Emerging Frontiers in Succession Planning
Mapping Research Trends
Keywords:
Biblioshiny, leadership, management, succession planning, talent managementAbstract
Purpose: This study aims to systematically map the intellectual structure, research trends, and thematic evolution of succession planning literature through bibliometric analysis
Design/methodology/approach: The quantitative analysis of the 591 datasets from Lens.org covering the period from 2010 to 2025 was conducted for the study. Open-access journal articles were involved in the study, and data were analysed utilising R, Biblioshiny, and VOSviewer software. This study analysed annual scientific production, average citations, three-field plots, core sources, local impact, prolific authors, global citations, locally cited documents, the most relevant keywords, trend topics, keyword co-occurrence networks, and co-authorship networks.
Findings: The findings of the study revealed tremendous research in the field of succession planning, the highest average citation in the initial stage, and the SA Journal of Human Resource Management ranked in the first position with the highest number of publications. Similarly, the most prolific contributors included Silver MP, followed by Plessis TD. Trend topics and co-occurrence networks revealed leadership, succession planning, management, and talent management as vibrant keywords.
Implications: Corporate practitioners can embrace compatible strategies to cultivate the succession planning practice while preparing successors, and researchers can emphasise emerging trends in these areas to explore in future investigations.
Originality/value: This research contributes to the existing theoretical foundation and extends a supportive base for practitioners and academics.
JEL Classification: M12, M50, M51
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