Relationship between succession planning and performance of star-rated hotels in Kenya

Autores

  • Eunice Ayuma Yeswa Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya
  • Thomas Anyanje Senaji Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya
  • Clive Mukanzi Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9987-1310
  • Mbithi Mutua Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51867/ajernet.7.2.8

Palavras-chave:

Hotel Industry, Performance, Succession Planning, Talent Management, Kenya

Resumo

The hospitality industry in Kenya is highly sophisticated, with new entrants and daily losses experienced due to the kind of services offered, particularly in the hotel industry. In this case, hotel leadership and work, by extension, face a myriad of challenges that call for effective talent management. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between succession planning and the performance of star-rated hotels in Kenya. The study was anchored on human capital theory, pioneered by Becker and Schultz in the early 1960s, which emphasizes the importance of employees in realizing optimum organizational performance. The research design adopted for this study was based on positivist philosophy, whereby explanatory and descriptive research designs were used. The study used a purposive sampling technique to select 305 respondents. Data was collected using questionnaires. The study's findings, based on the correlation and linear regression coefficients, indicated that succession planning had a positive and significant influence on organizational performance. This implies that an increase in succession planning programs would cause a corresponding increase in the performance of star-rated hotels in Kenya. Therefore, the corresponding null hypothesis was also rejected. The study, therefore, concluded that the hotel industry should consider enhancing succession planning to enhance performance amidst increased competition. The study thus recommended that star-rated hotels should establish succession planning programmes and put in place development plans for their potential successors. These programmes will enhance the retention of potential successors who have high potential talent.

Downloads

Não há dados estatísticos.

Referências

Aberi, L., & Wanyoike, R. (2025). Competitive strategies and organizational performance of five-star hotels in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The Strategic Journal of Business & Change Management, 12(2), 375-390.

Abid, H. M. S., Asif, M., & Abbas, R. (2025). The impact of green HRM on organizational productivity, employee engagement, and long-term sustainability goals. Journal of Business Management Research, 4, 589-614.

Al Jahwari, A., & Alwi, M. N. R. (2023). The role of top management support and effective communication on succession planning effectiveness: An empirical study of Omani civil service organizations. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 21(3), 244-254.

https://doi.org/10.21511/ppm.21(3).2023.19 DOI: https://doi.org/10.21511/ppm.21(3).2023.19

Bano, Y., Omar, S. S., & Ismail, F. (2022). Succession planning best practices for organizations: A systematic literature review approach. International Journal of Global Optimization and Its Application, 1(1), 39-48.

https://doi.org/10.56225/ijgoia.v1i1.12 DOI: https://doi.org/10.56225/ijgoia.v1i1.12

Baum, T. (2007). Human resources in tourism: Still waiting for change. Tourism Management, 28(6), 1383-1399.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2007.04.005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2007.04.005

Bristol-Alagbariya, B., Ayanponle, O. L., & Ogedengbe, D. E. (2024). Leadership development and talent management in constrained resource settings: A strategic HR perspective. Comprehensive Research and Reviews Journal, 2(2), 013-022.

https://doi.org/10.57219/crrj.2024.2.2.0031 DOI: https://doi.org/10.57219/crrj.2024.2.2.0031

Chigora, F., Ndlovu, J., Mutambara, E., & Mashau, P. (2021). Succession planning for brand sustainability of Zimbabwean small and medium tourism enterprises (SMTEs) in the COVID-19 pandemic. Gender and Behaviour, 19(1), 17609-17624.

Congna, H., & Saad, N. (2025). The impact of human capital on employment quality: A scoping review. Cogent Education, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2025.2552352 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2025.2552352

Enz, C. A. (2009). Human resource management: A troubling issue for the global hotel industry. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 50(4), 578-583.

https://doi.org/10.1177/1938965509349030 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1938965509349030

Eshiteti, N. E., Okaka, O., Maragia, S. N., Odera, O., & Akerele, E. K. (2013). Effects of succession planning programs on staff retention. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 4(6), 157-162. https://doi.org/10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n6p157 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n6p157

Ferede, W. L., Endawoke, Y., & Tessema, G. (2024). Effects of strategic leadership on change management: Examining the mediating roles of accountability, knowledge management, and organizational culture in public organizations. Cogent Business & Management, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2024.2416613 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2024.2416613

Gitongu, M. N. (2021). Influence of employee training on organisational performance in three-star rated hotels in Nakuru County, Kenya. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 4(1), 40-51.

Groves, K. S. (2007). Integrating leadership development and succession planning best practices. Journal of Management Development, 26(3), 239-260. https://doi.org/10.1108/02621710710732146 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/02621710710732146

Kamau, A. N., & Juma, D. (2023). Talent management practices and employee performance in De La Rue Company in Kenya. The Strategic Journal of Business & Change Management, 10(4), 290-309. http://dx.doi.org/10.61426/sjbcm.v10i4.2751

https://doi.org/10.61426/sjbcm.v10i4.2751 DOI: https://doi.org/10.61426/sjbcm.v10i4.2751

Kariuki, S. N., & Ochiri, G. (2017). Strategic succession planning strategies on organizational productivity: A case of Githunguri Dairy Cooperative Society. International Academic Journal of Human Resource and Business Administration, 2(3), 179-200.

Karthik, T., Bizotto, B. L. S., & Sathiyanarayanan, M. (2023). Industry 5.0: An overall assessment of using artificial intelligence in industries. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Information Technology, 101(24), 43-54.

Kendall, N. D. (2024). An effective, robust, and strategic succession plan for a primary law enforcement agency in Guyana, South America. Open Journal of Leadership, 13, 412-445. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojl.2024.133023 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4236/ojl.2024.133023

Kesner, I. F., & Sebora, T. C. (1994). Executive succession: Past, present and future. Journal of Management, 20(2), 327-372. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920639402000204 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/014920639402000204

Meyer, K. E., Li, J., Brouthers, K. D., & Jean, R. (2023). International business in the digital age: Global strategies in a world of national institutions. Journal of International Business Studies, 54(4), 577-598. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-023-00618-x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-023-00618-x

Oltulular, S. (2025). Human capital dynamics are the key to economic growth: Source of value of the future. Economies, 13(8), 235. https://doi.org/10.3390/economies13080235 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/economies13080235

Onyango, M., & Makhamara, F. (2024). Leadership development strategy in succession planning and employee performance in the state department for public service, Nairobi City County, Kenya. The Strategic Journal of Business & Change Management, 11(3), 706-717. http://dx.doi.org/10.61426/sjbcm.v11i3.3052

Ostrowski, B. A. (1986). First-time accounting faculty: The job search, acceptance, and support process. Issues in Accounting Education, 1(1), 1-48.

Rahmadani, V. G., Schaufeli, W. B., Stouten, J., Zhang, Z., & Zulkarnain, Z. (2020). Engaging leadership and its implication for work engagement and job outcomes at the individual and team level: A multi-level longitudinal study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(3), 776. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17030776 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17030776

Rothwell, W. J. (2005). Effective succession planning: Ensuring leadership continuity and building talent from within. American Management Association.

Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2009). Research methods for business students (5th ed.). Prentice Hall.

Shi, L. (2022). Strategic outsourcing's role in driving economic value by examining mediating role of organizational capabilities and sustainable innovation. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 933507. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.933507 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.933507

Shipman, F. B. (2007). Formal succession planning in healthcare organizations: Meeting leadership needs in a changing American workforce (UMI No. 3263463) [Doctoral dissertation, Spalding University]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Database.

Strober, M. H. (1990). Human capital theory: Implications for HR managers. Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, 29(2), 214-239. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-232X.1990.tb00752.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-232X.1990.tb00752.x

Tamunomiebi, M. D., & Okwakpam, J. A. (2019). Effective succession planning: A roadmap to employee retention. Arabian Journal of Business and Management Review (Kuwait Chapter), 8(2), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.12816/0055330 DOI: https://doi.org/10.12816/0055330

Tunje, G. S. (2014). Relationship between succession planning practices and employee retention in large media houses in Kenya [Unpublished MBA dissertation]. University of Nairobi.

Wangechi, E., Koome, P., & Gesimba, P. (2020). Effect of talent management on service delivery in the hospitality industry. International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science, 9, 91-99. https://doi.org/10.20525/ijrbs.v9i5.857 DOI: https://doi.org/10.20525/ijrbs.v9i5.857

Wuttaphan, N. (2017). Human capital theory: The theory of human resource development, implications, and future. Life Sciences and Environment Journal, 18(2), 240-253.

Zepeda, S. J., Bengtson, E., & Parylo, O. (2012). Examining the planning and management of principal succession. Journal of Educational Administration, 50(2), 136-158. https://doi.org/10.1108/09578231211210512 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/09578231211210512

Zhang, H., Xing, M., & Chen, D. (2024). Can the succession plan for family business achieve social employment stability? An analysis from the perspective of entrepreneurs. Economies, 13(1), 5. https://doi.org/10.3390/economies13010005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/economies13010005

Downloads

Publicado

2026-04-04

Como Citar

Yeswa, E. A., Senaji, T. A., Mukanzi, C., & Mutua, M. (2026). Relationship between succession planning and performance of star-rated hotels in Kenya. African Journal of Empirical Research, 7(2), 87–95. https://doi.org/10.51867/ajernet.7.2.8

Edição

Secção

Articles