Thesis:

Influence of talent management on employee performance in telecommunication companies: a case study of Safaricom plc, Kenya

The study investigated how talent management impacts the overall performance of employees at Safaricom PLC, Kenya, by examining four crucial objectives: to assess the effect of training and development programs on employee performance, to examine the effect of engagement strategies on employee performance, to investigate the effect of organizational retention policies on employee performance and to examine the effects of career development and succession planning on employee performance. This study aimed to determine how each of these pillars of talent management contributes to the performance of employees. The empirical work was supported by two theories, namely, the Human Capital Theory, whereby investment in human skills and knowledge leads to improved productivity, and the Social Exchange Theory, which states that employees pay back their good treatment in an organization by performing and being more committed. The research strategy was a quantitative survey design where a sample of 249 Safaricom PLC employees was used to collect the data. The main data collection tool was the implementation of a structured questionnaire on a 5-point Likert scale. Both descriptive statistics (frequencies, means, standard deviations) and inferential statistics, Pearson Correlation, multiple linear regression, and ANOVA are used in data analysis. The analysis has expressed remarkable results. The workforce at Safaricom is highly educated, youthful, with a keen interest in lifelong learning approaches, which are descriptively represented. Training programs were seen by the employees as being pertinent and useful in arguments and skills development, as well as readiness for the change of technology. The engagement strategies were rated high in promoting open communication, clarity of what is expected of them and a sense of belonging, which is fueled by motivation. A positive work environment was observed to be offered through organizational retention policies as one of the primary attributes to the establishment of loyalty. Whereas career development and succession planning were perceived as an overall source of performance, the level of perceptions was relatively lower than that of clear and personalized career paths and available mentorship programs. Inferentially, all four dimensions of talent management were able to earn strong, positive and statistically significant correlations with the overall performance of the employees. The four dimensions of satisfaction explained 78.7 percent of the variance in employee performance, which is a strong predictive relationship to the model of multiple regression (F=261.35, p<0.001). Engagement strategies as one of the predictors showed the highest individual contribution (Beta=0.325, p<0.001), followed by organizational retention policies (Beta=0.260, p<0.001), career development and succession planning (Beta=0.205, p<0.001) and training and development programs (Beta=0.180, p<0.001). The research reveals that a fluent and strategically applied talent management model is the essential aspect that can bring better performance among the employees of Safaricom PLC. Even as the company proves to be strong in many aspects, especially regarding employee engagement and having an employee-friendly environment, the company can do more to make career development programs clearer and more individualized, enhance recognition and employee voice systems, and increase the sense of fairness and transparency in performance appraisal programs.