TALENT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES, CHALLENGES, AND PROSPECTS IN PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN EASTERN ETHIOPIA

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the talent management practices, challenges, and prospects at public universities in Eastern Ethiopia. The study's design was mixed (exploratory and descriptive). Also, the research approach was mixed (quantitative and qualitative). Data was collected through a survey questionnaires and key informant interviews with active academic staff and Human Resource directors, respectively. According to the results of the descriptive statistics, the majority of participants disagreed with the aggregated mean values of 2.585953, 2.563408, and 2.4148265 regarding the identification, retention, and utilization of talent, respectively. With an average score of 2.883479, the opinions received from respondents about talent development shows were neutral relative to the three aspects. Based on the finding of descriptive statistics it could be concluded that eastern Ethiopian public universities are not now using Talent Management strategies to identify, develop, retain, and utilize their talented employees. In addition, the analysis of qualitative data revealed that the primary challenges preventing institutions from implementing Talent Management strategies include, among other things, a lack of awareness caused by the federal government's Human Resource policies, not including Talent Management strategies. Finally, it was recommended that the federal government should incorporate the Talent Management strategies in its policies so that it allows the universities to implement them, and eastern Ethiopian public universities should work to create awareness of Talent Management strategies since it has a crucial role in the ensuring effectiveness of the institutions.