Organizational Psychology

Purpose. The purpose of the paper is to identify the external and internal factors which lead to the formation of talent retention practices in organizations operating in the territory of Russia. The research involves 21 companies — representatives of eight industries and five countries. Methodology. The research is based on a mixed methodology. In addition to theoretical analysis and identification of external and internal factors that influence the formation of talent retention practices, the authors conduct a multiple case study to evaluate an organizational context of talent retention practices in the companies. To analyze the data, both qualitative and quantitative methods are used. Findings. As the results of the research, it is shown that with respect to the talent retention practices, the role of the innovative component in an organization’s business model or the role of the stability of the results lead to the formation of two clusters of talent management system configurations. Companies which focus on creating an innovative product / service demonstrate the talent-centered talent management system configurations with blurred, fuzzy boundaries. In such organizations, the talent retention practice is not distinguished as a separate one and does not have clear boundaries but manifests itself through the other talent management practices. Companies that focus on the implementation of integrated solutions and products restricted by sectoral, state and other standards, the talent management system configurations are outlined, with predetermined performance indicators. In organizations of this type, a clearer identification of the boundaries of talent retention practices might be observed, as well as toolkit and criteria by which organization’s leaders determine and identify talents and the principles of their retention. Value of results. As part of the research, the authors for the first time have introduced a numerical scale for analyzing and interpreting the talent management system configuration. The scale made it possible to distinguish two clusters of the organizations from the point of formation of talent retention practices. The further usage the scale provides grounds for preliminary analysis of the talent management system configuration in the company, makes it possible to determine practices connected to each other, and to identify areas for the further development of talent management in the organization.