Succession Planning in Public Institutions: Reviewing Intergenerational Metanarratives and How They May Inform the Policy Decisions of Human Resource Managers

Abstract:     
As the baby boomers begin to retire, organizations in all sectors are shifting their attention to succession planning to meet this impending demand for employees. Decisions regarding the type of employee training and development found in succession plans often times are based on the human resource managers’ beliefs regarding emerging personnel. The beliefs that we hold act as a foundation on which we base our daily decisions. Anderson and Page (1995) state that we are surrounded by information and stories that help us make sense of our lives. These stories 'serve as invisible frames for the way [we] think about [our] practice and the actions [we] take' (Anderson & Page, 1995, p. 125). As such, administrators, including human resource managers, make policy decisions based on their belief sets; what they believe to be true informs the type of policies and programs they develop.

Working from a constructivist viewpoint, this research focuses on those beliefs and stories that have become reality for human resources managers. Reinhardt (2004) says that 'metanarratives act as foundational stories that try to legitimate discourses and lock society in restrictive systems of thought; (p. 24). These beliefs, or meta-narratives, are so prevalent in the U.S. culture that they can inform decision making even if the HR manager does not consciously recognize them. If the metanarratives that constitute our knowledge base have become invisible frames that legitimate our practices and discourses, then it follows that a major thrust of administrator preparation should serve to bring these metanarratives to the surface for analysis. By acknowledging these stories, we begin to understand how human resource managers have developed their programming. This understanding can then be used for developing future programming needs for younger generations, a more pragmatic application of this study.

This paper explores the existing metanarratives about younger age cohorts, in particular 'Generations X and Y' (those born between 1965 and 1997), to shed light on the type of stories that are being propagated. There is a long list of popular books and literature in which the authors seek to set the record straight about the myths of the generations, to detail what managers can expect from these generations, and to offer advice for how managers can work within these expectations while also getting the most from their employees. While literature such as this is enlightening, it may perpetuate the stereotypes of generations X and Y, reinforcing the human resource managers’ beliefs about how to work with younger administrators. The goal of this paper is to begin a conversation among administrators to acknowledge the influence of beliefs within the planning for future employment needs. Although many agree that they need to develop new succession planning practices for future generations, there is currently limited scholarly literature related to the knowledge base and stories that inform those practices. If one is conscious of these thought processes, then one can make better informed decisions, especially if the most appropriate decision to be made for the organization goes against one’s own personal beliefs.

Keywords: generation X, generation Y, succession planning, public institutions

Working Paper Series