1. Emerging Best Practices and Trends in Succession Planning

2. Overview Succession Planning as a critical business process
Trends influencing Succession Planning practices
Emerging Best Practices in Succession Planning
Well-executed succession planning pays off in public perception as well. Ninety-one percent of the “Most Admired Companies” (on a list compiled by Fortune magazine) have a CEO succession plan that is reviewed annually – if not more frequently – compared with 65% of organizations that did not make the list, and more than 80% have established plans for emergency replacement of other top officers (Hay Group, 2007). Encouragingly, a majority (73.5%) of organizations have a formal succession plan in place, with 53.9% reporting that the plan has been in place for over two years (Human Resource Institute, 2006). In addition, 28.1% of the 89 organizations polled by the Human Resource Institute (now the Institute for Corporate Productivity) in 2006 reported that they integrate succession planning with other business processes (Human Resource Institute, 2006).
Implementing a good succession planning process is becoming a priority for most companies. According to the 2007 Corporate Issues Survey of about 1,090 training and HR leaders and line managers conducted by The Ken Blanchard Companies, 38% of upper management identifies succession planning as a top challenge in 2007 (The Ken Blanchard Companies, 2007). In addition, the results of a 2007 Deloitte survey of 531 HR and non-HR executives found that 76.1% identify “leadership development and pipeline” as one of the most critical people management issues (Deloitte Development LLC, 2007). As a result, organizations are beefing up retention efforts, learning and development initiatives, and succession planning – strategies identified as having the greatest positive impact by survey participants from the SHRM Workplace Forecast (Society for Human Resource Management, 2006).
But in spite of the data, many organizations still do not have an effective planning process in place. When DDI asked 385 leaders from around the globe how their organizations fared at managing leadership transitions, only 17% to 36% said their organizations are doing well on the following five tasks: “developing leaders before their next promotion, making decisions about promotions, supporting new leaders to help them cope, setting clear performance expectations, identifying high flyers” (Paese & Wellins, 2006).

3. More Details on this Topic
This presentation was done with the help of an archived webcasts from Via People and help with i4cp. For sample scorecards and examples please visit the archive of the viapeople webcast on HR.com

4. What is Succession Planning?
Succession Planning can be defined as a purposeful and systematic effort made by an organization to ensure leadership continuity, retain and develop knowledge and intellectual capital for the future, and encourage individual employee growth and development.

5. Why is Succession Planning such a “Hot Topic”?
Board concerns and directives
Increased costs associated with external searches
Increased turnover
People who had been regarded as successors for key positions left by surprise
High performers are leaving
Managers complain that they have no one ready to fill vacancies
Employees complain that promotion decisions are made unfairly
Insufficient numbers of women and/minorities at senior levels

6. Trends Impacting Succession Planning
Shifting demographics
Shortfall in the number of future leaders
Increase in attrition in executive level positions
Economic conditions resulting in massive downsizing and increasingly flat and dynamic organizational structures.
Reduced loyalty among employees despite focus on employee engagement and involvement

7. Trends Impacting Succession Planning, contd.
Recognition on the part of senior executives of the importance of values, competencies, intellectual capital, and leadership
Increase in the complexity of executive positions
Financial market and employee expectations
Globalization
Technology

8. Percentage of Organizations with a Succession Plan
2006 Succession Planning Survey Report
Survey of 385 HR professionals
Source: Society for Human Resource Management, 2006

9. Global CEO Succession Rates, 2005
CEO Succession 2005: The Crest of the Wave
Study of the world’s 2,500 largest publicly traded companies
Source: Booz Allen Hamilton, 2006

10. Study of the world’s 2,500 largest publicly traded companies
CEO Performance-Related Turnover, 2005 (as a percentage of all departing CEOs)
(“Global CEO Turnover,” Booz Allen Hamilton, 2006).
Study of the world’s 2,500 largest publicly traded companies
Source: Booz Allen Hamilton, 2006

11. HR Professionals’ Estimates of Readiness for Sudden Succession
2006 Succession Planning Survey Report
Survey of 385 HR professionals
Source: Society for Human Resource Management, 2006

12. HR Responsibilities in the Succession Process
Survey of 385 HR professionals
Source: Society for Human Resource Management, 2006

13. Incidence of Formal Succession Plans
(HRI) Succession Planning Practitioner Consensus Survey.
86 organizations participated in the Succession Planning Practitioner Consensus Survey
Source: Human Resource Institute, 2006

14. Succession Planning Data Collection
About half (51.7%) of organizations have a system in place to gather information for their succession plans.
(HRI) Succession Planning Practitioner Consensus Survey.
86 organizations participated in the Succession Planning Practitioner Consensus Survey
Source: Human Resource Institute, 2006

15. Study of the world’s 2,500 largest publicly traded companies
Succession Rates by Industry, Across the Seven Years of 1995, 1998,
Source: Booz Allen Hamilton
(strategy+business [Lucier, et al.], 2005, p. 7)
Study of the world’s 2,500 largest publicly traded companies
Source: Booz Allen Hamilton, 2005

16. Study of the world’s 2,500 largest publicly traded companies
Succession Rates by Industry, Across the Seven Years of 1995, 1998, (continued)
Source: Booz Allen Hamilton
(strategy+business [Lucier, et al.], 2005, p. 7)
Study of the world’s 2,500 largest publicly traded companies
Source: Booz Allen Hamilton, 2005

17. Identifying High-Potential Talent
A majority of organizations have a process in place for identifying high-potential talent.
(High Potential Talent Practitioner Consensus Survey [Human Resource Institute], September 2005)
Survey of 96 organizations
Source: Human Resource Institute, 2005

18. Identifying High-Potential Talent Processes, by Length of Existence
For many of the organizations that have a process for identifying high-potential talent, this is a relatively recent initiative.
(High Potential Talent Practitioner Consensus Survey [Human Resource Institute], September 2005)
Survey of 96 organizations
Source: Human Resource Institute, 2005

19. Identifying High-Potential Talent Processes, by Position
Among organizations that have an existing process for identifying high-potential talent, it is rare to examine all levels of employees.
(High Potential Talent Practitioner Consensus Survey [Human Resource Institute], September 2005)
Survey of 96 organizations
Source: Human Resource Institute, 2005

20. Emerging Best Practices
Top management involvement
Targeted processes to focus on clearly defined, specific goals
Comprehensive assessment programs based upon competencies
Creation of talent databases incorporating performance, assessment, demographic, education, experience, and career interests
Identification of future talent requirements
Structured and individualized development programs

21. Best Practice 1: Top Management Involvement
Communicates importance of planning for the future
Allocation of adequate resources
Modeling of effective coaching and development
Key development resource to high potentials

22. Best Practice 2: Targeted Processes
Evolutionary versus revolutionary
Clearly defined set of goals
Meaningful executive reviews
Eliminate administrative burdens
Using technology to facilitate data gathering, tracking and decision making

23. Best Practice 3: Comprehensive Assessment of Talent
Behaviorally defined competencies
Learning agility and derailment factors
Defining performance and potential
Early identification of talent
Multi-source methods
On-going feedback processes
Continuous re-assessment
Test learning agility, development of competence and performance

24. Best Practice 4: Creation of Talent Databases
Integration of data from multiple systems, including HRIS, Recruitment, Learning.. Etc..
Definition of missing talent data elements
Collection of missing talent data
Education, competencies, experiences, career interests, mobility
Reporting to facilitate decision making

25. Best Practice 5: Identification of Future Talent Requirements
Competency, skill and experience requirements for critical positions
Profiling the development content of key jobs
P & L accountability
Forming/managing external alliances
Detection of current and future talent gaps
Targeted career pathing and development
Sourcing and recruitment plans to secure new external talent

26. Best Practice 6: Structured and Individualized Development Planning
Formal, structured development plans
Targeted, individual activities with emphasis on experience-based learning
Transitional coaching during stretch assignments
Reporting and tracking of progress and outcomes
Accountability for performance

27. Continuing Challenges
Ineffective balance between identification and development
Identifying successors/hi-po’s not in line with most organizational cultures
“Executive cloning”
Poor linkage to business strategy
Overemphasis on replacement planning
Lack of top management support
Poor business unit buy in
Lack of organization-wide talent database

28. A Special Thanks to I4cp and Via People for much of the material
For More Information:
Debbie McGrath
x 104
A Special Thanks to I4cp and Via People for much of the material

29. Questions