Proposing a Structural Model of Succession Planning with a Human Resource Productivity Approach in the Iran Airports Company

Abstract

This study aims to propose and validate a structural model of succession planning based on a human resource productivity approach in the Iran Airports Company. This applied study employed a descriptive–survey design. The statistical population consisted of senior executives, top managers, middle managers, operational managers, and experts of the Iran Airports Company (N = 1,521), from which 320 participants were selected using stratified random sampling based on Cochran’s formula. Data were collected through a researcher-developed succession planning questionnaire with a human resource productivity approach, comprising 60 items across six dimensions (core phenomenon, causal conditions, contextual conditions, intervening conditions, strategies, and consequences). Face and content validity were confirmed, and reliability was established with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.94. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling via SPSS and PLS software. The results indicated that all hypothesized relationships in the model were statistically significant (t > 1.96). Intervening conditions showed the strongest effect on succession planning (β = 0.744, t = 26.304), followed by causal conditions (β = 0.724), contextual conditions (β = 0.717), and the core phenomenon (β = 0.692). Goodness-of-fit indices and Q² values demonstrated strong structural validity and acceptable predictive power of the proposed model. The findings suggest that achieving sustainable human resource productivity in the Iran Airports Company requires an integrated succession planning system emphasizing active managerial interventions, supportive organizational contexts, and responsiveness to causal organizational needs.