Talent management and the relevance of context: Towards a pluralistic approach

•Critical review of the conceptual and empirical talent management literature•The focus lies on definitions, intended outcomes, and practices.•Discusses the one-dimensional, managerial, and unitarist state of the field•Develops a multilevel, multi-value approach to talent management

This paper aims to contribute to the development of a broader, more balanced approach to talent management that will help in studying and implementing talent management across different contexts. The paper starts with an overview of the advances made in previous reviews and studies with respect to three central themes: the definition of talent, intended outcomes of talent management, and talent management practices. We identify the one-dimensional and narrow approach to the topic as a main limitation of the existing talent management literature. Through the use of theories from the organizational theory and the strategic HRM domain, we add new perspectives and develop a multilevel, multi-value approach to talent management. In so doing, we offer an in-depth discussion of the potential economic and non-economic value created by talent management at the individual, organizational, and societal level.