Navigating The Rules Of The Game: Studi Fenomenologi Persepsi Karyawan Terhadap Praktik Manajemen Talenta Di Organisasi Pemerintah

Josua Ferdinan Pakpahan, Prof. Dr. Reni Rosari, M.B.A.

2026 | Tesis | S2 MANAJEMEN (MM) JAKARTA

Praktik manajemen talenta semakin menjadi perhatian strategis dalam organisasi pemerintah sebagai upaya mendukung keberlanjutan kepemimpinan, pengembangan sumber daya manusia, dan transformasi organisasi. Namun demikian, berbagai penelitian sebelumnya masih lebih banyak berfokus pada aspek sistem formal dan outcome organisasi, sementara pengalaman subjektif karyawan dalam memaknai dan menavigasi praktik manajemen talenta masih relatif terbatas, khususnya dalam konteks organisasi pemerintah di Indonesia. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengeksplorasi bagaimana karyawan memersepsikan, memaknai, dan menavigasi praktik manajemen talenta dalam konteks organisasi pemerintah.

Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan metode Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Data dikumpulkan melalui wawancara mendalam semi-terstruktur terhadap 12 informan yang terdiri dari karyawan non-manajerial, manajerial, serta pihak human capital yang memiliki pengalaman terkait sistem manajemen talenta organisasi. Analisis dilakukan secara idiografis dan interpretatif untuk memahami pengalaman hidup (lived experience), proses sensemaking, serta dinamika pemaknaan karyawan terhadap sistem manajemen talenta.

Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa praktik manajemen talenta dipersepsikan sebagai sistem yang terstruktur secara formal, namun tidak sepenuhnya jelas dalam implementasinya. Karyawan memaknai sistem manajemen talenta tidak hanya melalui kebijakan formal, tetapi juga melalui organizational signals, relasi sosial, visibility, exposure, serta aturan informal yang berkembang dalam organisasi. Penelitian ini juga menemukan adanya diferensiasi simbolik antara kelompok “talent” dan “non-talent” yang memengaruhi pengalaman, peluang pengembangan, dan orientasi karier karyawan. Dalam kondisi sistem yang dipersepsikan ambigu dan tidak sepenuhnya transparan, karyawan secara aktif melakukan sensemaking dan mengembangkan berbagai strategi adaptif untuk menavigasi sistem karier organisasi.

Secara teoretis, penelitian ini berkontribusi dengan memposisikan manajemen talenta bukan sekadar sebagai sistem teknokratis pengelolaan SDM, tetapi sebagai arena interpretatif yang dimaknai, dinegosiasikan, dan dinavigasi secara aktif oleh karyawan. Penelitian ini juga memperluas kajian manajemen talenta di sektor publik melalui integrasi perspektif sensemaking, rules of the game, dan institutional habitus dalam memahami pengalaman karyawan terhadap praktik manajemen talenta di organisasi pemerintah Indonesia.

Talent management practices have increasingly become a strategic concern in government organizations as part of efforts to support leadership sustainability, human resource development, and organizational transformation. However, previous studies have predominantly focused on formal systems and organizational outcomes, while employees’ subjective experiences in interpreting and navigating talent management practices remain relatively underexplored, particularly within the context of government organizations in Indonesia. This study aims to explore how employees perceive, interpret, and navigate talent management practices within a government organizational context.

This study employed a qualitative approach using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews with 12 informants consisting of non-managerial employees, managerial employees, and human capital personnel who had experience related to the organization’s talent management system. The analysis was conducted idiographically and interpretively to understand employees’ lived experiences, sensemaking processes, and meaning-making dynamics regarding talent management practices.

The findings reveal that talent management practices are perceived as formally structured systems, yet not entirely clear in their implementation. Employees interpret talent management systems not only through formal policies, but also through organizational signals, social relationships, visibility, exposure, and informal rules embedded within the organization. The study also found the existence of symbolic differentiation between “talent” and “non-talent” groups, which influences employees’ experiences, development opportunities, and career orientations. Within a system perceived as ambiguous and not fully transparent, employees actively engage in sensemaking and develop various adaptive strategies to navigate the organizational career system.

Theoretically, this study contributes by positioning talent management not merely as a technocratic human resource management system, but as an interpretive arena that is continuously interpreted, negotiated, and actively navigated by employees. This study also extends talent management research in the public sector by integrating the perspectives of sensemaking, rules of the game, and institutional habitus in understanding employees’ experiences of talent management practices within Indonesian government organizations.

Kata Kunci : talent management, sensemaking, rules of the game, institutional habitus, government organization, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA)