Succession Management and Employee Development:: A Study of Anambra State Civil Service, Awka.

Abstract

Succession management looks to both identify and develop high-potential leaders who are capable of executing the corporate strategy. The study examined succession management and employee development (A study of Anambra state civil service, Awka. Specifically, the study seeks to ascertain the effect of succession management on the growth and development of critical skills needed by employees in Anambra State Civil Service. Determine the effect of mentoring on the quality of employee skills in Anambra State Civil Service. Ascertain the effect of succession management programmes in use  in Anambra State Civil Service on employee ability to fit future roles and to identify the challenges of succession management on employee performance in Anambra State Civil Service. The study adopted survey research design. The study was carried out in Anambra State. The population of this study constituted all the 6,953 civil servants in Anambra State. A Sample size of 361 was obtained by the use of the proportional allocation technique. Questionnaire was employed as the major instrument of data collection. The result of the study revealed that succession management has significant effect the growth and development of critical skills needed by employees in Anambra State Civil Service. Mentoring has significant effect on the quality of employee skills in Anambra State Civil Service. Succession management programmes in use in Anambra State Civil Service has significant effect on employee ability to fit future roles and that funding in succession management is a challenge on employee performance in the Anambra State Civil Service. The study therefore concludes that succession management has positive and significant effect on employee development in Anambra state civil service, Awka. The implication is that succession management has improved the growth and development of critical skills needed by employees in Anambra State Civil Service. Amongst the recommendations were that Anambra state civil service, Awka should ensure a flexible succession management process by avoiding heir apparent designations, frequently updating lists of high potentials based on project-based performance, and succession decisions should be based on a diverse pool of candidates. Anambra state civil service, Awka should ensure active manager participation in the organization’s method of identifying and codifying high potential employees.