An investigation into the effectiveness of the Namibian Defence Force successful planning: A case study of the defence headquarters, Windhoek
This study investigated into the effectiveness of the Namibian Defence Force (NDF) succession planning using the case study of the Defence Headquarters in Windhoek. It is worth mentioning that the NDF was established by unifying and integrating two opposing forces of the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) and the South West Africa Territorial Forces (SWATF) in 1990. Although the NDF started with the process of rejuvenating the force since 1996, only less than 10% of young officers have made it into management positions in the entire NDF making it to be confronted with the challenge of the aging force, especially at the level of officers’ corps in management. It was against this background that this study investigated the effectiveness of the NDF succession planning. The study used mixed methods, which are the qualitative and quantitative methods. The study found out that the NDF does not have a clear succession planning policy in place and it appeared to have made it difficult for management to implement effective succession planning because there was no clear guide. The system of succession which is an inbuilt mechanism within the NDF structure was ineffective because it was not applied consistently at all levels of defence structure. The study also revealed that some of the NDF young officers who were recruited from 1996 onward appeared not to be ready to take over from the retiring generation because they did not complete all the required military courses. The study recommended the NDF to develop, approve and operationalise its succession planning policy that would serve as a guide for workforce planning and staffing. It was also recommended for the NDF succession planning policy to be integrated with recruitment, retention, training and development, posting and promotion.
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations