“We believe that talent is a free gift for life and needs to be cultivated to unleash the potential of individuals. We are looking forward towards expanding the field of talent management research and practice to empower people and build sustainable nations.” ― Prof. Nicolene Barkhuizen, Director of GIFT
The Global Innovative Forefront Talent (GIFT) research niche area in Mahikeng currently contributes to the advancement of talent management practice in various government, corporate and community settings. GIFT also empowers a future generation of scientists with more than 50 Masters and PhD studies currently enrolled in various areas of talent management research.
Our focus
The main focus of GIFT is to develop an empirically tested talent body of knowledge that will set the standard and guidelines for the effective application of talent management practices in the workplace. GIFT consists of four sub-programmes that have been structured to contribute to the “GIFT” of talent:
- Global and strategic Talent Management
- Innovative Talent Management technologies (e-Talent Management)
- Forefront Talent Risk Management and Assessment
- Talent Value Proposition and Branding.
Why is our research important?
Talent management is a concept increasingly on the minds of managers and practitioners as it becomes more difficult to attract and retain talented employees in a fierce competitive business world.
Our research could assist Souht African organisations to:
- develop an accurate staffing model;
- identify key skills in employees
- make informed talent decisions
- react pro-actively to changing circumstances
Our research findings furthermore contribute towards socio- economic policy enablement and will be translated into practical guidelines for Southern African workplaces.