Innovative diverse talent management pools in the field of Physiotherapists: a qualitative study in public value driven healthcare sector of Greece.

Abstract

Talent management is important in healthcare and especially in the field of Physiotherapy, due to transformational changes needed to meet increasing demands and integration of services (Vroom, V. H. 1990 ). Literature study has shown that limited research in ΤΜ for Physiotherapists has leaded the profession in reduction of cognitive abilities. Reviews on talent management within the professions of nursing and medicine have been occurred but this has yet to be undertaken in the field of Physical therapy (McGowan, E. & Stokes, E. K. 2015). There are bright examples of Physiotherapists working successfully in new roles according to their talent, using innovational TM, but there is need for more (Gallardo-Gallardo, E., et. al. 2013 ) and there is a great need for highly qualified Physical therapists, which may be regarded as talents and have the ability and the strength to emphasize this evident in healthcare sector in Greece (Ingram, T. & Glod, W. 2016 ). There is clear evidence of the link between TM and a range of important outcomes within health services, including patient satisfaction, organizational-financial performance, staff well-being, engagement, overall quality of care and organizational learning (Kravariti, F. 2016 ). Although robust research evidence supports the many benefits of maintaining a strong commitment to talent management practices, many health care organizations compound the problem by workforce reductions and limiting or eliminating investments in talent management (Groves, 2011). Developing TM pools capacity needs a strong will, strong focus and excellent design to meet current health care needs. There is no single method that is most effective for talent management and especially for the structure of effective talent pools (Hewlett, S. A. et. al., 2013 & Sims, S. et.al. 2015 ). Speaking about innovation, it could be defined as “the international introduction within a role, group or organization, of ideas, processes, new to the relevant unit of adoption, designed to significantly benefit the individual, the group, or wider the society ”(Lȁnsisalmi et. al., 2006). Therefore innovation within the Physical therapy profession might be stimulated by the introduction of competition, such as talent pools and potentially this could force the hospitals to change their routines and norms (Sǿresen &Torfing, 2011). Most hospital managers accept that innovation can be driven by a diverse workforce, but the implications can be hard to prove, especially when we have to prove how diversity affects a hospital to innovate and create talent management pools. New research provides compelling evidence that diversity and talent management unlocks innovation by creating an environment where “outside the box” ideas are heard (Hewlett, S. A. et. al., 2013). “It’s the talent, stupid!” vociferate Buckingham and Vosburgh (2001). Indeed, although a large number of healthcare practitioners around the world have reported that they believe talent management is the most important challenge for health care organizations and despite over a decade of debate about the ‘war for talent’ (Michaels, E., Handfield-Jones, H., Axelrod, B. 2001), there has been littlie theory development-not to mention the lack of empirical and qualitative evidence. All the above are leading us to the crucial questions: how do organizational actors perceive cooperative innovation and management of talent pools within competitive hospitals? How do Physiotherapists understand and support the possibility of existence of talent pools? How does this will affect the innovation process within the organizations and how will this change bring about an improvement in talent?