics. The study results revealed that organisational talent culture tends to be neglected when it comes to lower-job-level employees, those with a lower level of employment and those employed for a shorter time in the institution. The results also show a disconnect between top-level leadership experience as talent management effectiveness compared with those on lower employment levels. More research studies are required to explore these findings.

This research makes valuable contributions on theoretical, methodological and practical levels. From a theoretical point of view, this research contributes to the scarcity of empirical knowledge on talent management in public sector contexts and emerging markets. More specifically, this research provides a practical foundation to determine the maturity of organisational talent culture by focussing on aspects such as the leadership talent mindset, institutional values, strategic intent and success orientation, administrative governance, dynamic institutional capabilities and general people management practices. This research makes an important methodological contribution by providing a reliable questionnaire that can measure an organisational talent culture’s components for public sector institutions. Finally, this research makes an important practical contribution by revealing the government institution’s talent culture and improvement areas’ current status. The absence of a sound institutional value system can translate into undesirable behaviours, undermining effective service delivery. Importantly, this research highlights the need for more leadership engagement to enable a supportive institutional environment for talent management in the government institution. As evidenced in this present study, a lack of leadership talent mindset translated into an institutional culture that does not support talent management. Consequently, government institutions are challenged to attract and retain the human capital required to deliver value-added and sustainable services to the broader public.

This research had some limitations. Firstly, the data were obtained from a selected town council in Botswana. Consequently, the results cannot be generalised to other regions in the country. Secondly, the study was cross-sectional, which limited the researchers to make cause and effect predictions between the variables over a more extended period. Future studies can benefit from longitudinal studies to track leadership effectiveness over time intervals. Thirdly, this study was limited to quantitative research only. Future research can apply mixed-method research techniques to uncover the contributors to the weak organisational talent culture. Finally, future research can also include more predictor variables (i.e. institutional demands and resources for talent culture) and outcome variables (i.e. service performance and employee retention) to develop a holistic model for organisational talent culture within the public sector institutions.

In conclusion, the research objectives for this study were achieved. Six underlying organisational talent culture factors were identified that other public sector institutions could consider to determine its maturity and readiness to attract and retain talent. This research further emphasises the vital role of public sector leaders in creating a workplace talent culture that will enable public service efficiency and effectiveness. Therefore, public sector leaders are encouraged to take stock of their existing institutional talent cultures as an enabler to achieve national service delivery priorities through talent.