D3 C8 (15min pres)
Tracks
Track C | Ballroom 3
| Saturday, October 26, 2024 |
| 3:30 PM - 3:45 PM |
| Stream C | Ballroom 3 |
Overview
A longitudinal study on high potential designation, development opportunities and engagement.
(Belen Alvarez, Martin Edward)
Presenter
Dr Belen Alvarez
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
The University Of Queensland
A Longitudinal Study on High Potential Designation, Development Opportunities and Engagement
3:30 PM - 4:34 PMAuthor(s)
Edwards, Martin.; Jooss, Stefan.; Steffens, Nik.; Alvarez, Belen.; Sheahan, Vaughn.; Wolyniec, Nathan.
Abstract
Understanding potential is crucial in identifying and developing organizational talent (Jooss et al., 2021). The academic literature defines potential as an individual’s probable upper-bound career trajectory (Finkelstein et al., 2018), focusing on potential future contributions to organizational performance (Kehoeet et al., 2023). One important question in this field is whether being identified as ‘high potential’ leads to positive outcomes over time for the employee and the organization, outcomes such as greater engagement or a more positive perceptions of learning opportunities in the organisation (Church et al., 2021). Despite expectations of a positive relationship between designating an employee as high-potential and these positive outcomes, this link remains overlooked in talent management research (Cascio & Collings, 2022).
In this research, we aim to explore whether being designated as a high-potential employee influences subsequent variation in learning and development experiences and work engagement over an extended time period. Using comprehensive secondary data from an organization within the natural resource extraction industry (N= 9,122), we analyse the experiences of a large workforce sample in an organization which designates a subset of employees as high-potential. While high potential status is not explicitly communicated to employees, the impact of this designation and adjusted learning and development opportunities provided enacts this status to employees. Six-waves of data were sourced, using a combination of HR records and quarterly engagement/pulse survey data (collected between October 2020 and June 2022). Longitudinal Random-Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model analyses confirmed that high-potential employees subsequently perceived to have more learning and development opportunities, which, in turn, predicted a subsequent increase in work engagement. These consistent directional within person relationships were stable over time. Importantly, the temporal direction of the cross-lagged analyses shows evidence that the designation of high-potential has flow-on effects and influences learning and development experiences and engagement rather than evidence that engagement is the starting point and precursor for high-potential designation.
Drawing on signalling theory (Connelly et al., 2011), our research highlights the impact of designating and potentially signalling high-potential status on employees’ subsequent perceptions of development opportunities, leading to heightened levels of work engagement. At the same time, ‘non-potentials’ report less learning and development opportunities and lower engagement. These findings underscore the importance of organizations to adopt appropriate practices and tools to identify talent and carefully consider communication approaches of potential designation. Ultimately, strategically recognizing and nurturing talent not only benefits employees but also contributes positively to overall organizational positive outcomes.
In this research, we aim to explore whether being designated as a high-potential employee influences subsequent variation in learning and development experiences and work engagement over an extended time period. Using comprehensive secondary data from an organization within the natural resource extraction industry (N= 9,122), we analyse the experiences of a large workforce sample in an organization which designates a subset of employees as high-potential. While high potential status is not explicitly communicated to employees, the impact of this designation and adjusted learning and development opportunities provided enacts this status to employees. Six-waves of data were sourced, using a combination of HR records and quarterly engagement/pulse survey data (collected between October 2020 and June 2022). Longitudinal Random-Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model analyses confirmed that high-potential employees subsequently perceived to have more learning and development opportunities, which, in turn, predicted a subsequent increase in work engagement. These consistent directional within person relationships were stable over time. Importantly, the temporal direction of the cross-lagged analyses shows evidence that the designation of high-potential has flow-on effects and influences learning and development experiences and engagement rather than evidence that engagement is the starting point and precursor for high-potential designation.
Drawing on signalling theory (Connelly et al., 2011), our research highlights the impact of designating and potentially signalling high-potential status on employees’ subsequent perceptions of development opportunities, leading to heightened levels of work engagement. At the same time, ‘non-potentials’ report less learning and development opportunities and lower engagement. These findings underscore the importance of organizations to adopt appropriate practices and tools to identify talent and carefully consider communication approaches of potential designation. Ultimately, strategically recognizing and nurturing talent not only benefits employees but also contributes positively to overall organizational positive outcomes.
Learning outcomes
• Evaluate organisational approaches to conceptualise potential.
• Analyse the impact of high potential designation on perceived learning and development opportunities and engagement.
• Apply signalling theory in the context of high potential designation.
• Analyse the impact of high potential designation on perceived learning and development opportunities and engagement.
• Apply signalling theory in the context of high potential designation.
.....
Belen Alvarez is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the UQ Business School. She recently completed her PhD in Psychology at the University of Queensland, focusing on why individuals with different social class backgrounds support social movements that fight for social equality. Her current interests include workplace inequalities, HR analytics, and monitoring and metrics at work.
Professor Martin Edwards
Professor and Deputy Head of School
The University of Queensland
A Longitudinal Study on High Potential Designation, Development Opportunities and Engagement
3:30 PM.....
Martin R. Edwards is a Professor in Management in the UQ Business School, and is a Deputy Head of the Business School, head of the Management, International Business, Strategy and Entrepreneurship portfolio.
Prior to joining UQ in 2019 he was a Reader in HRM and Organisational Psychology at King's College London
Martin has a background in organisational psychology, HRM and industrial relations. He holds degrees in Social Psychology (BSc) from the University of Kent at Canterbury, Industrial Relations and Personnel Management (MSc) from the London School of Economics and a PhD in Organisational Psychology from King's College London. Before starting his academic career Martin worked for a number of years as an HR consultant in London.
Martin's academic interests include HR Analytics, people analytics, researching organisational identification, employee-organisational linkages, social and multiple identities in organisations, the role of employee and employer branding in organisations, employee responses to mergers and acquisitions as well as employer responses to judgments of their employer's CSR credentials. He has published in numerous international journals including the Human Resource Management Journal, Human Relations, the Human Resource Management Journal, International Journal of Management reviews, Economic and Social Democracy, European Journal of Work and Organisational Psychology, Personnel Review. Martin is an Associate Editor and Editor of Special Issues, Provocations and Reviews for the Human Resource Management Journal.
