Succession planning can be broadly defined as identifying future potential leaders to fill key positions. While successors are identified for key posts and career moves, development activities are planned to get them ready to do the job in short-term or longer-term.
It is most common for succession planning to cover only the most senior jobs in the organisation. However when broadend the emphasis on to more strategic levels in the organisation it makes an organisation more flexible and less vunerable. The emphasis in the process is about balancing the aspirations of individuals with those of organisations needs.
Board-Level Diagnostic Services
1. Defining a Succession Planning Process
We consult our clients in defining and assessing Succession Planning Processes and take internal development processes into account.
2. Defining Job Families
Our main focus is on identifying and developing groups of jobs to enable potential successors to be identified for a variety of roles. We define Job Families whereby jobs are clustered by role, function and level so that the generic skills responsible for particular roles can be developed. The aim is to develop pools of talented people, each of whom are adaptable and capable of filling a number of roles.
3. Defining a Competency Framework
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We support our clients in developing competency frameworks for technical and generic competencies, which relate to a broad range of desired skills and behaviours.
We define an internal assessment process aligned with the frameworks (especially for management competencies) which provides a useful starting point for evaluating an individual's potential for a senior role.
4. Integrating succession planning with HR Processes
We ensure that succession plans are integrated with existing HR and Development Processes to evaluate and assess a candidates performance potential (see graphic). Typical processes are:
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Project Assignments
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Leadership Training Programs
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Annual Leadership Reviews
5. Training Plans for Top Managers
We ensure that top management who is evaluating succession candidates is well acquainted with the concept of competency frameworks and trained and prepared in observation and feedback skills.