A far-reaching study hopes to address what talent management means to organisations.

The six-month project, conducted by InfoBasis, is under way, and the research aims to address the state of talent management in the UK.

The research will involve interviews with a range of organisations of different sizes and across a variety of sectors. The final report, to be published in September, will identify what companies understand by talent management and how they are implementing it. It will also establish the most effective methods used by organisations in understanding, planning and developing their talent pools.

“There’s a great deal of interest in talent management right now, but very little agreement about what it is, or how to do it well. This research will go some way to answer those questions,” said InfoBasis CEO Ashley Wheaton.

And, added Wheaton, there is no better time than now to understand talent management. “With the economic situation likely to worsen, this is the right time to begin engaging, developing and deploying your employees to reach their potential,” he said.