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The purpose of this paper is to provide an academic viewpoint on contemporary factors associated with talent management (TM) in the hospitality and tourism sector.

A critical discussion of macro- and micro-level factors is provided, while highlighting opportunities and challenges for TM policies and practices. The influence of senior managers in developing TM, with emphasis on small and medium enterprises, is examined and examples of ‘best practice’ in TM are outlined.

Given the scale and importance of the sector to economic growth, it is imperative that governments assume a greater leadership role in shaping the training and education agenda. TM practices need to reflect the uniqueness and complexity of the sector and effective implementation of TM requires CEO/Owner–Manager commitment and cascading down of a talent mind-set/culture within organizations. Examples of best practice in TM provide a significant opportunity for the sector to improve both its employer branding and competitiveness. Examples include: aligning TM with strategic business goals; provisions of robust data generated across HR functions; and demonstrating the impact of TM on employees’ enhanced emotional labour through higher levels of engagement and motivation and on organizational outcomes.

The paper argues that organizations need to take each dimension of TM more seriously than many organizations have done so in the past. Coherent TM practices, in particular, competitive reward and training and development opportunities, will improve employer branding and will directly have an impact upon the quality of applications received by organizations.

The paper provides important insight and practical recommendations on how the sector can improve its productivity and future sustained competitiveness in the challenging times ahead.

The purpose of this paper is to look at the role played by three archetypal constructs pertaining to the individual sustainability-oriented entrepreneur, namely prior knowledge, sustainability orientation and sustainability intention, in legitimation behavior and explores their strategic utility.

The author studies legitimacy-seeking behavior in the case of ten sustainability-oriented entrepreneurs. A qualitative case study approach is used, capturing evidence of legitimation behavior in the startup phase through interviews, participant observation and documentation analysis.

Prior knowledge and sustainability orientation appear to offer little value beyond their role as necessary factors in maintaining legitimacy. Both appear to have limited strategic value for legitimation in comparison to sustainability intention. Intention as a construct embodies the “paradox” of sustainability-oriented entrepreneurship, and learning to successfully overcome this paradox to strategically utilize intention in legitimation is crucial for these entrepreneurs.

Knowledge of these factors could assist sustainability-oriented entrepreneurs in strategically utilizing these factors as agency when dealing with diverse stakeholder expectations to achieve their enterprising goals. Strengthening knowledge on factors important for legitimacy is pertinent in supporting this shared value approach to entrepreneurship.

Little theoretical or empirical attention has been paid to the complexity of strategic legitimation behavior of sustainability-oriented entrepreneurs. This paper provides novel empirical insight into what role these archetypal factors play in legitimation behavior and how they can be strategically utilized.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a prologue to the issue of human resource development (HRD) and innovation which has been under-researched despite the widespread recognition of the critical role of innovation for sustained national, regional and organisational competitiveness.

The paper provides an overview of the evolution of innovation within the economic and management literatures. It then examines previous work on human resource management (HRM), HRD and innovation. The paper then provides a brief overview of the articles for this issue focussing on HRD and innovation.

HRD interventions can positively contribute to organisation's innovation activities. HRD is also found to positively influence employee engagement, leadership, manager's motivation to learn, the promotion of a learning culture, and social capital development all of which are positively associated with innovation. Informal HRD and access to mentors and coaches is shown to be critical for innovation in SMEs.

This paper provides an introduction to this special issue on HRD and innovation. It shows that this has been an under-researched area and it also emphasises that HRD and its relationship with innovation must be analysed within the context of the organisation's culture, its context, and its leadership capabilities. The four conceptual contributions provide a rich road map for future research on HRD and innovation.

This monograph reports on the strategic and operational roles of learning and development (L&D) professionals in Irish, UK European and US organisations including multinational corporations, small to medium enterprises, the public sector and not for profit organisations. This paper aims to investigate the contextual factors influencing L&D roles in organisations, the strategic and operational roles that L&D professionals play in organisations, the competencies and career trajectories of L&D professionals, the perceptions of multiple internal stakeholders of the effectiveness of L&D roles and the relationships between context, L&D roles, competencies/expertise and perceived organisational effectiveness.

The study findings are based on the use of multiple methods. The authors gathered data from executives, senior managers, line managers, employee and L&D professionals using multiple methods: a survey (n = 440), Delphi study (n = 125) and semi-structured interviews (n = 30).

The analysis revealed that L&D professionals increasingly respond to a multiplicity of external and internal contextual influences and internal stakeholders perceived the effectiveness of L&D professionals differently with significant gaps in perceptions of what L&D contributes to organisational effectiveness. L&D professionals perform both strategic and operational roles in organisations and they progress through four career levels. Each L&D role and career level requires a distinct and unique set of foundational competencies and L&D expertise. The authors found that different contextual predictors were important in explaining the perceived effectiveness of L&D roles and the importance attached to different foundational competencies and areas of L&D expertise.

This is one of the few studies to have investigated the L&D professional role in organisations from the perspective of multiple stakeholders using multiple research methods.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a prologue to the issue of sustainability, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and human resource development (HRD). Although issues of sustainability and CSR have become an important topic of research, there are few studies on this topic in the field of HRD. To address this gap, we edited a special issue of European Journal of Training and Development that explicitly focuses attention on sustainability and CSR issues in HRD.

The paper provides an overview of the conceptualisation of sustainability and CSR and their relevance for the concept of sustainable HRD. We then outline the contributions of the authors of the six papers that make up the special issue.

There are issues related to the conceptualisation and measurement of sustainability, CSR and sustainable HRD. The role that HRD plays in contributing to sustainability and CSR in organisations is not well understood.

The paper introduces the special issue on sustainability, CSR and HRD. It shows that this is an under-researched area. However, we propose that a focus on sustainability and CSR will serve to advance the field of HRD and contribute to enhancing practices within organisations.

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the literature on innovation and entrepreneurial learning by exploring how SMEs learn and innovate, how they use both formal and informal learning and in particular the role of networks and crisis events within their learning experience.

Mixed method study, comprising 13 focus groups, over 1,000 questionnaire responses from SME managers, and 20 case studies derived from semi-structured interviews.

SMEs have a strong commitment to learning, and a shared vision. Much of this learning is informal through network events, mentoring or coaching. SMEs that are innovative are significantly more committed to learning than those which are less innovative, seeing employee learning as an investment. Innovative SMEs are more likely to have a shared vision, be open-minded and to learn from crises, being able to reflect on their experiences.

There is a need for further process driven qualitative research to understand the interrelationship between, particularly informal, learning, crisis events and SME innovation.

SME owners need opportunities and time for reflection as a means of stimulating personal learning – particularly the opportunity to learn from crisis events. Access to mentors (often outside the business) can be important here, as are informal networks.

This is one of the first mixed method large scale studies to explore the relationship between SME innovation and learning, highlighting the importance of informal learning to innovation and the need for SME leaders to foster this learning as part of a shared organisational vision.

To examine the association between talent management (TM) and perceived subsidiary performance. Focus is given to the development of one key talent group – line managers – in subsidiaries of multinational corporations (MNCs). Specifically, the paper examines: whether there is a positive relationship between Management Development (MD) and perceived subsidiary performance; and whether national context mediates any link between MD and perceived subsidiary performance.

A multi‐respondent survey was undertaken generating a sample of 143 UK‐owned MNCs. For each organisation, interviews were completed with the Head of HR at corporate Head Quarters; the HR Manager/Specialist and a line manager in both the domestic and foreign subsidiaries of the sample organisation. A total of 5 respondents per organisation is used in the analysis.

The link between the MD variables and perceived subsidiary performance is consistently positive and robust in all of the models estimated. HR having a strategic role in the organisation is positively associated with perceived subsidiary performance; the interaction between strategic HR and the level and extent of MD and perceived subsidiary performance is also highly significant and positive. National context significantly mediates the relationship between MD and perceived subsidiary performance.

Investing in talent management, specifically the development of the key talent group of line managers, is positively associated with perceived subsidiary performance. The national context in which this investment is undertaken is found to affect the associated returns. The sample analysed is for UK owned MNCs only and, thus, the potential for “country of origin” effects is not examined.

In previous economic downturns, training and development budgets have often been drastically reduced. While any such slashing in MD budgets will reduce expenditure – given the positive association found in this analysis between the level and extent of MD and perceived subsidiary performance – this approach is likely to only have short‐run benefits and could jeopardise future competitive advantage. Continued investment in talent is likely to be pivotal for sustained competitive advantage.

The multi‐respondent and multi‐location methodology used is highly original and the findings contribute to the expanding literature on the relationship between MD and performance/perceived performance of organisations.

The paper has been developed from a critical review of available literature drawn from the micro firm, managerial capability and innovation management fields. The paper aims to address these issues.

The paper has been developed from a critical review of available literature drawn from the micro firm, managerial capability and innovation management fields.

Four criteria of micro firm managerial capability emerge from micro firm managerial traits in the literature namely, leadership; strategic thinking; problem solving and people relationships. The review also shows that micro firms are embedded in three resource pools which include stakeholder ties; the local community and the proximate market environment. Micro firm managerial capability is argued to emerge from the interaction of the managerial capability criteria and the resources in a process mediated by the resource based and dynamic capabilities perspectives from the strategic management literature.

A gap in the academic literature is identified and the proposed theoretical model is presented to address this deficiency in the literature. Future empirical research is recommended.

This proposed model will allow practitioners to better conceptualise and design programmes that will assist companies in developing managerial capabilities to innovate. Deep links between hotel industry practitioners and the academic community will enable the effective dissemination of the research.

Hotel micro firms play an important social and economic role. There has been little research into how they innovate and specifically into managerial capability for innovation in context. The present research uses conceptual research to map the field and identify critical avenues for future research.

This study aims to examine the roles of stories in the innovation process.

An integrative literature review was used to identify and analyze studies that examined stories of innovation in various organizational settings. The conceptual framework of the review was based on three perspectives of organizational culture: integration, differentiation, and fragmentation.

A typology of the roles of stories of innovation was synthesized from a review of the literature. The major roles in the typology included fostering a culture of innovation, managing product planning and project teams, facilitating idea generation and problem solving, and analyzing failed innovations. These roles were congruent with multiple perspective of organizational culture, including integration, differentiation, and fragmentation.

Additional research should be conducted to further explore and confirm the study's exploratory typology as a possible extension to the role of organizational narrative in the process of innovation.

The study's conceptual typology can presently serve as a useful learning tool for HRD practitioners to facilitate an organization's understanding of the innovation process.

The study presents a new approach to analyzing the roles of stories in innovation with perspectives of organizational culture and provides an initial base for further research that might extend understanding of the types of roles narratives play in innovation.

The aim of this study is to review published articles within the HRD and related fields to identify relationships between disparate streams of research (leadership and innovation and sustainability).

Academic research supports the complex relationships between leadership and innovation and leadership and sustainability. An integrative literature review of published articles is used to gain an understanding about effective leadership as an important link between innovation and sustainability.

The analysis revealed the parallel research streams are rather isolated from one another. Central themes focused around leadership roles, orientations, practices, and influences; leadership capacity building; and (global) leadership development. Emergent themes with respect to sustainability included global mindset and concern for others. Servant leadership was brought forth.

The literature review was drawn from the four Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD) journals, as well as sources from the human resource management (HRM), business and management, and related fields.

The study discussed influences of leadership on innovation and sustainability, mindsets and competencies, and leadership development strategies for use in understanding how to foster innovation and sustainable practices. Developmental activities including experiential learning, action learning, and service learning programs were considered.

This article is among the first to highlight leadership as a connection between innovation and sustainability and provides a valuable platform for HRD scholars and practitioners interested in enhancing leadership capacity and development in these areas.