Coaction interrupted: logic contestations in the implementation of inter-organisational collaboration around talent management in the public sector in Scotland

Our study explores how human resources (HR) actors from 24 public sector organisations in Scotland interpret and address multiple and competing institutional logics in the context of the implementation of an inter‐organisational collaboration within the public sector to develop and implement talent management (TM). Our findings reveal that HR actors encountered day‐to‐day difficulties in blending different versions of TM, the need to have professional autonomy versus the requirement to develop some shared TM practices, and the fit of TM practices with public sector organisations. We therefore found that institutional logics impacted in different ways on efforts to collaborate and the types of TM practices developed and implemented. Theoretically, our study findings reveal that HR actors have agency at the practice level and that powerful actors can advocate particular logics to protect their professional and organisational interests.