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Omar, Raaba Amer Al Amry (2024) EXAMINING THE INFLUENCE OF UPSKILLING AND RESKILLING ON ORGANISATIONAL ADAPTABILITY IN GOVERNMENT ORGANISATIONS IN ABU DHABI. DBA thesis, University of Gloucestershire. doi:10.46289/YXZP2549
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Abstract
Research into upskilling and reskilling in the Middle East and from a governmental perspective is limited. Academic studies have ranged from those conducted in North America and Europe, which have provided a rich source of information, but the majority are from the commercial world, and have neglected the public sector. There has also been an acknowledgement that there have been only a few studies conducted in the region, and that have the current focus has neglected this sector usage of upskilling and reskilling. Based on the lack of theoretical understanding from an Abu Dhabi public sector perspective, there was a need to initially draw on the researcher’s professional experience, then the study was informed by the existing academic knowledge to conduct a qualitative study. Reflecting this existing gap, the aim of this study investigated the influence of upskilling and reskilling on the adaptability of governmental organizations in Abu Dhabi. The main study using an interpretivist methodology in the form of semi-structured interviews, investigated the experiences and perceptions of 7 human resource experts based in the Abu Dhabi governmental sector. The participants were initially asked to complete a pre-interview protocol which was informed by the current academic debate which was related to achieving organisational adaptability through upskilling and reskilling. The findings of the study were gathered until saturation was reached and then interpreted using a thematic approach. The study’s first key finding is the acknowledgement that there is theoretical and empirical evidence to indicate that the Abu Dhabi governmental sector does use the upskilling and reskilling techniques effectively, however there are some areas of weakness. There was the acknowledgement amongst the human resource experts that the benefits and influence of upskilling and reskilling needed to be carefully reflected on. This included the need to have an emphasis on promoting of employee well-being, using upskilling and reskilling training to address future rather than current skills gaps, and be less reliant on the training needs analysis. The second key finding of the study is that with the emergence of a hybrid online environment, that the learner’s individual learning experience needs to reflect this. There was a recognition that external training providers could be used more effectively. The final key finding related to the absence of any established or formalised mentorship scheme. The experts acknowledged the adult learner needed to have the opportunity to practice and reinforce their learning. In conclusion, this thesis provides a deep and rich conceptual insight, knowledge and understanding for human resource practitioners and academia as to upskilling and reskilling usage to achieve organizational adaptability in the Abu Dhabi governmental sector. The first contribution of the study includes the importance that the human resource experts need to incorporate all facets of upskilling and reskilling including the promotion of the employee’s well-being, through to identifying future skills gaps and the usage of external training providers. The second contribution relates to the need for less reliance on a training needs analysis and instead use learning data analytics to assess future training needs. The final contribution is associated with the need for adopting a mentorship program.
| Item Type: | Thesis (DBA) | |||||||||
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| Uncontrolled Keywords: | upskilling; reskilling; organizational adaptability; mentorship | |||||||||
| Subjects: | H Social Sciences > HF Commerce > HF5001 Business | |||||||||
| Divisions: | Schools and Research Institutes > School of Business, Computing and Social Sciences | |||||||||
| Depositing User: | Anne Pengelly | |||||||||
| Date Deposited: | 05 Oct 2026 10:49 | |||||||||
| Last Modified: | 05 Oct 2026 10:50 | |||||||||
| URI: | https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/16560 |
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