Human resource strategies for effective succession planning in the public sector in Kenya

Abstract

Human resource strategies and succession planning have attracted significant interest among scholars. Research reveals the insufficient quality and lack of effective planning in the management of human resources in departments. Human resource strategies and succession planning are crucial for sustainability, steady performance, and competitive advantage by the public sector. This research aimed at studying human resource management strategies in the public sector and their impact on succession planning. The researcher evaluated recruitment, training, and development, performance, and rewards management. Adopted theories to guide the research were the Theory of Planned Behavior and Organizational Learning Theory. The adopted research design was descriptive. One hundred ninety-eight participants participated in the study out of a sample population of 216. The study participants were selected using stratified random sampling and comprised of human resources professionals and heads of departments drawn from government ministries and state departments. Data collection was by use of self-administered questionnaires. Data were analyzed using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS). Descriptive statistics were used to present the data in a meaningful way, and inferential statistics used to establish the relationship between the study variables. Study findings indicated that of the four human resources strategies, recruitment was the most impactful to effective succession planning, followed by performance management, rewards management, and lastly, development, and training. The researcher recommends an investigation by the government ministries and state departments as to why training and development have the least impact on effective succession planning. Further areas of study include a study on employee performance management's contribution to enhancing employee output and effective succession planning.