Talent Flow and Talent Management

This chapter focuses on talent flow, defined as the movement, particularly the international movement, of talented personnel as they pursue their economic, political, cultural, family and career interests. It extends our thinking beyond the traditional business school arena through three key concepts: complementarity, liberty and escaping poverty. Three years on, the chapter receives multiple citations, the mobility it focuses on has continued and probably even increased in volume and variety. In order to identify key issues relevant to contemporary society, and particularly to talent management, it is timely, therefore, to examine how the concept of talent flow is used throughout this period. However, the chapter focuses on two key groups, migrants and expatriates. The structural changes of environments in which expatriate functions have been accompanied and complemented by noticeable changes at the individual level. People are connecting with other individuals and groups from all over the world, creating new social identities and broadening their understanding of different cultures.