Assessing Strategies for Retaining Internationally Trained Personnel at a Public Rice Research Center

Abstract

Despite the high rate of returning international scholars at the National Grain Innovation Center (NGIC), a critical need remains to strengthen institutional retention strategies. Current frameworks exhibit significant gaps in design, execution and system necessitating a stronger approach to employee integration. Employing a qualitative (thematic analysis) and quantitative (descriptive analysis) methods, this study identified the reasons, challenges, and trends associated with scholar retention. Data were gathered through open-ended question interviews with 11 NGIC employees who completed international Master’s or Doctoral programs. Applying Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory, the analysis revealed that while basic job stability prevented immediate dissatisfaction, it failed to generate active motivation. Fifty percent (50%) of respondents reported high satisfaction, citing strong motivators like professional recognition. However, 30% of participants demonstrated lower commitment, identifying a lack of career pathways as a primary turnover driver, while 20% cited failures in hygiene factors. In conclusion, high retention is concentrated among PhD-level employees with high intrinsic motivation and a sense of public duty. In contrast, Master’s-level graduates display conditional loyalty and remain vulnerable to external attrition. These findings indicate that NGIC’s current strategy succeeds only where individual mission-alignment already exists, highlighting a need for structural job enrichment to retain the broader scholar population.