Expatriates' dominance and building sustainable learning organizations in the GCC: the process of knowledge creation, transfer, and retention

Purpose Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries remain heavily dependent on temporary expatriate workforces while pursuing the development of more sustainable and knowledge-based economies. This paper examines the underexplored role of expatriates in creating, transferring, and retaining sustainability-related knowledge within GCC organizations. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the sustainable learning organization and expatriate management literature, we develop a conceptual framework that explains how expatriates' dominance can support sustainability learning in the GCC. The framework integrates the knowledge management stages of creation, transfer, and retention to reconcile competing views on whether expatriates hinder or advance sustainability learning outcomes. It also illustrates how several factors moderate these relationships. Findings The model shows that expatriates can contribute to sustainable knowledge creation, and this relationship is positively moderated by the fostering of internal dialogue that builds collective sustainability mindsets. It further identifies how macro-, meso-, and micro-level conditions can moderate the relationship between knowledge creation and transfer. Finally, it explains how management processes, human resource management systems, operations, and community engagement can help retain expatriate-led sustainability knowledge within organizations. Practical implications The framework gives managers and policymakers in GCC organizations a clearer way to use expatriates' knowledge to support sustainability goals. Rather than focusing only on whether expatriate-dominated workforces are helpful or problematic, it shows how organizations can create the right conditions for sustainability-related knowledge to be shared, embedded, and retained. Social implications The paper also shows that expatriates' sustainability knowledge can have wider value for GCC societies. When this knowledge is retained within organizations, it can support local capability development, strengthen community engagement, reduce knowledge loss, and contribute to more resilient and sustainable economies. Originality/value This paper shifts the debate from whether expatriates are a sustainability burden or a resource to how their knowledge can contribute to building sustainable learning organizations. It provides a context-specific process framework that positions expatriates as potential strategic actors in sustainability-related knowledge creation, transfer, and retention in the GCC.