Increased mobility and a growing presence in the workforce by millennial employees are pushing sustainability to the forefront of concerns for business leaders. Especially for small to medium enterprises (SMEs) with limited human capital resources and no formal succession plans. Thus, increasing the need for insight on millennial employee development to mitigate voluntary turnover. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore successful millennial employee developmental strategies employed by 3 SMEs leaders in southern New Jersey. These SMEs leaders were the ideal population with millennial employees with 3 or more years of employment and not solely family-run organizations. The unfolding model of voluntary turnover, expectancy theory, and the human capital theory was the conceptual framework that guided introspection into this phenomenon. Semistructured interviews collected data about the perceptions held by the SMEs leaders of the phenomenon in their respective organizations. Methodological data triangulation enabled the identification of evident millennial employee development themes and the basis of millennial employment development strategies as mitigation or the exertion of motivational force. The effort to answer the posed questions identified 4 prevalent themes (a) flexibility, (b) organic culture, (c) self-governance, and (d) laissez-faire leadership, which aligned with the mitigation versus motivational conceptions. The findings may contribute to societal change by broadening perceptions held by individuals and communities, particularly leaders, about millennial employees to dispel preconceived stigmas, reduce interaction ambiguities, and minimize the escalation of generational conflicts and discourse within respective communities.

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Most companies are competing in the diverse global markets, and competitive advantage through human capital is becoming very important. Employee development for high productivity and the use of effective tools to measure their performance are therefore paramount. One such tool is the 360-degree performance appraisal system. The study on the effectiveness of the 360-degree performance appraisal was conducted on a selected steel organisation. The primary objective of the research study was to determine whether the current 360-degree performance evaluation system the organisation uses is effective or whether there is a need to explore other employee evaluation and feedback systems across the industry to identify the best practice. Constructs that were measured are the impact of 360-degree appraisal on the employee motivation and performance, job satisfaction, the organisation‟s performance, succession planning as well as training and development. The findings showed that the 360-degree appraisal system is effective in most of these areas. The findings will also assist management with a better understanding of where the process has failed and what gaps need to be filled. The results concluded that there is no need to explore other performance appraisal systems; however, as recommended, the identified deficiencies in the current evaluation process need to be addressed. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Most companies are competing in the diverse global markets, and competitive advantage through human capital is becoming very important. Employee development for high productivity and the use of effective tools to measure their performance are therefore paramount. One such tool is the 360-degree performance appraisal system. The study on the effectiveness of the 360-degree performance appraisal was conducted on a selected steel organisation. The primary objective of the research study was to determine whether the current 360-degree performance evaluation system the organisation uses is effective or whether there is a need to explore other employee evaluation and feedback systems across the industry to identify the best practice. Constructs that were measured are the impact of 360-degree appraisal on the employee motivation and performance, job satisfaction, the organisation‟s performance, succession planning as well as training and development. The findings showed that the 360-degree appraisal system is effective in most of these areas. The findings will also assist management with a better understanding of where the process has failed and what gaps need to be filled. The results concluded that there is no need to explore other performance appraisal systems; however, as recommended, the identified deficiencies in the current evaluation process need to be addressed. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The objectives of this study were to identify leadership competencies required by health services leaders, determine the role of mentorship in leadership development and, make recommendations for succession planning in the public health sector. A quantitative approach using an exploratory and descriptive design was used, with the intention of conducting a census survey. Respondents were managers in positions 11 and upward. Findings revealed that experience assisted managers in improving the technical competencies of human resources, financial and strategic planning, but not that of leadership skills and behaviour, and communication and relationship management, which required development in the form of mentorship. It is recommended that leadership development for future leaders be embedded in succession planning, based on policy guidelines. Limitations of this study were that a response rate of 30% was achieved and due to the narrow geographical coverage, the findings could not be generalised. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

Business leaders face leadership crises as executives from the baby boomer generation retire, creating a shortage of experienced and knowledgeable leaders. Some business leaders are unprepared for the replacement of retiring senior-level executives and lack strategies for succession planning. The findings of this study indicate succession planning and leadership development play a significant role in preparing future healthcare leaders in their ability to improve the quality of patient care and improve the strategic and financial health of the organization. Guided by the human capital theory the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies used by healthcare leaders for succession planning. The study consisted of interviewing the chief executive officers of 3 separate hospitals operating under a multihospital system located in south-central Texas. The data collection process included semistructured interviews and review of relevant organizational documents related to leadership development. Through methodological triangulation and employing Yin's 5-step data analysis technique of design, prepare, collect, analyze and share, several themes emerged as strategies for succession planning. The themes of executive coaching, leadership dyads, and leadership pipelines, ensure a new generation of emerging leaders have access to experienced leaders through coaching opportunities and allow physicians to co-lead a hospital and maintain a meaningful presence in patient care. Social implications of the study include prepared leaders to implement the ongoing healthcare reform in the United States, trained to improve the quality of care provided to patients.

More than 35% of the U.S. workforce is composed of Baby Boomers who are eligible to retire within the next 5 years. Despite the potential loss of critical expertise, a gap in knowledge retention exists in small consulting businesses. The purpose of this case study was to explore effective strategies for retaining the tacit and explicit knowledge of retiring employees, to avoid operational knowledge drain. Exploration ensued through semistructured interviews at 2 small consulting businesses in the Washington, DC metropolitan area that are adept at innovatively retaining requisite knowledge. The conceptual frameworks of Bass' transformational leadership and Nonaka's knowledge creation led to the identification of strategies to retain tacit and explicit knowledge of retiring Baby Boomers. Seven small business leaders addressed questions on knowledge types, knowledge stimulation and sharing methods, and retention strategies to provide meaningful responses to the knowledge retention phenomenon. Data analysis included the Colaizzi and modified van Kaam methods of mining, categorizing, organizing, and describing participants' statements. Subsequently, the themes that emerged during the analysis identified reward, communication, and motivation as strategies for knowledge-share and transfer. Succession planning, mentoring, documentation, training, and knowledge sharing also emerged as effective methods for knowledge retention. The findings will contribute to social change by illuminating the roles effective leaders practice to influence and foster knowledge management, offering insight to other small businesses having difficulties remaining sustainable as the operational knowledge of Baby Boomers becomes unavailable as they retire.

There is a high failure rate among local community-based nonprofit human service organizations in New York State, which may lead to service gaps in communities. Increasing sustainability may reduce these gaps and allow nonprofits to continue following the first leadership transition. Using McGregor's human resource theory as the guide, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the relationship between leadership succession planning and how departure of founding leaders impacts the sustainability of nonprofits. Data were collected through interviews with 16 leaders that included departing founding leaders, successors, and 2 board members in 4 local community-based nonprofit human service organizations in New York State, regarding the impact of the founder's departure on (a) leadership, (b) motivation, (c) teamwork, (d) power balance, (e) work environment, and (f) organizational change. Interview data were inductively coded and analyzed using a thematic analysis procedure. The results yielded 4 thematic elements that contributed to successful outcomes: (a) strengthening accountability to balance power, (b) individual versus collaborative leadership to increase shared governance, (c) assessing and developing competencies to efficiently use human resources, and (d) ability to conceptualize change and plan for the future. The results of this research study may help to contribute to positive social change by offering the leaders of local community-based nonprofit human service organizations strategies to sustain their organizational culture during and following their first leadership transition, involving the departure of the founder, allowing the organizations to continue to contribute positively to the community.

Changing workforce demographics, combined with a gap in knowledge and skills between older and younger generations, threatens small business viability. The presence of four generations in the workforce, where 1 in 5 employees are 55 years and older, presents an unprecedented challenge for small business leaders planning for succession with a multigenerational workforce. The purpose of this case study was to explore the effect of Baby Boomers' presence on small business leaders' ability to retain and transfer knowledge to successive generations. Using snowball and purposeful sampling techniques, 36 small business leaders in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area participated. The conceptual framework included the theories of groupthink, narrative paradigm, collaboration, stakeholder, and the swift theory of trust. Data collection occurred using e-mail to solicit study participants to provide their experiences concerning generational succession via a Web-based, electronic questionnaire. Data analysis entailed using a modified van Kaam method to identify 2 main themes for small business leaders to consider: (a) generational differences reflect small business leaders' challenges and (b) multigenerational succession affects the bottom line. Member checking, transcription review of questionnaire responses, and triangulation of data with existing theories strengthened the validity of study findings and themes. Study recommendations offered strategies for managing knowledge supportive of planned generational succession. This study's findings may contribute to social change by offering small business leaders strategies to facilitate a collaborative, knowledge management culture that may mitigate the effects of changing workforce demographics on small business viability.