Discovering and counting the mechanisms of establishing a succession planning system in governmental organizations

The present study seeks to investigate what are the necessary stages for establishing a succession management system in governmental organizations. The methodology of the present study is qualitative. The research data have been collected using free and semi-structured interviews with 19 senior managers and professors in the field of human resources. Data analysis has been performed thematically based on 3-step coding using Nvivo software.The validity of the research was confirmed based on the opinions of professors and experts in the field of human resources and the reliability of the "angulation" technique based on continuous review. The study results indicate that establishment of succession management system consists of seven main themes that occur gradually and in a process. These themes include: organizational culture-building, providing the ground for implementation of succession planning system, implementation of a committed system, determining the policies, evaluating the candidates in order to establish a meritocracy system, analysis of the educational gaps and development of staff based on the mission, and finally evaluation of the succession management system.