Title: Markov manpower planning models: a review

Authors: Vincent A. Amenaghawon; Virtue U. Ekhosuehi; Augustine A. Osagiede

Addresses: Department of Computer Science and Information Technology, Igbinedion University, Okada, Nigeria ' Department of Statistics, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria ' Department of Mathematics, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria

Abstract: A manpower system is a network of individuals working together in an organisation for the purpose of achieving the common goal of the organisation. To ensure that the right number of individuals is available to meet the task to be performed by the organisation, manpower planning techniques are needed. This paper reviews the manpower planning literature with specific interest on manpower systems modelled within the Markov chain context. Markov chains provide a convenient framework to analyse the structural mechanisms that underlie social change, extrapolate shifts in the state distribution of the system, control personnel structures by framing optimal promotion and recruitment strategies, evaluate personnel policies, and deal with heterogeneity and uncertainty in the system configuration. This paper surveys these applications areas and highlights the methodological issues arising from varying the unit interval of the Markov manpower system in discrete time.

Keywords: embeddability problem; heterogeneity; manpower planning; manpower system; Markov chain; personnel structure; stochastic matrix; sub-stochastic matrix; transition matrix.

DOI: 10.1504/IJOR.2023.129157

International Journal of Operational Research, 2023 Vol.46 No.2, pp.227 - 250

Received: 29 Nov 2019
Accepted: 11 May 2020
Published online: 24 Feb 2023 *

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