Strategies of Overcoming Barriers to Talent Management: An African Tribal Perspective

Abstract

Africa as a continent has lost its talent to the international countries due to the brain drain. Limited research has been done on the African perspective on talent management under the tribal authorities. Strategies to get beyond these barriers and establish a more welcoming and encouraging atmosphere for tribal talent is necessitated. The purpose of the paper was to determine the strategies needed to overcome the barriers to talent management from an African tribal leadership perspective. Further, to determine how to attract and retain talent from an African tribal leadership perspective. Traditional leaders representing their respective tribes in the North-West Province were interviewed in the form of focus group discussion. A non-probability judgemental sampling was used for the study: a non-probability judgmental sampling method was used to identify traditional leaders in the North-West Province, and a thematic analysis was applied to analyse the data. Succession planning was highlighted in the findings of the study as a complicated matter. Furthermore, poor rural and socioeconomic development were identified as the push factors of the best performers and skilled individuals from the local communities. African leaders should recognise the human capital, which encompasses the skills, knowledge, and abilities of their citizens, because is a crucial factor for economic development and social progress.