Talent development as a sustainable practice for employee engagement: A Delphi study

Purpose: The study attempts to explore the relationship between talent development (TD) and employee engagement (EE). The purpose is to identify those talent development affecting factors that act as key predictors of employee engagement in higher educational institutions of private sector.Methodology: The study is qualitative. Extensive literature review was carried out to identify factors affecting talent development which could play a critical role in enriching the employee engagement. Delphi technique has been followed to identify the key factors affecting the employee engagement level in private educational institutions. Opinions of fifteen experts were collected through a questionnaire that was designed based on literature review.Finding: The study implies that some of the factors that affect talent development also act as a measure to elevate the level of engagement of employees at the job.Implications: The administration of educational institutions may use the developed conceptual model to diagnose areas of improvement for talent development strategies. It would ultimately be helpful in predicting, increasing, and sustaining the level of employee engagement. This is ultimately expected to lead to a better entire academic community.Contribution: The study has filled the conceptual void that exists in literature in the area of talent development in educational institutions. The study presents the relation/linkage between the factors of talent development and employee engagement by developing a conceptual model.