Talent management in the healthcare sector: The Case of Saudi Arabia

The thesis explores talent management (TM) in the Saudi healthcare sector. The literature on TM has focused mainly on Middle Eastern countries and, more specifically, on Saudi Arabia. Moreover, empirical research on TM has concentrated on the private sector without much exploration of the public sector. Thus, the goal of this thesis is to fill the gaps in the literature by focusing on TM in the Saudi healthcare sector. The thesis addresses the following research questions: To what extent is the effect of the recruitment, selection and retention process on TM in the state healthcare sector in Saudi Arabia?, To what extent is the training and development of talented employees conducted in the state healthcare sector in Saudi Arabia? and To what extent does TM contribute to the quality of healthcare delivery in Saudi Arabia? A qualitative study method was adopted for the research. The empirical focus was on four health institutions under the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Saudi Arabia. Evidence was primarily collected through interviews and archival data in one phase. The sample consisted of a total of 81 respondents from health institutions located in three regions and one suburb. The study yielded some relevant findings. In particular, it was revealed that, in the Saudi healthcare sector, TM programmes have the potential to produce positive effects on both talented employees and overall organisational performance. However, it was a source of discontent for those employees who were not selected for the TM development programmes. The study shows that the TM programme functions as a source of internal migration and contributes to regional and suburban staff distribution imbalances in the Saudi healthcare sector. Also, the study demonstrated that TM programmes have been negatively affected by major constraints, such as a lack of managers who are able to implement TM practices effectively in order to fulfil the MOH’s mission and plans, and the shortage of local medical schools and accredited medical training institutions. These act as impediments in the training of the healthcare professionals and the overall success of TM programmes.