Title: Talent management and workforce productivity: the roles of turnover and strategic HRM

Authors: Young Jin Ko; Stephen Swailes

Addresses: Sungkyunkwan University, 25-2, Seonggyungwan-ro, Seoul, South Korea ' Huddersfield Business School, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, England, UK

Abstract: This study explores how talent management increases workforce productivity by examining the mediating mechanism of employee retention and the facilitating contingency of the strategic function of Human Resource Management (HRM). Drawing from the resource-based view, we provide a theoretical framework linking talent management, employee turnover, workforce productivity and strategic HRM. Analysis of three-wave time-lagged data from 294 firms in South Korea and post-hoc analysis shows that talent management influences workforce productivity through turnover and that strategic HRM is a critical contingency for the relationship. Specifically, talent management decreases voluntary turnover, which in turn increases workforce productivity. In addition, the direct and indirect effects of talent management on workforce productivity are more substantial when HRM is integrated with firm strategy.

Keywords: talent management; workforce productivity; voluntary turnover; strategic human resource management.

DOI: 10.1504/EJIM.2026.155574

European Journal of International Management, 2026 Vol.30 No.1, pp.149 - 176

Received: 21 Jan 2021
Accepted: 19 Oct 2021
Published online: 06 Aug 2026 *

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