Tabriz University of Medical Sciences Depiction of Health 2008-9058 17 3 2026 09 30 Succession Planning and Talent Management among the Administrative Staff in Iranian Universities of Medical Sciences 337 354 10.34172/doh.2026.26 EN Mohammad Javad Kabir https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7960-7670 Alireza Heidari https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9262-7967 Alireza Yasaei https://orcid.org/0009-0006-1921-6380 Zahra Khatirnamani https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0381-8687 Journal Article 10.34172/doh.2026.26 2025 08 25 2026 09 26 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 university context. Methods. This cross-sectional study was conducted using a descriptive-analytical method. A total of 394 staff employees of Golestan University of Medical Sciences in Iran, 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 · Universities are currently facing a strategic generational shift and the challenge of losing elite talent and senior executives. In a landscape of escalating administrative complexities and international competition, traditional, reactive approaches to appointing leaders and managers are no longer sufficient to preserve the intellectual capital of a competent workforce or ensure the operational continuity of higher education institutions. · Prior to this study, there was insufficient documented information regarding the status of succession planning and talent management in Iran's medical sciences universities—particularly at the administrative staff level. · This study 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 gap between current academic experts and the next generation of leaders stems from a lack of systematic succession-planning infrastructure, resulting in the waste of intellectual capital and the disruption of the university's strategic transformation trajectory. · Substantial and adequate support from senior management, combined with the assessment of organizational performance alongside individual performance to gauge effectiveness, provide feedback, and implement corrective measures, can lead to improvements in succession management.