TALENT MANAGEMENT IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: LOCAL AND EXPATRIATE PERSPECTIVES

Purpose of the article Academic debates on TM generally portray GCC countries as less advanced. This paper seeks to understand why TM is not so well-known and is less systematically implemented in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Methodology/methods Individual interviews were conducted with 84 people to explore TM in public and private sector organisations in the UAE. 15-16 interviews were held in each of four case study organizations (total 63 interviews) and 21 interviews with a range of TM stakeholders, such as government officials and known TM opinion leaders. 30 of the transcripts were selected for open and selective coding. All of the 21 TM stakeholders were analyzed along with a further 9 transcripts selected from the four case studies. The transcripts were open coded by the first author using NVIVO 10. This paper reports an interpretation of the 455 open codes and research memos developed at what is an advanced stage of the open and selective coding phases. Scientific aim TM theories are predominantly concerned with how employees' talents can be deployed to the competitive advantage of the employing organization with positive outcomes for employees. This paper is concerned with broadening the debates on to other stakeholders in TM processes, especially, countries, governments, education, and families. Findings TM as it is conceptualized and practiced in the UAE is inextricably linked to issues of employment localization, often known in the UAE as nationalization or Emiratization. TM has been organized and implemented differently for two labour markets across all sectors of employment; the country's nationals and the expatriate workforce. Conclusions The extent that TM develops in the UAE similar to Western countries depends on how much the implementation of policies for Emiratization and expatriate workforce development are found to be compatible.