COMPLETE SCHOOL PROJECT TOPICS & MATERIALS :
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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

In today’s competitive business environment, private, public and non-governmental organisations are increasingly making effort to build high quality workforce operations; this is driven by the fact that employees leave their jobs either on a planned or unplanned basis. As a result, management succession planning has been seen as a critical part of management and human resource planning process that specifically focuses on ensuring the availability and sustainability of a supply of capable staff that are ready to assume key or critical organizational roles as they become available. Succession planning strategies, which focus on developing employee capability, ultimately enable organizations to respond to staff changes more effectively (Raymond, 1999).

Armstrong (2003) observed that the basic aim of management succession planning process is to ensure that as far as possible, suitable employees are internally available to fill vacancies created by promotion, retirement, death, termination or transfers. It follows, therefore, that succession planning is the systematic, strategic and deliberate process of defining future organizational requirements and identifying internal candidates who best meet those vacancies or requirements (Leslie and Lloyd, 1991). With the system in place, the skills, knowledge and competencies within the enterprise are assessed to measure staff development to see which future positions they may take within the organisation when other employees leave their positions (Gary, 2000).Not only does succession planning encourage hiring within and creating an environment in which employees have careers and not just jobs, it identifies human resource shortages and skill deficiencies before openings occur, then through special assignment, job rotation, training, coaching, mentoring and other forms of human resource development tools, candidates can be prepared to accept the greater responsibility of future jobs openings (William and Davis, 1996).

Basically, coaching and mentoring programs have been an integral part of organisational succession planning programs and effective for developing employee’s career, performance, skills and knowledge for organisational long-term succession need. Its usage by small and large organisations is fast growing and the corresponding effects on succession planning cannot be over-emphasised.

To a larger extent, mentoring is usually a formal or informal relationship between two people – a senior mentor (usually outside the protégés chain of supervision) and a junior protégé. Formally, mentoring is most defined as a professional relationship in which an experienced person (the mentor) assist another (the mentee) in developing specific skills and knowledge that will enhance the less- experienced person’s professional and personal growth (Metros and Yang, 2006). However, a mentor-mentee relationship focuses on developing the mentee professionally and personally. Today, more and more organisations are creating formal mentoring programs for various reasons; from increased morale to increased organisational productivity and career development. However, successful mentoring programs do not just happen, organization must first make a strong business case to demonstrate why the organization must devote the time, attention, and resources required to make a formal mentoring process work. For instance, an agency forecasting succession growth in specific job series may want a mentoring program to prepare high-potential employees to assume future job positions (Murray and Owen, 1991).Therefore, mentoring program provides an effective mechanism for grooming employees with relevant skills, guidance, advice, support, knowledge and career development as well as leadership and management development, as an integral part of organisational succession plan. Armstrong (2003), states that mentoring helps to bring the right protégés on board, ensure that employees are more satisfied with their positions, increase their motivation and ensure high level of employee retention for future job openings. In fact, mentoring is an effective way to foster relationship in workplace and blue the lines of hierarchy between the protégés and senior staff.

In the same vein, coaching is a person-to-person technique of developing an individual, referred to as coachee with skills, knowledge and attitudes (Armstrong, 2003). Leslie and Lloyd (1991:403), sees it as a method of management development conducted on the job, that involves experienced managers (the coach) advising and guiding trainees in solving managerial problems. To this end, the coach helps the trainees develop by giving them the opportunity to perform an increasing range of managerial tasks, and by helping them to learn from their experiences. However, they coach to improve the trainees’ performance by asking searching questions, discussions, encouragement, and providing information/ feedback. In respect to succession planning, internal or external coaching programs ensure all round development of interpersonal, managerial and strategic skills that are critical for those assuming leadership positions. Gerald and Denise (1997), reveals that coaching programs help in engaging employees with their work, make them feel valued and foster employees commitment to the organisation. Also, internal coaching promotes self