An Investigation into Succession Planning Initiatives in Government : A Case of the Botswana National Archives and Records Service

Abstract

This research is an investigation into Succession planning initiatives in government agencies in Botswana, a case of the Botswana National Archives and Records Services. The Botswana National Archives and Records Services has been experiencing a significant loss of employees over the years. When people leave the organisation in most cases the vacant position will take too long to fill, especially for those positions that require the technical qualification and experience in Archives and Records Management. This state of affairs according to the researcher may be addressed by implementing a succession planning strategy. Succession planning has the potential to uplift government agencies in terms of increased productivity, motivation, efficiency and retention of staff. Succession planning can help organisations to invest more on developing their staff for future key positions to ensure business continuity. It is important for organisations to have a strong pipeline so that key positions are easily filled as they become vacant. This study sought to establish if the Botswana National Archives and Records Services has any initiatives on succession planning and how well the employees understand the concept of succession planning. A questionnaire was designed and administered to the staff of the National Archives. The findings from the study reveal that most of the employees do not understand the concept of succession planning and the organisation has no initiative on succession planning. These findings led to the conclusion that the National Archives should include succession planning in its business strategy and teach its employees about it to ensure business continuity.