Relationship between Intellectual Stimulation and Succession Management of Employees in the Public Sector in Kenya

Succession management has been a crucial strategic endeavor for monarchies, dictatorships, modern democracies, and governments since human societies and institutions began. The reason for succession management is that people holding different leadership positions will leave the organization at a specific point in time. There could be a lapse where the chosen successor is not well prepared to take over a higher position when necessary. A gap may exist where the designated successor may not be appropriately trained and ready to assume power when needed. The Kenyan Public Sector has been experiencing succession management issues that need to be resolved. The study investigated whether there is a connection between intellectual stimulation and succession management of staff working in the Kenyan public sector. Full Range Leadership theory was used to guide the study. In Kenya, twenty-two ministries represent the public sector hence they formed the basis for the study. Different Public Service Commission reports indicated that the sector is grappling with succession management challenges which affects the quality of service being offered to Kenyan citizens. Using a descriptive research design, the researcher integrated both qualitative and quantitative approaches to collect and analyze data. Out of 597 senior directors and human resource managers who constituted the sampling frame, the researcher purposively chose a sample size of 240. The researcher distributed 240 questionnaires to the respondents to collect data. With the use of an interview guide, the researcher interviewed human resource managers. The descriptive analysis results revealed that the respondents were neutral to the statements regarding intellectual stimulation Correlation analysis was performed to demonstrate the direction and strength of the association between the variables. The results showed that intellectual stimulation has a strong positive relationship with succession management. Analysis of Variance results indicated that intellectual stimulation significantly and positively predicts effective succession management.