ABSTRACT
Introduction Universities depend on the knowledge, skills and talent of their workforce – academic, business support and learning support – to deliver a distinctive and attractive range of academic courses in an increasingly competitive market, as well as in striving towards goals of greater inclusivity and fulfilling missions of social engagement. Employers have long talked about ‘the war for talent’ and the importance of recruiting, engaging, motivating and developing high-quality staff. This issue is particularly relevant and challenging for organisations such as universities that rely on their ‘knowledge workers’ for their competitive advantage. As a result, many higher education institutions have put the greater part of their investment into the recruitment and development of their academic staff.
