This research addresses the subject and practice of capacity building through professional development and career ladders in the petroleum (oil and gas) upstream or Exploration and Production (EP) sector. It focuses upon petroleum professions concerned with the evaluation, development and production of petroleum resources – notably petroleum engineers and geoscientists. The study adopts an insider action research methodology, with a particular focus on a national oil company – Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) LLC, which operates in the Sultanate of Oman. PDO epitomises a typical EP company undertaking significant professional development efforts across its sizeable pool of petroleum professionals. Despite its wide operational remit, however, there are some key issues that have affected the firm and that warrant scholarly interrogation. Notable amongst these are challenges in developing specialists, technical professionals and managers who are competent and able to address the increasing technical, developmental, commercial, and managerial difficulties facing the oil and gas sector. Consequently, this study seeks to propose actionable remedial strategies to address these managerial skills and organizational capability gaps. This research thesis offers valuable literature review of the concepts and practices related to capacity building, professional development, and career aspects. This has enabled bridging conceptualization gaps underpinning professional development and career management in the EP petroleum sector, particularly in PDO, and identifying elements and aspects that were considered in evaluating the studied case. Further, by examining PDO’s organizational records and codes of practice, the study has established the company’s intended strategies and approaches, hence allowing identifying gaps with practices as assessed by engaging PDO’s executives, team leaders, and professionals. In this research, insider action research approach was adopted with case study-mixed research methods combining qualitative and quantitative data collection using three main methods of enquiry. These methods were (1) four focus group discussions, (2) twenty one-to-one semi- structured interviews, and (3) an online questionnaire survey - with 147 respondents. These methods of enquiries enabled engaging executives, team and discipline leaders, and petroleum professionals who are either influencing or influenced by PDO’s approach to capacity building through professional development and career options, hence enabling adequate case evaluation. Four research questions (RQ) were posed with associated propositions outlining the research problem and describing the studied case for guiding the research activities and analysis. The RQs relate to PDO’s approach in developing capacity through professional development, its professionals’ uptake of their own professional development and career association, its dual career ladder model and organizational and individual professionals’ factors influence it, and identification of more effective alternative strategies, frameworks, and practice options. The contributions of this research are in the form of assessing the reviewed concepts, mainly capacity building, professional development, and career ladders/options, and studied practice case, and in the proposed model and improvements to the practice. This research found that organizational factors and professionals’ considerations have significant and direct influences on PDO’s capacity building. For instance, professionals on specialist career paths are driven more by attitudes and motives, while those on the managerial paths are driven more by the organizational support and enablers. The study also found that concept-practice gaps in PDO, such as the measure of career progression being based on job titles and positions, which is suitable for the managerial career path but less so for the specialist career paths. Advances in career theory have called for considering “roles” rather than “positions” as career units, which suit all career paths. Additionally, the espoused dual career model in PDO is not fully in line with actual practice, in that the research showed that in reality three major career routes exist: technical management, specialists/functional and technical professionals/generalists. A number of professional and organizational/contextual factors and considerations were found to have an increasing impact on capacity building, professional and career development and management, hence requiring further investigations and the development of suitable strategies and approaches. A number of proposals to enhance capacity building and professional development in PDO were presented to members of PDO’s senior leadership, who endorsed some of these actions and supported further evaluation and work on others. Notably, PDO senior leadership endorsed a proposed professional development framework and an alternative multiple career ladders model. Key words: Capacity building, petroleum profession, professional development, career options, career ladders model

This research addresses the subject and practice of capacity building through professional development and career ladders in the petroleum (oil and gas) upstream or Exploration and Production (EP) sector. It focuses upon petroleum professions concerned with the evaluation, development and product...