Volume 13, Issue 8 (August 2026), Pages: 213-225

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 Original Research Paper

Professional development requirements for talented leaders in the economic field: Evidence from Saudi Arabia

 Author(s): 

Abdulilah Al-Draiweesh ^1, *, Abdullah Al-Jugaiman ², Abdulrahman Al-Sayed ²

 Affiliation(s):

¹Applied College, King Faisal University, Alahsa, Saudi Arabia
²Department of Special Education, King Faisal University, Alahsa, Saudi Arabia

 Full text

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 * Corresponding Author. 

   Corresponding author's ORCID profile:  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4119-488X

 Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

 
https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2026.08.021

 Abstract

This study aimed to develop and validate a domain-specific scale to identify the professional development requirements associated with talented leaders in the economic field and to examine how these requirements vary across selected demographic and career variables. The study employed a descriptive cross-sectional survey design. Participants were economic leaders in Saudi Arabia from companies listed by the Capital Market Authority (CMA). Data were collected using a questionnaire developed by the authors to measure leadership development requirements. Psychometric evaluation supported a four-dimensional structure: environmental and social influence, personal skills and leadership traits, internal motivation and self-development, and innate aspects and career opportunities. Cluster analysis revealed distinct leadership development profiles. These included leaders who were shaped and developed through early upbringing, academic formation, and experiential learning. Binary logistic regression indicated statistically significant differences based on age and years of professional experience. However, gender, educational level, and number of job transitions showed no significant effects. These findings provide an initial measurement-based framework to support targeted professional development planning in economic leadership contexts.

 © 2026 The Authors. Published by IASE.

 This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

 Keywords

Leadership pathways, Talent development, Economic leadership, Professional development, Saudi Arabia

 Article history

Received 24 April 2026, Received in revised form 12 August 2026, Accepted 25 August 2026

 Funding

This work was supported by the Deanship of Scientific Research, Vice Presidency for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia [KFU253827]. 

 Acknowledgment

No Acknowledgment. 

 Compliance with ethical standards

 Ethical considerations

Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board of King Faisal University (KFU-REC-2024-AUG-ETHICS2457, August 12, 2024). The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Participation was voluntary, and informed consent was obtained from all participants. Responses were anonymous and confidential, with no personally identifiable or organizational information collected. Participants were informed of their right to withdraw at any time without penalty. Data were securely stored and used solely for research purposes. 

 Citation:

Al-Draiweesh A, Al-Jugaiman A, and Al-Sayed A (2026). Professional development requirements for talented leaders in the economic field: Evidence from Saudi Arabia. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 13(8): 213-225

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