Abstract

The case examines the diversity and talent management practices of the US-based IBM, the leading IT Company in the world. IBM figured in the Fortune magazine’s list of “America’s Most Admired Companies” in the year 2004. It was appreciated for recruiting and retaining the best talent across the world. IBM actively encouraged recruit-ing people from various social and cultural backgrounds irrespective of their age, sex or physical status. In the same year, IBM had developed a talent marketplace to effectively manage its workforce. The marketplace supported employees to find the most suitable job across different organizational units within the company. Experts felt that the talent management initiatives of IBM would help it to gain competitive advantage in the long run as talent is the key differentiator in the IT industry.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Provide an understanding of diversity and its significance at the work place
• Provide insights on how an organization can leverage diversity to gain competitive advantage
• Understand the concept of talent management and its importance
• and Provide insights into how talent management initiatives can complement an organization’s recruitment and retention policy.

Keywords

IBM, Workforce Diversity, Talent Management, Diversity Councils, Line Champions, Accommodation Assessment Teams, Work/life Balance, Job Sharing Policy, Equal Pay Act, Talent Marketplace, Human Capital Management, Recruitment, Employee Compensation