INFLUENCE OF SELECTED SUCCESSION MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON PUBLIC OFFICERS JOB PERFORMANCE IN THE TECHNICAL EDUCATION IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, NAIROBI COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to establish the influence of selected succession management practices on public officers’ job performance in the technical education in the ministry of education, Nairobi County, Kenya. The study was guided by the following research questions: How do the human resource succession planning practices influence employees’ job performance among public officers in the technical education in the ministry of education, Nairobi County, Kenya? How do employee competencies influence the succession management and job performance at state Department of technical education? What is the influence of Employees’ Talents Development on succession management and job performance at State department of technical Education? What are the challenges that face the succession management of employees at the State department of Technical Education? What measures can be put in place in order to improve succession management to enhance employee job performance at the State department of Technical Education? The study was guided by Total Quality Management (TQM) theory. The study adopted a convergent parallel mixed method research design and targeted all public employees at the department, the heads of sections, and the top managers at the department’s head office in Nairobi. Stratified random and purposive sampling techniques were used to select the study sample. A total of 191 respondents comprising of 8 directorate staff, 7 principals, 8 heads of departments and 168 trainers were sampled for study. Quantitative data was obtained by questionnaires, while qualitative data was gathered using interview guides and document analysis guides. A committee of three trained experts was set up to validate data collection instruments. Reliability of data collection instruments results was determined using Cronbach Alpha. The alpha value of the instruments was above 0.8 implying that instruments were reliable. Quantitative data was analyzed using frequencies, percentages, Pearson Product moment correlation and simple linear regression while Qualitative data was analyzed thematically. Findings of the study revealed that there was significant positive relationship between human resources planning practices and employee job performance as well as a moderately positive correlation between those practices and employee job performance. The results also demonstrated a strong positive relationship between an employee's abilities and the performance of their job. However, there is no statistically significant correlation between employee talent development and job performance. The study also established that there was no significant relationship between employees’ talent development and job performance. The study made the following recommendations: Administrators in the State department of technical education should consider providing additional training and resources to employees. They should also encourage and incentivize human resource planning to ensure that all departments are committed to it. Training should be based on needs assessment to give staff members the skills they need to do their jobs well. They should also routinely assess the efficacy of current training and development initiatives to make sure they are satisfying staff needs and resulting in improved performance. The management ought to put in place a work-life balance matrix that acknowledges its significance for staff development and retention.