Organizational Culture as a Mediator Between Talent Management and Job Satisfaction in Higher Education

Introduction: The primary objective of this research is to study the role of organizational culture in mediating talent management strategies on facilitation of job satisfaction in higher education institutions, specifically in a developing region like Northern Odisha with a completely different institutional environment. Methods: The study conducted the research using a cross-sectional survey approach, collecting data from 207 respondents (teaching and administrative staff) in higher education institutions of Northern Odisha. A combination of the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) method was utilized to examine relationships between talent management practices, organizational culture, and job satisfaction. Results: Although the study finds that key talent management practices, such as talent attraction, knowledge sharing, and training, do not have significant direct relationships with job satisfaction in the context of Northern Odisha's higher education institutions, these results provide valuable insights into the dynamics of talent management in resource-constrained environments. These findings undermine the assumption that the practice of talent management in general improves job satisfaction. In the environment with restricted resources, the impact of the traditional talent management approaches may be overridden by such factors as the support of the institution, the effectiveness of its leadership, and the socio-economic limitations. Moreover, low mediating impacts of the organizational culture emphasize the fact that, in some given situations, cultural factors might not be adequately formed or applied regularly to act as moderators. Conclusion: This research is a pioneering evaluation of the interplay between organizational culture, talent management practices and job satisfaction in the context of higher education in Northern Odisha, where these dynamics have not been extensively explored previously. There is an indication from this study that other institutional factors may be at play in Northern Odishan higher education institutions, over and beyond talent management and organizational culture. Future studies can focus on identifying and understanding these factors. The research outcomes highlight the imperative for leaders and administrators in higher education to contemplate broader organizational and socio-economic elements in their endeavor to enhance employee satisfaction and organizational efficacy. The study concludes that human resource strategies in higher education institutions of developing countries should be more than talent management practices and should consider broader organizational and socio-economic settings.