Autonomous Embedding of High-level Talents at Double First-class Universities: A Case Study of the Construction of a High-level Talent Special Zone at University
Abstract：The talent ecosystem, as a crucial support system for promoting the development of high-level talents at universities and colleges, depends on the bidirectional embedding between the structural elements of the talent ecosystem and the high-level talent subjects. Currently, the dominant passive embedding path driven by external institutional supply has shown good effects in talent allocation and the expansion of talent resource scale. However, it also exhibits a problem of dual disembedding between the structure and subject. So it is difficult for the systematic structural conditions to adapt to the characteristics and development laws of high-level talent groups, presenting subject-disembedding; high-level talents are relatively alienated from the university, showing subject disembedding.
Drawing on the perspective of embeddedness theory in social network analysis and taking the construction of the high-talent special zone of University A as the research object, this paper proposes and demonstrates a path and mechanism of autonomous embedding of high-level talent. The study found that: (1) Bidirectional embedding between structural elements of the talent ecosystem and the high-level talent subjects does not form spontaneously and cannot be achieved solely through the dominant mode of passive embedding driven by external institutional supply. It follows that an organic combination of the two and the adoption of autonomous embedding is required; (2) The operation of autonomous embedding is the result of the joint actions of three forces: institutional drive, self-maintenance of the self-organized space, and active guidance of high-level talents. Firstly, providing the functions and status of “micro-talent ecosystem”, micro-governance unit, and micro-network node for the self-organized space, which has been driven by institutional elements, makes the talent ecosystem better fit the characteristics and development patterns of high-level talent groups, and also promotes the sinking of school governance units, weakening the tension between school governance structure and high-level talents, and offering support for structural embedding. Secondly, under the configuration of key actors, academic communities, and cultural climate, the self-maintenance of the self-organized high-level talents is expected to be realized, which can not only enhance the initiative of high-level talents but also further enhance their sense of identity. Thirdly, the personalized assessment methods are likely to prompt high-level talents to adapt to the external ecosystems in terms of action orientation and value cognition, which may provide support for subject embedding and so to achieve the organic integration of high-level talents with the development of the school undertakings.
First-class universities and colleges in China are faced with a new round of challenges in attracting and maintaining high-level talents. New scientific, technological and industrial transformations, together with decreased resourcing and intensification of domestic and international talent competitions has reshaped the global talent landscape. The passive embedding dominated by external institutional supply has difficulty adapting to such objective changes. Therefore, accelerating the exploration of the path and mechanisms of autonomous embedding of high-level talent programs is of great significance currently.However, how to handle the issues in resource supply, talent collaboration, and sustainable operation in this practical path has not been deeply discussed in this research. More importantly, the “talent zone” is just a primary stage of autonomous embedding practice. The goal of building a talent ecosystem at universities is to eventually eliminate the talent zone, enabling autonomous embedding to be realized on a larger scale. Therefore, further exploration and research are needed on the transformation of the following aspects: overall concept of human resources at universities to promote the idea of talent “attracting, nurturing, employing, and retaining”, the school governance structure to adopt the talent-centered pattern, and the academic community composed of all teachers to evolve into a good micro-ecological model built by the talent zone.
许翾. “双一流”高校高层次人才“自主式嵌入”的路径与机制创新——以A校高层次人才特区建设为例[J]. 浙江大学学报(人文社会科学版), 0, (): 1-.
Xu Xuan. Autonomous Embedding of High-level Talents at Double First-class Universities: A Case Study of the Construction of a High-level Talent Special Zone at University. JOURNAL OF ZHEJIANG UNIVERSITY, 0, (): 1-.
