Hindering talented employees’ internal mobility: managers’ territorial response to stress

Purpose Integrating territoriality and the job demands-resources model, this study investigated tactics that managers use to hinder their talented employees’ internal job transfer attempts. This study proposed that managers’ psychological ownership of talent would relate to their use of persuasion and nurturing tactics, and that managers’ role overload and job social support would moderate these relationships. Design/methodology/approach The data for this study was collected by administering two surveys approximately two weeks apart. A hundred and sixteen managers provided complete data for analysis. Findings Psychological ownership of talent related to persuasion tactics but not nurturing tactics. When overload was higher and social support was lower, managers with higher psychological ownership reported using more persuasion tactics to hinder their talented employees’ internal mobility. This study did not find significant interactions for nurturing tactics. Practical implications Internal talent hindering can impede employee access to critical learning and growth opportunities, and employees who feel their mobility is restricted may be more inclined to turnover. Accordingly, managers who hinder internal mobility can negatively affect talented employees’ leadership development within an organization and the effectiveness of its succession plans. Originality/value This study demonstrates empirically that managers intentionally use tactics to hinder the internal transfers of their talented employees. This study identifies predictors and boundary conditions of hindering tactics, and this knowledge can help organizations address internal talent hindering.