The impact of human resource management practices on succession planning among public sector employees of the United Arab Emirates (UAE): The mediating role of talent management

Succession planning creates a safety net for the seamless transition of personnel positions and roles within an organization, ensuring a successful process of identifying, recruiting and appointing them. Such planning is also crucial in retaining required personnel during periods of management change. This study aims to examine the relationship between human resource management (HRM) practices, including staffing and selection, training and development, performance appraisal, compensation, empowerment, career development, and talent management, specifically within the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). It also seeks to explore the link between HRM practices and succession planning in the same organization. Additionally, it examines the mediating role of talent management in the relationship between HRM practices and succession planning. Drawing on Organizational Behavior Theory, this study reviews existing literature to demonstrate that selected HRM practices are crucial for predicting talent management and succession planning. A cross-sectional design was employed, targeting a sample of 420 employees from a total population of 5,000 at the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai, UAE. Out of the 420 questionnaires that were distributed, 114 were deemed inappropriate because most of the surveys were not completed by the participants. Therefore, only the remaining 306 surveys were suitable for analysis, resulting in a legitimate response rate of 72.8 percent. The research findings indicate a significant impact of HRM practices on both talent management and succession planning. Furthermore, the study reveals the mediating role of talent management in the relationship between HRM practices and succession planning. The study concludes with a discussion of the implications of these findings, in addition to offering recommendations for future research and acknowledging its limitations.