Succession Planning: Concept and Practice in Nepalese context Sishir Kumar Dhungana MoF 16 August 2017

Background: Some of the post and the job of the organization are critical and important, Those lifeblood post should be fulfilled by best, qualified and talented person, who have the capacity and potentiality, Succession Planning is a critical to mission success and creates an effective process of recognizing, developing and retaining required manpower with top leadership.

Introduction : Succession Planning is a process for identifying and developing the potential leaders from the internal people, It is the planning which ensures the fulfillment of future talent gap in the organization, Building a leadership pipeline/ talent pool to ensure leadership continuity, Recruitment and development of the key post.

Objectives: Identify those with the potential to assure greater responsibility in the organization, Provide critical development experiences to those that can move into key roles, Engage the leadership in supporting the development of high potential leaders, Build a data base that can be used to make better staffing decisions for key job,

Supply the talent gap, Improve employee commitment and retention, Meet the career development expectations of existing employees, Counter the increasing difficulty and costs of recruiting employee externally.

Basic Factors that should be considered: Involvement of senior leaders, Senior leaders should be accountable for growing leaders, Employees commitment for self development, Based on long term needs, Should linked with strategic planning and investment, Proper and realistic workforce data,

Leadership competencies are identified and used for selection and development, Pool of talent is identified and development.

Succession Planning Process Link Strategic and Workforce Planning Decisions: Identifying the long term vision and direction, Analyzing future requirements for products and services, Using data already collected, Connecting succession Planning to the value of the organization, Connecting succession planning to the needs and of senior leaders.

Analyze Gaps: Identifying core competencies and technical competency requirements, Determining current supply and anticipated demand, Determining talents needed for the long term, Identifying real continuity issues, Developing a business plan based on long term talent needs, not on position replacement.

Identify Talent Pools Using pools of candidates vs. development of positions, Identifying talent with critical competencies from multiple levels- early in careers and often, Assessing competency and skill levels of current workforce, using assessment instruments, Using 360 Degree feedback for development purposes, Analyzing external sources of talent.

Develop Succession Strategy Identifying recruitment strategies, Recruitment and relocation bonus, Special Programmes Identifying retention strategies, Retentation bonuses, Quality of work life programmes Identifying development/learning strategies Planned job assignments, Formal development

Coaching and mentoring, Assessment and feedback, Action learning project, Communities of practice, Shadowing.

Implement Succession Strategies Implementing recruitment Strategies, Implementing retention strategies, Implementing Development / Learning strategies, Communication planning, Determining and applying measures of success, Linking succession planning to HR process, Implementing strategies for maintaining senior level commitment

Monitoring and Evaluate Tracking selections from talent pools, Listening to leader feedback on success of internal talent and internal hires, Analyzing satisfaction surveys from customers, employees and stakeholders, Assessing response to changing requirements and needs.

Replacement Plan Organization should prepare the alternative mechanism to fulfill the immediate gap of the post, The backup plan for executives or the critical posts from the existing HR, who are in organization, Replacement plan support just the emergency management to fulfill the executive post,

Replacement plan cannot promised the promotion for that person who is succeed for the immidiate vaccant, It is not for long term and forward looking, It is designed on the basis of job description, potential revision to the job description or job requirments and the identification.

The organization has conducted a retention risk analysis, a process of estimating the projected departure dates for each individual in the workforce or work group, for reasons of retirement or otherwise. The organization has no way to respond quickly to sudden, surprise losses of key talent. If a key person is suddenly lost due to death, disability or resignation, it may take a long time to find a suitable replacement.

The time it takes to fill positions-what is called the time-to-fill metric–is unknown or is perceived by managers to be too long. Managers at one or many levels complain that they have trouble finding people ready for promotion or else have trouble finding people who are willing to accept promotions as vacancies occur. Workers complain that promotion decisions are made unfairly or capriciously.

Women, minorities, and other groups protected by law are not adequately represented at various levels and in various functions throughout the organization. Critical turnover-that is, the percentage of high potential workers leaving-is higher than the number of fully successful (average) workers leaving.

Nepalese Context Issue is quite vital and important but neglected, Lack of succession plan and replacement plan with in the Services and groups, Civil Service Act has provisioned for the succession plan for the post of Secretary, but it is not started, Lack of long term HR policy is not supporting for it.

Replacement plan is not designed too. Replacement on the basis of seniority, where as the person is suitable for the post or not. Replacement plan is not designed too. It is necessary for the successful operation and knowledge transfer in the organization. Draft of Succession Directives has been prepared by MOGA with following objectives Continuation of managerial position, Predictability of the future leadership, Basis of justiciable selection criteria, End of adhocism, Transformation.

Thank You