Editorial summary. This is our text summary of an article published by frontiers. Charts, figures, and the author’s full voice are at the original — read it there .
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Editorial verdict
Methodologically limited but contextually valuable. The qualitative findings on the absence of succession planning in Saudi Arabian higher education are credible, but the small sample size (n=18) and single-country scope constrain generalisability — treat the structural insights as directional, not definitive.
Executive summary
This study addresses the near-total absence of formal succession planning for women in Saudi Arabian higher education institutions, situating the problem within a broader global literature on gender gaps in academic leadership. The author argues that informal, relationship-driven leader selection by top executives systematically disadvantages women in a gender-segregated society, where restricted networking access to male decision-makers compounds structural barriers. Employing a qualitative design with 18 semi-structured interviews across public and private Saudi universities, the study finds that succession planning is largely undefined and unimplemented; leader selection relies predominantly on personal trust and networks rather than merit-based processes. Six components of a potential succession planning framework are identified from participant accounts: training programs, proactive HR departments, clear job descriptions and career paths, skill inventories, quota policies, and organisational support. The study concludes that cultural, institutional, and geographic variation within Saudi Arabia means that acceptance of female leadership remains inconsistent. Limitations include a small purposive sample, single-country scope, and absence of quantitative validation.
Key insights
- 1Succession planning is largely absent in Saudi Arabian higher education, with only four of eighteen participants able to accurately define the concept, indicating both awareness and implementation gaps.
- 2In the absence of formal succession planning, leader selection is controlled by top executives — presidents and ministers — who rely on personal networks, relationships, and trust, structurally excluding women from visibility and nomination.
- 3Acceptance of female leaders within Saudi universities varies by geographic location, organisational culture, leader competency, and the demographic background of colleagues, suggesting no uniform institutional environment for gender equity.
Practical takeaways
- The study identifies six components — training programs, proactive HR departments, job descriptions and career paths, skill inventories, quota policies, and organisational support — as the building blocks of a succession planning framework applicable to the Saudi higher education context.
- Quota mechanisms (with a minimum of 30% female representation on university councils cited by participants) are presented as a near-term mechanism for counteracting informal male-dominated selection networks in the absence of formalised succession planning.
References
- World Economic Forum (2018).Global Gender Index.
- Multiple authors cited within article (2021).Women leadership in higher education (referenced findings table).
Source & Provenance
frontiers
Dina Abdullah Dahlan
October 23, 2024
Research Study
Middle East
Original source metadata is preserved. AI analysis is generated separately.
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