The Leadership Crisis in the Public Service: Why Succession Planning matters

Editor: Unlawful promotions, unfair transfers, and poor leadership within departments are among the common issues frequently raised throughout the public service. However, one critical issue that is often overlooked is succession planning. Succession planning may be defined as a proactive process through which competent and qualified personnel are identified, developed, and prepared to fill key leadership positions when vacancies arise due to retirement, resignation, illness, vacation, death, or other unforeseen circumstances.

Too often, departmental heads and managers place little emphasis on preparing individuals to assume leadership roles when they depart. As a result, incoming leaders are frequently placed at a temporary or even permanent disadvantage, which can negatively affect organizational continuity, efficiency, and growth. The operations of the public service should be managed with the same level of care and strategic foresight as a private enterprise. Adequate time, effort, and thought should therefore be invested in succession planning.

The Personnel Department and the Public Service Commission (PSC) both have critical roles to play in fostering a culture and mindset that puts succession planning at the forefront of the minds of leaders.

The personnel department can provide relevant training opportunities and maintain updated personnel files and seniority lists, as mandated by law and reinforced by judicial decisions. Similarly, the PSC can ensure that appointments are made lawfully and with due consideration given to competence, qualifications, experience, and age.

Age is another important factor that is often overlooked in succession planning. In many instances, heads and deputy heads retire within a short period of each other. A sound succession planning strategy should seek to maintain a reasonable age and experience gap (ideally a minimum of five years) between heads and deputy heads. This would help to ensure that institutional knowledge, leadership capacity, and operational experience are effectively transferred to capable individuals who demonstrate leadership potential.

Succession planning should also become a mandatory area of training for leaders within the public service. Additionally, ministries and departments should be required to submit annual succession plans to the personnel department and the PSC for review and monitoring. If the public service is to strengthen leadership standards and improve the quality of service delivery, succession planning must become a strategic priority at every level of governance.

A Concerned Public Servant