A Comparative Study of Talent Management Models: Lessons for Iran's Human Resources System

The current paper aims at investigating talent management models to provide Iran's human resources system with lessons. This research paper is a qualitative comparative research based on understanding similarities and differences in talent management models. Data was collected using theoretical sampling (data saturation) method. Content analysis method was applied to analyze the main components of the well- known talent management models. Induction Analysis was performed in qualitative content data analysis. Accordingly, the current paper introductory section contains information about the importance of talent management, research underlying factors, current status of talent management in Iran's human resource management system, and research objectives and questions. The research method is explained in the second section. Third section begins with research results with a brief introduction to talent management models assessing the similarities and differences. The final part of the paper is conclusion. The findings show that models can be classified into three general categories: individual-oriented, organization- oriented and environment-oriented, according to the emphasis of the components. The findings also show designers overlook role of cultural components in talent management. According to findings, it is suggested that courses be designed for all graduates in the education system - and in particular in the Iranian higher education system - to explain concept of talent and role of elites. It is also suggested that the human resource management system pay more attention to environmental factors (non-organizational factors) such as culture, religion, and language, with positive or negative impacts on talent management in Iranian society.