Identification and Testing of Effective and Affected Variables of Succession Planning in an Insurance Company in Isfahan

The purpose of this study is to identify and test the effective and affected variables of succession planning in an insurance company in Isfahan, Iran.

This study was conducted using mixed methods and descriptive-exploratory approach. The statistical population included academic experts and insurance industry experts in the qualitative study and employees working in Isfahan and Tehran branches of the studied insurance company in the quantitative study. Twenty-one persons participated in the qualitative part of the study using purposive sampling method and 458 employees participated in the quantitative study using the random classification method. Data was collected through the semi-structured interview for the first phase of the study and a 109-questions valid and reliable researcher-made questionnaire for the second phase of the study.

Factors affecting succession planning were grouped into personal, organizational, and environmental categories. The establishment of a succession planning system in the studied insurance company will lead to individual, organizational and environmental consequences.

The results demonstrated that factors such as the need to be acknowledged and feeling useful, employees' attitudes toward the future management of the organization, improving employees’ productivity, the human resource standards, and the competitive environment’s requirements affect succession planning. Establishment of the succession planning system in the studied insurance company also leads to the development of individual knowledge and skills, increasing employees’ self-confidence, utilizing a wide range of talents, forming a skill treasury, identifying talented people for managerial positions, and so on.