Performance management and remuneration as main dimensions of talent management in a natural resources mining company in Africa

The concept `talent management´ has progressed into a worldwide and crucial management practice to ensure the development and retention of performing individuals in the workplace. The purpose of the study reported on here was to establish whether performance management and remuneration are indeed the most important talent management factors in a natural resources mining company in Africa. The population for the study included professionals and specialists in fields such as engineering at 14 sites in a natural resources mining company in Africa including fields such as engineering, science, research, technical services, geology, marketing, human resource management, legal services and electricians. Different commodities are mined, such as copper, cobalt, coal, platinum, fluorspar, bauxite and other non-ferrous divisions. The countries under study were Malawi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique and South Africa. A total of 784 questionnaires were distributed to the different mines via the SurveyMonkey™ website and 396 questionnaires were received back representing a response rate of 51%. A principal axis factor analysis was conducted to determine the most important factors. The results confirmed that performance management and remuneration are the two main dimensions to manage talent successfully in a natural resources mining company in Africa.