Skill Assessment Analysis of Management Consultants in Saudi higher education - ‎A qualitative study

The objective of this study is to determine the current skill set exhibited by top university management consultants in Saudi Arabia, and whether that skill set covers the combined 21 century skills and digital skills.  The study adheres to the qualitative paradigm and collects data based on semi-structured interviews that are instructed by three-stage skill assessment analysis. The study sample represents the population of Saudi universities where university consultants and representatives are interviewed for the purpose of generating patterns and identifying themes with respect to the skill set exhibited by and anticipated for Saudi university management consultants.  Toward this end, the analysis in this study reveals a skill gap in digital skills as opposed to typical 21 century skills.  On the consulting process level, the analysis reveals that top management consulting positions at Saudi universities have no specific job descriptions or job specifications.  The analysis shows further that the nature of management consulting at Saudi universities is blurred and not well understood.  The analysis also supports that though top management university consultants are mostly service oriented there is too much emphasis on strict university procedures and policies that don’t necessarily apply to their work processes. It seems to hinder their proactivity, autonomy, and problem solving when addressing the particular and evolving problem solving of top university management.  Moreover, consultants generally identify the skill set needed for top university management consulting process in Saudi Arabia along the lines of the combined skill set of 21 century skills and digital skills expounded (Van Laar et al., 2020).  On the management consultant individual level, the analysis supports that that though consultants feel generally comfortable with typical 21 century skills, they express that they are more or less challenged with the digital counterparts.  In this fashion, the study bears Saudi sociocultural relevance amid the 2030 vision of the kingdom that emphasizes the value of human capital and efficient deployment of scarce resources.