Talent Management Strategies in SMEs: Case Study of Walker Transport

This report examines talent management strategies used by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with a specific focus on Walker Transport, a leading UK logistics organization. The research aims to analyze the talent management strategies employed by SMEs for managing and retaining talent, covering the concept and significance of talent management, issues faced by Walker Transport in retaining employees, and strategies used by the company. The study employs both qualitative and quantitative research methods, including questionnaires distributed to 30 respondents, to gather primary data, supplemented by secondary data from articles and journals. Findings reveal that while most respondents are aware of talent management concepts, challenges such as high costs, low employee performance, and ineffective communication persist. The report concludes with recommendations for Walker Transport to enhance their talent management practices, emphasizing open communication, performance measurement, mentoring, and investment in employee development. Desklib provides access to similar reports and study tools for students.

Managing successful business project

Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Task 1...............................................................................................................................................4
Part A. Project Planning...................................................................................................................4
Project management plan for the research..............................................................................4
Part B – Conducting research..........................................................................................................6
Small scale research with the help of qualitative and quantitative research..........................8
Task 2 – Present findings.................................................................................................................9
Section 4- Findings........................................................................................................................10
Task 3 – Reflective practice...........................................................................................................14
Recommendations:.........................................................................................................................15
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................17
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................18
APPENICES..................................................................................................................................19

Introduction
Talent management is referred as the process of attract, retain and acquire skilful and
talented staff members for longer time with the objective to enhance performance and
profitability of an organisation. In addition to this, it plays an important role at workplace as it
helps to increase performance, improve brand image, raise profitability and so on (Crane, and
Hartwell., 2019). For the present study, Walker transport is taken into consideration. It is one of
the leading UK logistics & transport organisation that provides pallet collection, storage,
distribution, delivery and so on. The main objective of the report is to analyse the talent
management strategies used by small and medium businesses for managing and retaining talent.
Aims and objectives of the research
“To analyse the talent management strategies used by SME’s for managing and
retaining talent”. A study on walker transport.
Research Objectives:
 To know the concept and significance of talent management in context to organisation.
 To analyse the issues faced by Walker transport in managing and retaining employees
within the organisation.
 To examine the strategies used by Walker transport for managing and retaining talent
within the organisation.
Research Questions:
 What is the concept and significance of talent management in context to organisation?
 What are the issues faced by Walker transport in managing and retaining employees
within the organisation?
 What are the strategies used by Walker transport for managing and retaining talent within
the organisation?
TASK 1
PART-A
Project management plan for research

Time: It is that parameter which completes all the activities within a particular set period of
time. In the present report for a particular purpose there is defined period of time of three months
in order to complete the research report.
Cost: When directing the study, it is basically total expenses and sum which will takes
place. It is very necessary that to set a proper budget for completing the study with proper
resources of finances. For completing the work into suitable manner, the required budget will be
approximately 800 Dollars into the present study.
Quality: Through applying different perspectives, it is that aspect where adeuate standards
of quality have to be followed. In the present report it has been identified certain ways of
retaining talented employees for longer periodd of time.
Communication: It is very important for research worker to communicate the outcomes of
research to their stakeholders in a proper format. For communicating with stakeholders about
outcomes, both kinds of communication has been used whether it is about verbal or written in the
present report.
Scope: It has relationship with the overall management of scope of research report. For
purpose of managing competitive talent into small sector business organisation, within the
process there will be formulation of proper strategies.
Risk: It is basically related with different associated risk which affects the process in terms
of achieving the goals and objectives of an organisation. It becomes very neessary for the researh
for having proper measures in order to identify such risks. It is also necessary that to formulate
plans into appropriate manner so that there can be no negative impact on the identified risk into
context of overall outcome of the research.
Resources: For completing the project within a set period of time, these are the resources
which are required into essential form. It includes certain major resources such as machine, man
power and laptop etc. For maximising the effectiveness of present research work, it has been
identified that all these resources which have to be optimised usage.
Work breakdown structure and Gantt Chart
Work break down structure is basically a kind of tool of project management which has
been used by researcher for purpose of dividing all the activities into manageable form.It is the
technique which is very effective which has been used for breaking the work into smaller

segments so that overall objectives can be achieved within a set period of time. It is majorly used
for purpose of achieving project objectives and aims into more effective and simpler manner.
Gantt Chart:
Gantt chart is very useful in terms of identifying the overall chronology of the project from the
perspective of researcher. Within this chart, various activities of project can be identified on the
horizontal axis and time has been identified on the vertical axis. It involves particular associated
time for each activity and initiating time so that research can meet out the target within a set
period of time.

Part B – Conducting research
LITERATURE REVIEW
Concept and significance of talent management in context to organisation
As per view points of Kai li chung (2020,) Talent management is one of the key strategic
strategies that are used by leaders in global organisations. It is related with exploring the
applicability of talent management as a concept of HRM in the organisations. In small sector
organisations because of limited availability of workforce it becomes more important for the
organisation to focus on effective practices of talent management that can help in maximizing the
overall contribution of employees (Vaiman, Collings and Scullion, 2017). Apart from this talent
management is also related with having focus on training & development of employees. In

present organisation talent management practices is affected by the daily business scenario as
part of the transport industry (Talent management practices in small- and medium-sized
enterprises in the hospitality sector: An entrepreneurial owner-manager perspective, 2020).
Issues faced by Walker transport in managing and retaining employees within the
organisation
As per views of echelon (2020), in context of walker transport there are some of the specific
talent management challenges and issues that are affecting the overall business strategies of
managing talent. One of the issues is related with poor hiring strategies where there is
requirement of strong hiring so that there is sourcing of competent candidates. Another issue is in
experience with technology automation is very crucial for simplification of business operations.
For hiring competition talent there is requirement of effective Technology based on proper
applicant tracking system (Jais and et.al. 2021). There are also issues associated with an effective
leadership that may affect the process of developing talent. In walker transport the organisation
is also facing issues that are related to high employee turnover and may affect the overall process
of enhancing the talent management activity (How Recruiters Can Help Solve Talent
Management Challenges, 2020).
Strategies used by Walker transport for managing and retaining talent within the
organisation
As per views of Hannah Malmstrom (2021), For the purpose of having suitable talent in
organisation there is requirement of effective talent management strategies. For this purpose
there is requirement of certain specific talent management process that includes having open
communication channels with employee (McDonnell and et.al., 2017). Measurement of progress
quarterly to identify the competent employees and managing their level of performance, Offering
employees with suitable mentoring and motivation techniques to enhance their present
motivation level, Investing in the learning and development opportunities of employees by
organising various on the job training programs. Offering employees with high visibility
assignments and retaining high performance employees starting with recruitment process (10
Talent Management Strategies, 2021).
Small Scale research through quantitative as well as qualitative research
Research methodology refers to a process that includes different activities for collecting sample
data for documentation of data as well as data interpretation for reaching towards the valid

conclusion or result (Lanehart, 2018). This makes essential for the researcher in order to specify
and describe the method for conducting the study based on overall the outcomes. In the current
context, the research methods which has been used in this research are described below:
Quantitative method- This describes the method which is basically based on numerical
data as well as different figures and facts. It includes different types of closed ended questions in
the form of numerical data. In context of this research, quantitative method is used by the
researcher in order to gain the knowledge that are based on analysed data. It assists researcher in
their data collection process in cost effective manner as well as according to given period of
time.
Primary data- This describes the method in which researcher collect original information
in order to analysed together for gaining depth knowledge. It provides several ways for
collecting primary data that includes questionnaire, observations and many more. This research
is mainly used for deriving effective and valid conclusion for the overall information.
Secondary data- This describes the method in which researcher collect information that are
based on their previous study as well as existing sources. By the help of articles, magazines as
well as journals are some methods which helps in collecting the secondary information in better
manner. With the help of this researcher can effectively collect information in order to achieve
their target objective related to its research.
Justification-
In case of present research, research collects both primary as well as secondary data. Existing
knowledge has also been uses related to the particular topic for the development of valid and
reliable conclusion (James, Adone and Maypilama, 2020). The primary objective for selecting
questionnaire in this research is to gain proper knowledge and information about the topic that
helps in the development of reliable and valid conclusion. On the other hand, secondary
information is also being used in order to gain the knowledge related to the viewpoints of several
authors of particular topic for attaining the research objectives.
Questionnaire- This refers to a research instrument which has been used for gaining knowledge
about point of view of different person. This will also help researcher in order to gain the proper
knowledge about the whole process of managing and retaining talent within the business
organisation in small sector. In respect of present research, 30 respondents are being selected
randomly that helps in conducting the research in better manner.

Task 2 – Present findings
Questionnaire:
Q1. Are you aware with the concept of talent management? Frequency
a) Yes 22
b) No 8
Q2 As per your view point, what is the main role of talent
management strategies within SMEs?
Frequency
a) Employee retention 8
b) Effective management of skilful staff members 7
c) Improvement in brand image 8
d) Increase in performance 7
Q3. According to you, what are the strategies used by Walker
transport for managing and retaining talented employees at
workplace?
Frequency
a) Provide training and development session 6
b) Allow employees to participate in decision making 7
c) Providing monetary rewards 8
d) Providing competitive pay 9
Q4. According to you, what is the influence of talent management
strategies on managing and retaining talented employees?
Frequency
a) Positive influence 20
b) Negative influence 6
c) Neutral 4
Q5. What are the challenges faced by Walker transport in
implementing talent management strategies at workplace?
Frequency
a) High cost 9
b) Low employee performance 8
c) lack of leadership 7
d) Ineffective communication 6
Q6. According to you, is talent management strategies allow Frequency

Walker transport to attain competitive advantage at marketplace?
a) Yes 23
b) No 7
Section 4- Findings
Q1. Are you aware with the concept of talent management? Frequency
a) Yes 22
b) No 8
Interpretation: According to the above presented graph, it has been interpreted that 22
respondents are aware about the concepts of talent management. On the other hand, 8
respondents do not have knowledge about the talent management.
Q2 As per your view point, what is the main role of talent
management strategies within SMEs?
Frequency
a) Employee retention 8
b) Effective management of skilful staff members 7
c) Improvement in brand image 8
d) Increase in performance 7

Interpretation: As per the above graph, it has been analysed that 8 respondents thinks that
employee retention is main role of talent management strategies, 7 respondents’ states that
effective management of skilful staff members is the main role of this strategies, 8 respondents
thinks improvement in brand image and rest thinks increase in performance.
Q3. According to you, what are the strategies used by Walker
transport for managing and retaining talented employees at
workplace?
Frequency
a) Provide training and development session 6
b) Allow employees to participate in decision making 7
c) Providing monetary rewards 8
d) Providing competitive pay 9

Interpretation: It has been analysed that 6 respondents thinks that by providing training and
development session Walker transport can manage and retain their talented employees at
workplace whereas 7 thinks allowing employees to participate in decision making. On the other
hand, 8 respondents think that company should provide monetary rewards and 9 respondents
thinks that they should provide competitive pay to their employees in order to manage and retain
them.
Q4. According to you, what is the influence of talent management
strategies on managing and retaining talented employees?
Frequency
a) Positive influence 20
b) Negative influence 6
c) Neutral 4

Interpretation: It has been interpreted that, 20 respondents think that talent management
strategies has positive influence, 6 respondents thinks that it has negative influence and rest are
neutral on the influence of talent management on managing and retaining talented employees.
Q5. What are the challenges faced by Walker transport in
implementing talent management strategies at workplace?
Frequency
a) High cost 9
b) Low employee performance 8
c) lack of leadership 7
d) Ineffective communication 6

Interpretation: According to the above graph, it has been analysed that 9 respondents thinks
that due to high cost challenges faced by Walker transport in implementing talent management
strategies at workplace, 8 thinks due to low employee performance, 7 thinks due to lack of
leadership and 6 thinks that due to ineffective communication.
Q6. According to you, is talent management strategies allow
Walker transport to attain competitive advantage at marketplace?
Frequency
a) Yes 23
b) No 7

Interpretation: From the above graph, 23 respondents said yes about talent management
strategies that allow Walker transport to attain competitive advantage at marketplace whereas 7
respondents are against of it.
Business Case Presentation

TASK 3- Reflection
While conducting the present report I collect information about the particular topic which is
based on primary as well as secondary data sources. In order to ensure about the authenticity of
the information I used all sources in order to collect the information about the research. For
collecting the viewpoints of different respondents related to talent management practices within
the organisation, I used primary method. According the present research, I will identify different
problems that occurs in the talent management process within the organisations of small sector.
While conducting this research I can also understand about the importance of talent management
strategies which has been used for managing the talented employees in order to retain and
acquire them within the organisation. Within this research, I sued my communication skills for
collecting the information in verbal manner by communication with the all the respondents who
are basically employees of small sector organisation. In this research, I will also face some
problems related to the privacy and ethics of the respondents as it also important to me for
maximising my professional competence in my future working.

Recommendations
In order to retain the most effective talent within the small sector organisation for long term,
some recommendations are provided to them, which has been described below:
 Enhancing employee development process- In every organisation, it is most essential in
order to improve the development process of their employee. With the help of training
programs, companies can effectively provide on the job training to their employees. For
improving the engagement of employees, the strategies that are develop by the
organisation are should be clear which helps in motivating to them in order conduct their
task in better manner.
 Investing in employer brand- It describes that before the joining of the staff, talent
management had been already started within the organisation. It is used to attract as well
as bring right candidate that are based on branding initiatives. By focusing more towards
their communication efforts an organisation can effectively create their employer brand.
 Boosting the level of individual productivity- This describes that the company need to
provide different platforms to their employees that helps in enhancing their level of
productivity and efficiency. This makes company in order to develop different
recognition programs which help in managing the performance of their employees. The
company can also use non-financial and financial incentives that are helpful in
maximising the method which help in motivating the employees in order to give their
best in the organisation.
Conclusion
From the above discussion, it has been concluded that talent management is an effective
method that help company in order to acquire and retain talented employees within their
organisation which provide positive impact in the overall performance of a company. In order to
achieve the effective competitive advantages, it is important for the company to analysed about
the changing environment along with their management process. The company also need to
provide better job development opportunities as well as career development prospects which
helps in making positive mind-set in the employees. All these things help company in order to
achieve strategic competitive advantage of the organisation.

REFERENCES
Books & Journal
Crane, B. and Hartwell, C.J., 2019. Global talent management: A life cycle view of the
interaction between human and social capital. Journal of World Business, 54(2), pp.82-
92.
Gurusinghe, R.N., Arachchige, B.J. and Dayarathna, D., 2021. Predictive HR analytics and talent
management: a conceptual framework. Journal of Management Analytics, 8(2), pp.195-
221.
Harsch, K. and Festing, M., 2020. Dynamic talent management capabilities and organizational
agility—A qualitative exploration. Human Resource Management, 59(1), pp.43-61.
Hasanpour, A., and et. al., 2019. Designing Talent Management Model in the Banking Industry
Using Grounded Theory. Management Studies in Development and Evolution, 28(93),
pp.93-129.
Hassan, Y., and et. al., 2021. Understanding talent management for sports organizations-
Evidence from an emerging country. The International Journal of Human Resource
Management, pp.1-34.
Maqueira, J.M., Bruque, S. and Uhrin, Á., 2018. Talent management: two pathways to glory?
Lessons from the sports arena. Employee Relations.
Narayanan, A., Rajithakumar, S. and Menon, M., 2019. Talent management and employee
retention: An integrative research framework. Human Resource Development
Review, 18(2), pp.228-247.
Schreuder, R. and Noorman, S., 2018. Strategic talent management: creating strategic value by
placing top talents in key positions. Development and Learning in Organizations: An
International Journal.
Tlaiss, H., 2020. Exploring talent management in practice: an Arab country-specific empirical
investigation. Employee Relations: The International Journal.
Wassell, S. and Bouchard, M., 2020. Rebooting strategic human resource management:
integrating technology to drive talent management. International Journal of Human
Resources Development and Management, 20(2), pp.93-113.
Lanehart, S.L., 2018. Can you hear (and see) me now?: Race-ing American language
variationist/change and sociolinguistic research methodologies. In Understanding
Critical Race Research Methods and Methodologies (pp. 34-47). Routledge.
James, B., Adone, M.C.D. and Maypilama, E.L., 2020. Decolonizing Research
Methodologies. Sign Language Studies, 20(2), pp.201-230.
(Lanehart, 2018)
(James, Adone and Maypilama, 2020)
Online
10 Talent Management Strategies, 2021 [Online], available
throughhttps://www.edapp.com/blog/10-talent-management-strategies/

An entrepreneurial owner-manager perspective, 2020 [Online], available through;
https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/WHATT-10-2017-0065/full/html
How Recruiters Can Help Solve Talent Management Challenges, 2020 [Online], available
through; https://www.topechelon.com/blog/recruiting-software-solutions/talent-
management-challenges-issues-problems/

APPENICES

Project Logbook for the chosen
organisation:
Name of the learner: Name of the Supervisor:
Project Title: “To analyse the talent
management strategies used by SME’s for
managing and retaining talent”. A study on
walker transport.
Date:
Update of weekly research/ tasks achieved
(Account for a minimum of six weeks with
dates)
1) What have you completed?
2) Did you fulfil Task requirements?
3) Are you on track and within
deadlines set?
4) Did you need to make any changes to
your project management plan?
I have finished the project on “To
analyse the talent management strategies
used by SME’s for managing and retaining
talent”. A study on walker transport.
Yes
Yes, The task is completed on time period.
No
Any risks and / or issues identified?
 Did you identify risks/issues with a
lack of skills required for
undertaking research tasks?
 Did you identify any additional
risks/issues that have an impact on
the project management plan?
No, the overall study is executed in a
systematic and proper manner.
Yes, there were issues associated to time
management.

Problems encountered
What barriers did you face?
How did you overcome them?
Time management and ineffective
communication.
By developing Gantt chart and improving
communication.
New Ideas and change of project direction
What Have I learnt about myself this week?
How did I feel when I had to deal with
tasks/problems?
How well have I performed? What did I
contribute?
What can I improve on next week?
How might this learning apply in the future?
I felt confidence while dealing with the
problems.
I have completed the assigned task on time
and put my overall skills for completion of
project.
By focusing on communication skills.
In conducting study systematically.
Tasks planned for next week
Which tasks are priority?
Have you set aside sufficient time for
completion?
Data collection & interpretation.
Through Gantt chart and work breakdown
structure
Project plan status to date (on, ahead,
behind)
Supervisor comments to address

Signature of the Supervisor and date: