Jurnal DIALEKTIKA: Jurnal Ilmu Sosial Vol 23 No.
ARTICLE
IMPLEMENTING TALENT MANAGEMENT IN LOCAL
GOVERNMENT (A CASE STUDY OF THE CIMAHI CITY
PERSONNEL AND HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT AGENCY)
Rira Nuradhawati.
Yovinus.
Danny Permana.
Muhammad Aldi Rahmandika.
, & Nur Fitria Salsabilla.
Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani Cimahi.
Indonesia.
Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Sosial & Ilmu Politik Guna Nusantara.
Indonesia.
Email: rira.
nuradhawati@lecture.
Article History Received: 20 October 2025 Accepted: 24 November 2025 Published: 8 December 2025 Abstract The effective management of human resources is crucial for improving public service delivery, yet local governments in Indonesia often face challenges such as low employee competency and limited career development opportunities.
This research addresses the urgent need to implement strategic talent management to enhance the performance of the State Civil Apparatus (ASN).
The primary objective is to analyze the strategy employed by the Regional Personnel and Human Resources Development Agency (BKPSDMD) of Cimahi City in implementing its ASN talent management system.
The research method used is a qualitative approach with a case study design.
Data were collected through in-depth interviews with key stakeholders, field observations, and an analysis of relevant policy documents.
The findings reveal that while the corporate and program strategies are well-formulated and aligned with regional and national policies, their implementation is significantly hampered by weaknesses in the resource support and institutional strategies.
Key barriers include inadequate budget allocation, unreliable data infrastructure, and a persistent bureaucratic culture that undermines the principles of meritocracy.
This study recommends strengthening resource allocation through phased implementation, enhancing data governance, and consistently enforcing institutional regulations to build trust and ensure the system's credibility and sustainability.
Keywords: Talent Management.
Public Sector.
Merit System.
Local Government.
Human Resource Strategy.
Indonesia
AU INTRODUCTION
The global paradigm of Human Resource Management (HRM) has undergone a significant transformation over the past two decades.
The focus has shifted from a predominantly administrative function, concerned with recruitment, payroll, and retirement, to a strategic pillar essential for organizational success.
In this modern context, talent management has emerged as a critical strategic approach for systematically identifying, developing, and retaining high-potential individuals to achieve long-term organizational goals and maintain a competitive edge.
Within the public sector, the effective implementation of talent management is directly linked to the performance of the State Civil Apparatus (ASN), the accountability of governance, and ultimately, the quality of public services delivered to The Government of Cimahi City, like many other local governments in Indonesia, faces persistent challenges in managing its ASN human resources.
These issues manifest as low employee competency, constrained and often unclear career development pathways, and the http://jurnaldialektika.
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Jurnal DIALEKTIKA: Jurnal Ilmu Sosial Vol 23 No.
ARTICLE
absence of a robust and effective reward and sanction system.
As reported by the Cimahi City Regional Personnel and Human Resources Development Agency (BKPSDMD), these long-standing shortcomings have a direct negative impact on public service performance and overall community satisfaction levels.
Previous research has explored the implementation of talent management in various Indonesian government contexts.
Fathony.
Muradi, & Sagita .
examined policy implementation in the neighboring city of Bandung, while Pramesti & Susiloadi .
analyzed its application in the Central Java Provincial Government.
Furthermore.
Seno .
provided a broader overview of the factors, challenges, and strategies for talent management across the Indonesian public sector, highlighting its importance in bureaucratic The novelty of this research lies in its in-depth, multi-dimensional analysis of strategy using the comprehensive framework developed by Kooten .
This approach allows for a granular examination of the implementation gaps between policy formulation at the corporate level and the on-the-ground reality experienced by technical staff and program beneficiaries in Cimahi City.
The urgency of this research is underscored by both national mandates and critical local performance indicators.
Nationally, the Indonesian government is actively promoting the development of "Smart ASN" civil servants who are professional, highly competent, and act as digital leaders to support the ambitious "Indonesia Emas 2045" (Golden Indonesia 2.
This national agenda is legally grounded in Law No.
5 of 2014 concerning the State Civil Apparatus, which unequivocally mandates the implementation of a merit-based system for all aspects of ASN management, from recruitment to promotion and succession planning.
This legal framework is further detailed in Government Regulation (PP) No.
11 of 2017 and Minister of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform (PermenPAN-RB) Regulation No.
3 of Critically, the ASN Professionalism Index (IP ASN) for Cimahi City in 2022 was 37, a score officially categorized as "very low".
This score reveals significant deficiencies across all four measured dimensions: qualification, competency, performance, and discipline, demanding immediate and effective strategic intervention.
Therefore, this research aims to analyze the strategy implemented by the Cimahi City BKPSDMD in its implementation of ASN talent management.
By dissecting the strategy across four key dimensions, the findings are expected to contribute practical and actionable recommendations for optimizing the talent management system in Cimahi City and to serve as an insightful reference model for other local governments navigating similar challenges in their bureaucratic reform journey.
AU LITERATURE REVIEW
This research is anchored in the theoretical concepts of strategy and talent management, specifically within the public sector context.
The Concept of Strategy Strategy is defined not merely as a plan, but as a comprehensive and integrated approach that guides actions to achieve long-term objectives and gain a competitive advantage.
The term originates from the Greek strategos .
ilitary genera.
, reflecting its roots in planning to achieve victory.
In a modern organizational context.
Chandler .
n Hidayat, 2.
defines strategy as "the determination of the basic long-term goals and objectives of an enterprise, and the adoption of courses of action and the allocation of resources necessary for carrying out these goals".
This research adopts the multi-dimensional framework proposed by Kooten .
n Salusu, 2.
, which provides a structured approach to analyzing strategy within public organizations by categorizing it into four distinct yet interconnected types:
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Jurnal DIALEKTIKA: Jurnal Ilmu Sosial Vol 23 No.
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AU Corporate Strategy: This is the highest level of strategy, focused on defining the organization's fundamental purpose, long-term goals, values, and overall direction.
answers the fundamental questions of what the organization aims to achieve and for AU Program Strategy: This level focuses on the specific initiatives and activities designed to achieve corporate goals.
It assesses the strategic impact of particular programs and ensures they are aligned with the organization's broader objectives.
AU Resource Support Strategy: This strategy concerns the acquisition, allocation, and management of essential resources including human resources (HR), budget, and technology needed to support the successful implementation of programs.
AU Institutional Strategy: This dimension focuses on strengthening the organization's internal capacity and capabilities to execute its strategic goals effectively.
It involves developing robust systems, regulations, and a supportive organizational culture to ensure sustainability.
Talent Management in the Public Sector In the context of public administration, talent management is a systematic process designed to ensure that an organization can fill its key positions with qualified and competent individuals, thereby ensuring continuity and high performance.
According to Pella and Inayati .
, it is about identifying, nurturing, and retaining employees who are identified as having the potential to become future leaders.
Their framework identifies several key components of a comprehensive talent management system, including:
AU Recruitment and Selection: Identifying the necessary skills and competencies for key positions and sourcing individuals who possess them.
AU Performance Management: Consistently managing employee performance to maximize contribution and productivity.
AU Training and Development: Investing in development programs that align with employees' career needs and the organization's future priorities.
AU Succession Planning (Cadreizatio.
: Developing strategic plans to fill critical positions and cultivate future leaders from within the organization.
In Indonesia.
ASN talent management is legally mandated by Law No.
5 of 2014 and further regulated by PermenPAN-RB No.
3 of 2020.
This study will utilize Kooten's framework to analyze how BKPSDMD Cimahi City operationalizes these talent management principles across the four strategic dimensions.
AU RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This study employed a qualitative research method with a case study design.
This approach, as described by Creswell .
, is ideal for exploring and deeply understanding the meaning that individuals or groups ascribe to a social or human problem.
It was chosen for its suitability in providing a rich, holistic, and contextualized understanding of the complex strategies employed by BKPSDMD in implementing the ASN talent management system in Cimahi City.
The descriptive nature of the research allows for a detailed depiction of the processes, meanings, and understandings gained through qualitative data in the form of words and observations.
The primary unit of analysis for this case study was the Cimahi City Regional Personnel and Human Resources Development Agency (BKPSDMD).
This agency was selected due to its central and strategic role as the leading institution responsible for the management, development, and implementation of all policies related to civil servant human resources within the Cimahi City government.
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Data for this research were collected using three primary techniques to ensure comprehensiveness and enable triangulation of findings:
AU In-depth Interviews: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with key informants selected using a snowball sampling technique, where initial participants recommend other knowledgeable individuals.
Informants included high-level policymakers (Head of Divisio.
, technical implementers (Head of Sub-divisio.
, and program beneficiaries (ASN staf.
, providing a multi-perspective view of the strategy.
AU Observation: Direct, non-participant observation was conducted to understand the practical application of talent management policies, the workflow of the system, and the prevailing organizational dynamics within BKPSDMD.
AU Document Analysis: A thorough review of relevant documents was performed.
These included strategic and legal documents such as regional development plans (RPJPD.
RKPD), legal regulations (Peraturan Walikota No.
24 of 2.
, official performance reports (LAKIP), and technical policy guidelines related to ASN talent management.
In this qualitative study, the researcher serves as the key instrument, personally collecting data through the methods described above to capture the nuances of the research context.
The data analysis followed the interactive model proposed by Miles.
Huberman, and Saldana .
, which consists of three concurrent flows of activity:
AU Data Condensation: This involved the systematic process of selecting, focusing, simplifying, and transforming the raw data from interview transcripts, field notes, and documents.
The data was organized and coded according to the four dimensions of Kooten's strategy framework.
AU Data Display: The condensed data were organized and presented in a structured narrative format.
This allowed for systematic comparison and the identification of patterns, themes, and relationships across the different informant perspectives and data sources.
AU Conclusion Drawing and Verification: In the final stage, conclusions were drawn by interpreting the patterns and themes emerging from the displayed data.
These initial conclusions were continuously verified and refined by revisiting the data and comparing them against the theoretical framework and existing literature to ensure their validity and robustness.
AU RESULT AND DISCUSSION
This research analyzes the strategy of the Cimahi City government's personnel agency (BKPSDMD) for implementing talent management for its civil servants (ASN).
The study found that while the government has a well-designed strategy on paper, its execution is significantly hindered by a lack of resources and deep-seated bureaucratic culture.
Corporate Strategy The corporate strategy for talent management in Cimahi City has been meticulously designed and integrated into the highest levels of regional planning and governance.
This dimension, which focuses on the fundamental direction and values of the organization, demonstrates a clear, top-down commitment to reforming human resource management.
From a policy-making perspective, the initiative is framed not as a routine personnel program but as a crucial long-term investment in the city's future.
It is explicitly aligned with the ambitious vision outlined in the 2025-2045 Regional Long-Term Development Plan (RPJPD), which aims to establish "CIMAHI CAMPERNIK KOTA MAJU UNGGUL DAN BERKELANJUTAN" (A Neat.
Advanced.
Superior, and Sustainable Cit.
This alignment http://jurnaldialektika.
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provides a powerful strategic mandate, legitimizing talent management as an essential component of the cityAos development agenda.
This vision is further supported by a solid legal and political foundation.
A key legal instrument.
Mayor Regulation No.
24 of 2024, has been established to provide a formal framework for the new system, codifying the city's commitment to core values of objectivity, transparency, and meritocracy.
This regulation signals an intentional shift away from a historically administrative and often subjective approach to personnel management.
Reinforcing this legal framework is a demonstrated political will from the city's leadership.
high-profile inauguration ceremony for 123 officials, which included a public signing of a commitment to talent management witnessed by the national civil service agency (BKN), was described by senior officials as a "very strong political signal" that a new era of talent-based ASN management had begun.
Despite this strong foundation at the policy level, significant challenges emerge at the operational and technical tiers, creating a substantial gap between the intended strategy and the practical reality of its implementation.
Technical managers charged with executing the program identified a critical issue they termed the "data paradox.
" The talent management system is predicated on data-driven decision-making, yet the quality and reliability of the available data are profoundly inadequate.
The most frequently cited example is the data from the annual employee performance appraisal system (SKP).
These performance scores tend to cluster uniformly within the "Good" category, making it nearly impossible to objectively differentiate between high-performing, average, and underperforming employees.
This lack of valid performance data fundamentally compromises the integrity of the Nine-Box Grid, a tool that is central to the program's talent identification process.
Furthermore, the assessment of employee potential, the second axis of the Nine-Box Grid, requires comprehensive competency assessments, which are both costly and time-consuming.
Given budget limitations, these assessments cannot be administered to all employees, leading to an incomplete and potentially biased dataset.
This operational weakness is compounded by an underdeveloped digital infrastructure, reflected in the fact that the cityAos ASN Professionalism Index data is not even available on its open data portal.
From the employees' viewpoint, the corporate strategy was met with a dual response of hope and anxiety.
On one hand, there was considerable optimism that the new system would create clearer, more equitable career paths based on performance and potential, rather than on personal connections or subjectivity.
This sentiment fostered a sense of motivation among employees who believed their hard work would finally be recognized.
On the other hand, there was palpable apprehension regarding the program's perceived exclusivity.
Employees expressed concern that the focus on identifying "star" talent for a select talent pool would lead to the marginalization of the majority of the workforce who, while competent, might not be classified as high-potentials.
This created fears of being "sidelined" or treated as "stepchildren," which could potentially demotivate the very workforce the system aims to In summary, while the corporate strategy is conceptually sound and well-supported politically, its effectiveness is severely constrained by operational deficiencies and the challenge of managing employee perceptions of fairness and inclusivity.
Program Strategy The program strategy, which focuses on the specific initiatives and activities designed to achieve the corporate goals, is systematically structured and aligns with national standards.
The BKPSDMD has consciously adopted the national framework outlined in PermenPAN-RB No.
3 of 2020, ensuring that its approach is both standardized and legitimized by central government policy.
The program is built around a five-stage cycle:
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Acquisition.
Development.
Retention.
Placement, and Monitoring & Evaluation.
This structured approach provides a clear roadmap for all talent management activities.
At the core of the acquisition stage is the use of the Nine-Box Grid model to map the entire ASN population.
This tool is intended to provide an objective basis for identifying talent and forming a strategic talent pool, which in turn serves as the foundation for systematic succession planning for critical positions.
Following identification, the development stage is supported by several concrete programs.
These include formal education opportunities through study assignments .
ugas belaja.
as well as a range of technical and managerial training courses .
The initial implementation of these development programs has shown tangible positive results.
Employees who participated reported a significant improvement in the quality and relevance of the training compared to past experiences, describing the content as highly practical and impactful.
This has led to increased confidence and a renewed sense of motivation, as the existence of a formal talent pool and clear development paths provides a more predictable and promising career However, the implementation of the program strategy is notably uneven.
While foundational programs like formal training are operational and effective, more complex and personalized components are still in their nascent stages.
Initiatives such as systematic coaching and mentoring for high-potential employees are described as being in a "pioneering phase" and are not yet widely or systematically implemented.
The full realization of the program is also dependent on the successful deployment of a supporting digital infrastructure.
The city is developing two integrated information systems.
SIKACI and SIMAKCI, to digitize and centralize the entire talent management process.
However, these systems are still under development and have not yet delivered tangible benefits to the end-users, with many processes still reliant on manual data entry.
The analysis of the program strategy reveals a disparity between a well-designed system and its partial execution.
The core components have demonstrated their potential to positively impact employee competency and motivation.
Yet, the full ecosystemAiincluding advanced development programs and a fully functional digital backboneAiis not yet in place.
The long-term success of this strategy hinges on the consistent and integrated implementation of all its components, particularly those that have not yet moved beyond the pilot stage, and on ensuring the program's sustainability beyond being a short-term project.
Resource Support Strategy The resource support strategy, which encompasses the allocation of budget, technology, and skilled human resources, was identified as the most critical weakness and the primary bottleneck in the entire talent management initiative.
While there is a formal commitment to provide the necessary resources, the analysis reveals a severe and consequential gap between what is required to run an effective, merit-based system and what is actually available.
This deficiency directly undermines the principles of objectivity and fairness that the corporate and program strategies aim to establish.
Budgetary constraints are the most immediate and impactful limitation.
Although funding for talent management is included in the BKPSDMD's annual work plan, the allocated amount is insufficient to support the comprehensive implementation of the program.
Essential activities, most notably the use of professional assessment centers to objectively measure employee potential, are prohibitively expensive.
Consequently, the agency has been forced to adopt a phased approach, prioritizing assessments for senior-level positions first.
This creates a two-tiered system where the majority of employees have not been formally assessed, rendering the talent pool incomplete and limiting equal access to development This inequity was a common theme among employee-level informants, who http://jurnaldialektika.
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noted that many deserving colleagues have not had the chance to participate in training due to limited funding.
The technological pillar of the resource strategy is similarly underdeveloped.
The SIKACI and SIMAKCI information systems, intended to be the digital backbone of the system, remain a work in progress.
A key challenge is ensuring disciplined and accurate data updates from all municipal departments.
Employees report that they have yet to feel the direct benefits of these systems, as many processes still rely on manual data entry through local This lack of a mature and integrated technological platform perpetuates data inaccuracies and inefficiencies.
The convergence of limited budget and underdeveloped technology leads to a critical failure in data integrity.
This reality directly fuels employee skepticism and erodes trust in the new system.
When employees see that decisions cannot be fully supported by objective, comprehensive data due to these resource gaps, they naturally conclude that the old, informal system of personal connections and subjective "like and dislike" culture continues to influence personnel decisions.
In this respect, the shortcomings of the resource support strategy are not merely technical.
they are fundamentally corrosive to the credibility of the entire reform effort.
Without a significant increase in investment in these foundational pillars, the talent management system cannot transition from a well-intentioned policy to a credible and effective practice.
Institutional Strategy The institutional strategy focuses on building the organizational capacity and framework necessary to support and sustain the talent management system.
Formally, the BKPSDMD has established a strong institutional foundation.
The enactment of Mayor Regulation No.
of 2024 provides a clear and authoritative legal basis for all activities.
This is reinforced by the explicit and public commitment of the city's top leadership, which provides crucial political legitimacy and a shield against potential resistance.
Structurally, a dedicated Talent Management Team has been formed to oversee the process, from mapping talent to managing the talent pool and planning for succession.
The agency also actively seeks to build its internal capacity by participating in coaching clinics and technical guidance from provincial and national civil service bodies.
However, this formal institutional framework is in a direct contest with a deeply entrenched, informal bureaucratic culture that has historically governed personnel matters.
While employees theoretically welcome the new rules, there is widespread skepticism about the institution's ability to enforce them consistently and independently.
A common perception among employees is that the long-standing culture of favoritism based on personal relationships remains influential in promotion and placement decisions.
They expressed doubt as to whether the new, objective talent pool would truly be the sole determinant or would merely serve as a formality.
This skepticism is exacerbated by a significant transparency gap.
The internal workings of the Talent Management Team its members, its decision-making criteria, and the composition of the talent pool are perceived by employees as opaque.
This lack of openness prevents the building of trust and reinforces the belief that decisions are made behind closed This creates a critical "credibility gap" between the official institutional rules and the employees' lived experience of the organizational culture.
The analysis concludes that the strength of an institution is not determined solely by its formal rules and structures, but by its demonstrated ability to build legitimacy and earn the trust of its members.
The ultimate success of the institutional strategy in Cimahi will depend on the BKPSDMD's capacity to prove that the new formal system can consistently overcome the pressures of the old informal culture.
This requires not only consistent implementation but http://jurnaldialektika.
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also a deliberate strategy of transparency and communication to bridge the existing credibility Without the trust and buy-in of the employees who are the subjects of the system, even the most well-designed institutional framework risks becoming a hollow formality with no real power to drive meaningful change.
AU CONCLUSION
Based on the research analysis, it can be concluded that the strategy for implementing ASN talent management in Cimahi City is marked by a significant gap between its well-designed policy framework and its weak operational implementation.
In essence, this research answers the question of how the strategy is being executed with the finding that it is strong in design but weak in execution due to resource and institutional constraints.
At the policy level, the Corporate Strategy has been comprehensively formulated, aligned with the region's long-term development vision (RPJPD), and supported by a strong legal foundation through Mayor Regulation No.
24 of 2024.
Similarly, the Program Strategy is systematically designed with reference to the national framework, utilizing strategic instruments like the Nine-Box Grid, and has shown initial positive impacts in enhancing the motivation and competence of ASN.
This indicates that at the macro-policy level, the program has a clear and integrated direction.
However, the success of this strategy is fundamentally hampered by weaknesses in the other two dimensions.
The Resource Support Strategy represents the most critical weak point, where there is a gap between resource needs and available capacity.
Budgetary limitations are a primary obstacle to the comprehensive implementation of assessments and development programs.
Furthermore, an unreliable data infrastructure undermines the objective foundation of the meritocracy system.
This weakness directly impacts the Institutional Strategy.
Although the institutional foundation has been normatively established, the system still faces challenges from old bureaucratic practices based on The skepticism that arises from the ranks of ASN regarding the system's transparency and independence indicates an unresolved trust deficit.
As a case study, the findings of this research may have limitations in their generalizability to other local government contexts.
However, it provides deep insight into the implementation challenges of bureaucratic reform at the local level.
REFERENCES