The moderating effect of stakeholders' influence on the relationship between succession management and human resource outcomes in private universities, Kenya

The growing number of private universities in Kenya continues to increase opportunities for higher education, in tandem with elevating competition, as each institution strives to attract quality employees for competitive services. Thus, retention of experienced academic administrators is increasingly becoming a key challenge in many universities, with implications on leadership stability and performance. Some universities are responding to this challenge through Succession Management (SM) and stakeholder engagement programmes, hoping to improve Human Resource (HR) outcomes. However, little is known in academia about the effect of such programmes on HR outcomes. This study sought to establish the moderating effect of Stakeholders' Influence (SH) on the relationship between SM and HR outcomes in the private universities. Using the cross-sectional data, sourced from 253 academic administrators, the study found that SM accounted for 31% of variance in HR outcomes, while the interaction term between SM and SH explained up to 51% of the variance: with a positive and significant effect (Beta = 0.718, r< 0.000). This led to rejection of the research hypothesis for being untrue, and the conclusion that SH had a significant moderating effect on the relationship between SM and HR outcomes in private universities, in Kenya.