Succession planning is identification and development
of potential successors for key positions in an organization, through a systematic evaluation process and training either in the short or in the long term. Unlike replacement planning (which grades an individual solely
on the basis of his or her past performance) succession
planning is largely predictive in judging an individual for
a position he or she might never have been in. Senior
level management as well as some business critical
roles are some of the positions for which succession
planning is vital. Effective, proactive succession planning leaves the organization well prepared for expansion, the loss of a key employee, filling a new, needed
job, employee promotions, and organizational redesign
for opportunities. Unfortunately, such efforts are too
often underdeveloped, unevenly executed and sometimes simply ignored, which have led organizations to
disaster.
Succession planning – interdependencies in a typical
corporate
The executive director is responsible for ensuring a succession plan is in place for other key positions in the
organization. These will likely be developed with help
from the management team with inputs from implicated employees.
Development of a succession plan
Succession planning broadly comprises of Analysis, development, selection and transition which can be further fragmented into the following steps:
· Identifying critical positions and competencies– Workforce projection data or demographic analysis is essential in identifying risk areas. The process of competency or position profiling, help current and future
employees to gain an understanding of the key responsibilities
· Identifying succession management strategies – To
identify internal vis-à-vis external personnel for some
of the key positions.
· Documenting and implementing succession plans –
Action plan provides a mechanism for clearly defining
timelines, roles and responsibilities.
· Evaluating Effectiven \