Talentmanagement als personalpolitischer Ansatz im Öffentlichen Dienst? Möglichkeiten und Grenzen am Beispiel mehrerer Kommunen im Kreis Stormarn

The aim of this paper is to examine the compatibility of the talent management approach as a tool of HR policy for German local government using the example of a few municipalities in the Stormarn district in Schleswig-Holstein. As qualified staff will become an increasingly scarce commodity as a result of present and future demographic change, public employers in the Federal Republic of Germany are also increasingly faced with the question of how to fill critical positions with the best possible candidates in order to ensure the sustained efficiency of public services.
The opportunities and limits to implementing the talent management approach in local government were explored in the framework of this study. On the one hand, the political and cultural constraints to such implementation are clarified. On the other hand, the impression that the public service sector, more than just about any other large employer, needs to catch up with regards to personnel management in general and profiling its own appeal to the best managers and specialists in particular was confirmed.
This is an interdisciplinary study which includes components from both business and the social sciences. In addition to a comprehensive examination of sources, empirical research methods were used to satisfy cognitive interest. With the help of guided interviews with experts, personnel managers, and members of co-determination committees, important insights were gained which then helped to confirm or challenge significant assumptions. As the shortage of skilled workers and managers due to demographics is not unique to Germany, the situation in four other European countries was also examined to be able to make a cross-comparison.
The study shows that the public service faces similar challenges to the private sector when it comes to recruiting personnel, but it is occasionally subject to other influences in this regard. The extent to which smaller local governments are able to establish a comprehensive talent management project depends largely on their staff, financial, organisational, and political framework. First and foremost, what is needed is the conviction and support of the respective department management team, who will then procure the human and financial resources required to initiate and support talent management as a holistic strategic project.