Beyond Competing for Talent: An Integrative Framework For Coopetition in Talent Management | International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management

One talent management benefit in many larger organizations is that the size and number of employees in these firms allow them to develop internal talent pools that can be reallocated to different parts of the organization and at different organizational levels. But as this new 17-page research paper points out, the traditional use of talent pools is often impractical in smaller firms, given their size and flatter structures. As a result, organizations with fewer employees often need to reimagine a modified version of a talent pool strategy for their organizations. This research argues that one variation of traditional internal talent pools is coopetition—a talent management strategy that involves the collaboration of independent companies, even when they compete around broader business activities, to combine resources and capabilities. In talent management, coopetition uses inter-organizational talent pools to do everything from co-attract, co-develop, and co-retain talent. Figure 1 on page 7 shows a framework of prerequisites, catalysts, and inhibitors that likely influence the effectiveness of setting up coopetition in smaller firms. While the research looks at coopetition through the lens of the hospitality industry, the principles can be used for various industries. Other ideas are discussed.