Investigating the strategic alignment of talent management and organisation sustainability in the Saudi Higher Education sector

Abstract

This research investigates the process of talent management (TM) and determining its link to organisational sustainability in the Saudi Arabian higher education sector. Since the inception of Talent management as a field, it has been largely researched and implemented in the for-profit business organisation. Its benefits have helped organisation in retaining top talented professionals that are a source of competitive advantage. However, it has been rarely researched and implemented in the Higher education sector, especially in developing countries where the phenomenon of talent management is still finding its grips with the traditional human resource management (HRM). The literature review identifies a literature gap in the TM literature, prompting the development of a talent management theoretical framework to investigate the process of talent management and the factors that are critical to the development of talent management process. Thus, a literature gap was identified in the area of talent management specifically in the context Saudi higher education. Based on the previous works of scholars and academics, the Researcher was able to develop a theoretical framework that aim to help higher educational organisations in achieving organisational sustainability with the help of talent management. The theoretical framework illustrated how alignment of talent management with existing strategies of HRM and Human capital management can help organisations in reaching organisational sustainability. The research was conducted as a two-stage empirical study in the Saudi higher education sector employing sequential mixed methods of data collection and analysis. A series of 21 semi-structured qualitative interviews with senior officials in Saudi higher education system were conducted followed by quantitative survey of 110 higher education professionals and students. The research findings confirm that talent management is still limited in majority of Saudi higher educational organisations and its knowledge and training is very limited. The research findings also show various obstacles such as fear of change and lack of pre-defined guidelines as the reason behind not having such strategies in Saudi higher education sector. However, the primary findings also suggest that majority of Saudi higher education professionals are open to such strategic implementation in their organisations. Moreover, the research also shows that aligning talent management with existing organisational strategies of HRM and human capital can lead to optimum organisational performance which will results in organisational sustainability. The main contribution of this research is the development of talent management alignment framework that may help higher educational organisation in implementing talent management more effectively. Specifically, talent management guidance model identifies that five major factors of talent management which are identification of pivotal positions, creation of talent pool, recruitment, training and development and attraction and retention of talent. These five factors can be further investigated individually and their impact on organisational performance can be further thoroughly investigated in future researches. Key limitations to Saudi higher education sector. Since the talent management is a developing field that has helped organisations to prosper in for profit business sector. However, confinement of the research to Saudi higher education sector and limited sample size of semi structured interviews can be considered as the major limitations of this research. Future research recommendations that researches can be conducted on individual factors of talent management that have been identified that focus on the alignment of talent management with strategies other than HRM and Human capital strategies.