Relationship Between Succession Planning Practices and Employee Retention in Large Media Houses in Kenya
Abstract
The objective of the study was to establish the relationship between succession planning
practices and employee retention in large media houses in Kenya. The study adopted a
descriptive survey design. This design was suitable for the study since it involved
collecting data from several respondents. Primary data was obtained using selfadministered
semi structured questionnaire which was the main data collection
instrument. The study targeted 3,000 permanent employees working in the media houses.
The researcher used Mugenda and Mugenda (1999) percentage formula and employed a
stratified proportionate sampling design to select the sample size. Data was then analyzed
using descriptive statistics and analysis of variances. Tables, pie charts and graphs were
used to present the findings. From the study, the findings reveal that there is a positive
relationship between succession planning practices and employee retention. Additionally,
the findings suggest that succession planning practices are evidently implemented in the
media houses though only for key positions and not all positions. The findings also
suggest that career management is critical as majority of the employees feel that there are
no clear career paths and if they exist, they are too narrow. This is evident in that though
it has been implied that employees leave in search of better benefits and pay the strong
reason why they leave is mostly for career progression. Recommendations that were
drawn from the study were that; clear career paths need to be put in place and promotions
should always not only be on merit but consider seniority and experience. Pay should
always be benchmarked with the market rate and also be based on performance. The
current succession planning policy should clearly be known to all employees from the
day of induction and be reviewed after two years for it to be practical. It is not enough for
managers to have good management skills but time should be allocated for training and
grooming of employees who have potential for leadership. Head-hunting and networking
has contributed to retention of key talent but has also brought about demotivation of other
employees who play a key role in increasing the productivity of the organizations. In this
regard, management should exhaust all internal talent before considering external talent.
The conclusion of this study is that there exists a positive relationship between succession
planning practices and employee retention as confirmed by the correlation analysis where
(R = 0.274). In this regards, all managers need to identify their own successors in every
position and manage the career progress of their team members so as to avoid career
stagnation and losing key talent.
Citation
Masters of Business AdministrationPublisher
University of Nairobi