Managing Talent for Competitive Advantage: Perspective from Gulf Cooperation Council Nationals

In managing the new age, talent management serves as the bloodline of organizations to cope with the labor market and to compete globally. This study threshed out the lived experiences of respondents (n=4) who are Corporate Executive Officers (CEO) in multinational organizations within the Gulf Cooperation Council. Part of the selection criteria, all respondents are locals and within the age of 45 and above. The researchers employed the descriptive approach with case study as the method via in-depth personal interview. It was found out that many challenging workforce issues within GCC confront the organizations today including: low levels of employee engagement, self-organizing scheme, high turnover rates, managing diversity, succession planning programs, and leadership investment. To be competitive, specific interventions were also shared by the respondents.

Keywords - Talent management, low levels of employee engagement, high turnover rates, managing diversity, and succession planning programs.