A Systematic Literature Review of Factors Affecting Succession Planning Implementation in Empirical Studies

Abstract

Today’s businesses must devote significant resources to succession planning to guarantee the steady flow of new talent and the safekeeping of institutional knowledge. The goal of this paper is to analyse the results of empirical research on the implications of succession planning (SP), discover strategies employed by organisations, and recognise the factors that determine the implementation of succession planning, along with the potential issues and challenges that may arise. This literature review was structured using a systematic review methodology. Of a total of 259 publications, 32 that met the inclusion/exclusion criteria were considered. The results show that most of the research was conducted in Western and developed Asian countries, whereas few studies have been published in the Middle East or among Arab countries. Moreover, the results show that most of the current studies ranged across several contexts, including healthcare, educational institutions, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), family businesses, and private sectors, with a limited focus on the public sector. The findings indicate that the availability of a talent pool, congruence with human resource (HR) activities, management buy-in, and organisational dedication is the most influential aspects of SP implementation.