Wanting it all: the challenges of managing young talent in transition economies

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify challenges of talent management (TM) of transition economies, based on a study of employee and employer obligations as elements of anticipatory psychological contracts (APC) among young entrants to labor market. The authors aim to analyze how APC differ between transitional and non-transitional countries and also if there are differences between transitional countries. Design/methodology/approach The authors used a quantitative research design and conducted a survey using the PC inventory among business students in Poland and Slovenia and the UK (as a control group). Findings The authors found that APC in transitional countries differ significantly from the control group, with Polish and Slovenian APCs being more transactional and less relational than in the UK. Also, there are several differences between Poland and Slovenia, suggesting that Central and Eastern Europe transitional countries cannot be considered a single region in this respect. Practical implications The authors identified challenges related to TM in transitional countries based on APC characteristics and proposed several ways in which employers and educators could help to build more realistic expectations and thus helping young talents with their transition from education to labor market. By increasing the understanding of APC employers can improve their TM practices for the young talents. Originality/value The study offers unique insights into APC of the young entrants to labor market in transitional countries, with regard to both employee and employer obligations. The three types of APC were studied along with particular dimensions of APC. The authors linked TM to the APC characteristics. Based on the results, the authors propose that socio-economic context as well as national culture should be considered as antecedents of APC formation and given more attention in both psychological contract and TM research.