Succession Planning

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Succession Planning 

• Lighting the Pathway to Continued Success
• Becky Baum
• The Whitten Group, P.A.

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Succession Planning Defined

• Succession Planning is the process of
  systematically identifying, assessing, and
  developing employee talent to meet the future
  staffing needs of an organization.

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Why Succession Planning?

• Massive Demographic Change
• Shortage of Replacement Workers
• Gap In Development
• Retention of Generation Xers
• Organizational Future Demands
• The Unexpected

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Why Succession Planning?

• The overall goal of succession
• planning is to have
• the right people
• with the right skills
• at the right place
• at the right time

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Setting the Course

• Take a strategic look at the organization
• Identify current and future competencies
• Assessment of Gaps
• Training and Development
• Implementation
• Evaluation of Succession Planning
• Succession Planning is never finished.

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Strategic View of the Organization

• Long-term direction
• Where we are now
• Where we want to go
• What path will take us there
• Organizational culture
• Workforce trends and predictions
• Identification of key positions
• Identification of potential candidates
• Internal/New Recruits
• Selection Criteria/Process

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Competency Defined

• A competency is a knowledge, skill, trait, or
  attribute that leads to a desired superior
  performance result.
• Behavioral Anchors or Descriptors describe the
  observable behaviors that indicate the presence
  of the competency.

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Competency Identification

• Core Competencies
• Honesty
• Service Orientation
• Management Competencies
• Resource Management
• Personnel Development
• Technical Competencies
• Specific to the job

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Assessment of Gaps

• Organizational
• Where will we most likely experience needs
• Individual
• Gaps between current capabilities and future
  needs
• Tools and Processes
• Competency Based
• 360º Feedback
• Performance Management Systems
• Career Goals Assessment

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Training and Development

• Individual Development Plans
• Competency Based
• Right development for critical needs
• Building portable skills
• Broad based skills
• Development Responsibility
• Leadership and HR commitment
• Individual Responsibility

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Training and Development

• Developing individuals to address future
  organizational needs
• Predictable
• Unexpected
• Fast tracking to meet todays shortages
• Accelerated development

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Training and Development

• Development Opportunities
• Traditional Training
• Selfdevelopment activities
• Coaching
• Mentoring
• Cross Training
• Project Participation
• Job Rotation
• Formal Education Programs

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Implementation Issues

• Communication
• The right expectations
• The right outcomes
• Recruitment and selection
• Develop a strategic plan
• Competency based
• Retention
• Some will leave

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Evaluation of the Process

• Performance Management
• A good system is vital to the process
• Inclusion in future planning
• How is plan reviewed and changed to meet
  organizational needs
• Culture of commitment
• Everyone has a stake in the outcome

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Benefits of Succession Planning

• Develops current staff
• Creates a pool of well trained, broadly
  experienced people to move into key positions
• Aligns the organizations future needs with the
  appropriate human resources
• Defines career paths and aids in retention
• Cross-training increases the sharing of ideas and
  innovations
• Reputation as a challenging place to work

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Common Pitfalls

• Lack of support within the organization
• Failure to communicate purpose/outcomes
• Lack of adequate resources
• Lack of management commitment
• Poor planning and lack of good processes
• Poor selection of potential candidates for
  development
• Dynamic changes affecting the organization
  from internal and external sources

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Important Lessons

• Succession Planning
• cannot be viewed as just another HR program of
  the month
• needs HR and senior management to facilitate the
  program, but it must be driven from lower
  management levels
• needs top down commitment
• must be tied to accountability
• needs a champion
• Is not guaranteed to solve all the problems

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To Smooth Sailing In Your Future

• Thank You
• Becky Baum
• The Whitten Group, P.A.
• P. O. Box 12707
• Jackson, MS 39236
• 601-352-9448
• becky_at_thewhittengroup.com