Abstract
This study examines the management of Al-Islam and Kemuhammadiyahan (AIK) faculty at Muhammadiyah and ‘Aisyiyah higher education institutions (PTMA), focusing on how frontline discretion emerges, the institutional factors underlying convergence and divergence across institutions, and the role of organizational affiliation in shaping such variation. The study employed a qualitative comparative multiple-case design involving four PTMAs in Central Java and the Special Region of Yogyakarta, anonymized as PTMA A, B, C, and D. Cases were purposively selected, and data were collected during 2025–2026 through twelve in-depth semi-structured interviews with seven informants across structural levels. Secondary data included official institutional documents related to recruitment, AIK management, cadre formation, organizational structures, evaluation, curriculum, and mentoring. Data were analyzed using a layered multiple-case approach combined with Braun and Clarke’s six-phase thematic analysis, supported by cross-source and cross-site triangulation. The findings reveal convergence in areas shaped by national structural constraints, particularly the limited involvement of AIK faculty in thesis supervision due to functional-position linearity regulations. In contrast, substantial divergence occurs in areas where institutional policy discretion is greater, particularly recruitment systems and the structural positioning of AIK units. Organizational affiliation explains variation primarily in recruitment and staffing practices. Frontline discretion becomes most visible when AIK faculty encounter situations not covered by formal regulations or policy voids. Based on these findings, the study proposes the concept of discretionary talent, referring to institutional talent whose strategic value derives from its capacity for autonomous, value-aligned judgment. The study theoretically connects strategic talent management with street-level discretion and offers a discretionary talent management model for strengthening AIK faculty management in PTMA.