Abstract
Background. Succession planning involves selecting the most suitable employees to assume higher managerial positions within organizations, which leads to improved quality of the management system, reduced turnover and organizational departure, and effective identification, selection, and appointment of new managers. Talent management enhances the performance and capabilities of talented individuals who can create significant differentiation for the organization, both in the present and in the future. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of determining the status of succession planning and talent management.
Methods. This cross-sectional study was conducted using a descriptive-analytical method. A total of 394 staff employees of Golestan University of Medical Sciences participated in the study in 2023, selected through stratified random sampling. Data collection tools included the Kim Succession Planning Questionnaire and the standardized Phillips and Roper Talent Management Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics as well as independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation tests in SPSS-23 software.
Results. The mean total score of the succession planning questionnaire was 2.40 ± 0.50. Among the dimensions, the highest score was related to the status of candidate identification (2.77 ± 0.69), while the lowest scores were related to the status of senior managers' commitment to the succession planning management system (2.00 ± 0.70) and the outcome of the succession planning management system evaluation (2.00 ± 0.68). The mean total score of the talent management questionnaire was 4.14 ± 0.35. Among the dimensions, the highest score was related to employee discipline (4.58 ± 0.51), while the lowest score was related to talent development and training (3.70 ± 0.70). Employee age showed a significant inverse correlation with succession planning (r = -0.12, P-value = 0.017). Employee work experience showed a significant inverse correlation with succession planning (r = -0.12, P-value = 0.015). Employee gender showed a significant association with talent management (P-value = 0.027).
Conclusion. The status of succession planning management among employees is below the average level and is not in a favorable condition. The status of talent management among employees is above the average level and is in a relatively favorable condition. Serious and sufficient support from senior organizational managers, organizational performance evaluation alongside individual performance evaluation to assess effectiveness, provision of feedback, and implementation of corrective measures to improve the existing situation can lead to improvement in the status of succession planning management.
Research Insights
· The results indicate that at Golestan University of Medical Sciences, the succession planning management system is not in a favorable state, with its primary weaknesses lying in senior managers' commitment and the system evaluation process, whereas talent management is in a more favorable condition.
· The low scores in the dimensions related to senior managers' commitment and system evaluation may indicate a lack of sufficient support from organizational management and the absence of effective feedback within the succession planning process.
· The inverse relationship of age and work experience with the dimensions of succession planning management suggests that older and more experienced employees hold a more negative evaluation of this system, which may result from their negative practical experiences with it or the absence of genuine succession planning opportunities.
· The observed differences in talent management based on gender, marital status, and employment status reflect the influence of demographic factors on employees' perceptions of talent recruitment, retention, and development processes, highlighting the need to consider these variables in organizational planning.
Extended Abstract
Background
Succession planning involves selecting the most suitable employees for higher management positions within organizations from a pool of qualified candidates. Talent management represents a comprehensive approach to human resources and a novel method for achieving organizational effectiveness, as it differentiates specific talents from others by offering a unique perspective on the workforce. Studies indicate that many organizations in the country have not performed satisfactorily due to a lack of adherence to meritocracy and competency-based systems in the selection and appointment of managers and employees, as well as a disregard for principles of productivity. The necessity for talent management will become increasingly critical as organizations confront numerous challenges arising from the loss or retirement of managers and specialized personnel, together with a significant shortage of qualified personnel. Despite their valuable contributions, medical universities still lack a system for evaluating the performance of their most vital asset and need to recognize the strategic importance of talent management as a means of addressing this fundamental deficiency and the challenges they face. Accordingly, this study was conducted to assess the status of succession planning and talent management among the staff of Golestan University of Medical Sciences (GOUMS).
Methods
This cross-sectional study was conducted using a descriptive-analytical method. A total of 394 staff members of GOUMS participated in the study through a stratified random sampling method. The inclusion criteria consisted of willingness to participate in the study and at least one year of work experience in the research setting. Questionnaires with numerous blank or incorrect responses were excluded from the study (11 questionnaires). The response rate in this study was 97%. The data collection tool consisted of a checklist of demographic and contextual variables (age, gender, level of education, work experience, marital status, employment status, and position), along with Kim's Succession Planning Questionnaire and the standardized Phillips and Roper Questionnaire. The succession planning questionnaire comprised 32 items across 8 dimensions. These dimensions included the status of senior managers' commitment to the succession management system, the status of identifying key positions, the determination of competencies required for key positions, the status of candidate identification, off-the-job methods for empowering candidates for organizational positions, on-the-job methods for empowering candidates for organizational positions, the process of evaluating the succession management system, and the outcome of evaluating the succession management system. The talent management questionnaire comprised 28 items across 9 dimensions, including recruitment, selection of talented employees, hiring of talented employees, performance management of talented employees, talent assessment centers, talent development and training, career management, talent compensation, and employee discipline. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics as well as independent t-tests, one-way analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation in SPSS-23 software.
Results
The mean age of the study participants was 42.73 ± 7.79 years, and their mean work experience was 13.51 ± 7.20 years. The majority of employees were male (202, 51.3%), held a master's degree (187, 47.5%), were married (306, 77.7%), held official employment status (201, 51%), worked as experts (345, 87.6%), and 79 (20.1%) were health assistants.
The overall score of the succession management questionnaire was 76.53 ± 16.08, with a possible score range of 36–155; higher scores indicate greater succession management. The dimension scores showed that the highest score was related to the status of candidate identification (11.08 ± 2.78), while the lowest scores were related to senior managers' commitment to the succession management system (7.98 ± 2.79) and the outcome of the succession management system evaluation (7.99 ± 2.73). Based on the mean standardized score (0.34 ± 0.14), the status of succession management among GOUMS staff was below the average level and not in a favorable condition.
The overall score of the talent management questionnaire was 116.03 ± 9.93, with a possible score range of 54–140. The standardized scores indicated that the highest score among the dimensions was related to employee discipline (0.86 ± 0.17), while the lowest score was related to talent assessment centers (0.58 ± 0.11). Given that the calculated score (0.72 ± 0.12) exceeded 0.5, the status of talent management among GOUMS staff was above the average level and in a relatively favorable condition. With increasing age, the status of senior managers' commitment to the succession management system, the status of identifying key positions, off-the-job methods for empowering candidates for organizational positions, the process of evaluating the succession management system, and overall succession management decreased.
With increasing work experience, off-the-job methods for empowering candidates for organizational positions, the process of evaluating the succession management system, and overall succession management likewise decreased. Gender, marital status, and employment status showed no significant relationship with succession management.
With increasing age, the selection of talented employees increased. Work experience showed no significant relationship with talent management or its dimensions. Gender showed a significant relationship with the hiring of talented employees, performance management of talented employees, and overall talent management, with mean scores in these dimensions being higher among female staff. Marital status showed a significant relationship with the selection of talented employees, such that this dimension scored higher among married staff members than among others. Marital status also showed a significant relationship with employee discipline, such that this dimension scored higher among single and other staff members than among married staff members. Employment status showed a significant relationship with the selection of talented employees, such that this dimension scored higher among formally employed staff than among others. Education and position showed no significant relationship with talent management.
Conclusion
Based on the findings of this study, the status of succession management among GOUMS staff is not favorable, indicating that GOUMS is not well positioned for the successful implementation of a succession management program. In contrast, the status of talent management among the staff of the university is relatively favorable. The weakest aspects of succession management are senior managers' commitment and evaluation of the management system. Therefore, succession management programs will not be effective without serious and sufficient support from the organization's senior managers, who must deeply recognize that talented and competent employees can serve as a source of competitive advantage that directly influences organizational performance. In addition to succession training programs, the use of organizational performance evaluation alongside individual performance evaluation, to measure effectiveness, provide feedback, and implement corrective actions, can lead to improvement in the status of succession management.
Practical Implications of Research
The status of succession management among employees is below average and unfavorable, whereas the status of talent management is above average and relatively favorable. Serious and sufficient support from senior organizational managers, along with organizational performance evaluation combined with individual performance evaluation to measure effectiveness, provide feedback, and implement corrective actions, can lead to improvement in the status of succession management. For future studies, it is recommended that practical solutions for improving succession management and talent management be explored through qualitative studies, that practical interventions be designed to improve the current situation, and that the effectiveness of these interventions be assessed through periodic studies.