EFFECT OF TALENT MANAGEMENT ON EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP INSMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES IN KADUNA STATE

Abstract

The impact of talent management dimensions talent acquisition, talent development, talent
retention, and career management on effective leadership in small and medium enterprises
(SMEs) in Kaduna State, Nigeria was investigated in this paper. Based on the ResourceBased View (RBV), the study followed a cross-sectional survey approach and gathered data
from 362 SMEs chosen by simple random sampling from structured questionnaires. Partial
Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was applied in data analysis.
According to the findings, effective leadership is much influenced by talent acquisition and
career management; talent development and talent retention had no appreciable impact.
These results imply that in SMEs, attracting the appropriate talent and offering organised
career paths are main factors influencing the degree of leadership effectiveness. The study
adds to the body of knowledge already in use by stressing the need of career management as
a unique but usually underappreciated component of talent management in the SMEs. It ends
with sensible advice for SMEs and advocates of future studies to investigate contextual
elements affecting talent practices in smaller companies.