Talent management is increasingly seen as a critical success factor as organisations strive for competitive advantage. But what does talent management actually mean and what's being done in organisations to manage talent? The result of a year-long study by Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University, this report draws on over 100 detailed interviews across senior executives, HR directors, HR professionals, talent management specialists, line managers and individual employees in nine case study organisations. Drawing extensively on these case study illustrations the report examines how organisations are identifying, developing, deploying and retaining talent and to what extent this is part of a proactive approach to talent management.The report is structured to: provide information on the background to talent management in case study organisations; offer conclusions about strategy, stewardship and policy;