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Succession Planning Report: Part Two 1

BMGT 365 6387 Organizational Leadership (2202)

Team Deliverable #3 – Succession Planning Report: Part 3

Team Members:

Succession Planning Report: Part Two 2

Succession Planning Table

Position Leadership

Competencies

Source

Candidate 1 – Jackie Johnson Strategic Thinking (Walsh, 2014)

Empowering

(Lumen, 2006, pg. 90)

Influencing others

("Leadership Competencies,"

2018)

Anticipation (Schoemaker, 2012)

Candidate 2 – Henrietta Higgins

Supervising (exercising

power)

[ CITATION Kir91 \l 1033 ]

Influencing others

(“Leadership Competencies,”

2018)

Developing others

("Leadership Competencies,"

2018)

Motivating and

(Leadem, 2018, pg. 2)

Succession Planning Report: Part Two 3

Incentivizing (Reward)

Candidate 3 – Mohammad

Darvish

Customer-centric

[ CITATION Ada14 \l 1033 ]

Empowering (Lumen, 2006, pg. 90)

Developing adaptability

(flexibility)

("Leadership Competencies,"

2018)

Collaborating

[ CITATION Ada14 \l 1033 ]

Candidate 4 – Marg Simpson

Ethical

(Malos, n.d.)

Empowering

[ CITATION Gre14 \l 1033 ]

Cultural interest and

sensitivity

("Leadership Competencies,"

2018)

Inclusive

(Lumen, 2006, pg. 85)

Candidate 5 – Rafael Mendez

Result-driven

[ CITATION Gan17 \l 1033 ]

Valuing diversity and

difference

("Leadership Competencies,"

2018).

[ CITATION Ald141 \l 1033 ]

Succession Planning Report: Part Two 4

Understanding follower

and their need (Deviating

from the rule)

Customer-centricity

[ CITATION Ada14 \l 1033 ]

Succession Planning Report: Part Two 5

Succession Planning Report - Part Two

This report is a continuation of the Succession Planning Report - Part One submitted earlier this

month. Which established the premises of the succession and how it relates to Biotech's strategic

plan of ensuring a continuing success for the existing business’s, but also to expand in new

regions and with new product lines. Biotech believes that laying a strong foundation by choosing

a new type of leader they will be able to excel with their new ventures. The previous report

identified the reasons for succession, established the criteria for identifying the new types of

leadership and how it relates to the success of Biotech. The report also made a general

recommendation for leadership positions based on their job function, region, market dynamics

and customer preference in alignment with Biotech's expansion plan.

This second part of the report will analyze the recommended internal candidates for these

specific leadership positions. Since the criteria are already specified in the part of the report,

these internal candidates will be evaluated against those criteria and a final evaluation will be

given in the report.

Internal Candidates Evaluation

Position 1:

Candidate Marg Simpson

Current Position Sales Director, Chicago Office

Proposed Role Sales Director, Middle East

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Marg Simpson has great potential to fill in the position of Sales Director of Middle East region

due to her unique credentials. She is currently working as a sales director out of the Chicago

office and is familiar with the Arabic language and people from Arab regions, as she worked with

many during her tenure as a nurse at the University of Chicago in Orlando Park. She naturally

connected with the culture and the people and has a knowledge of the people, their culture and

current drugs and treatments they are interested in. This can be a strength for Biotech, as she

already has a knowledge of what type of products the region will be interested in. Even though

Marg is not from the region, her professional credentials and her knowledge of the culture and

people, will gain her respect with her clients. As a foreigner, it is not compulsory to be fluent in

the language. However, knowing the language and culture will allow her to break the barrier and

allow her as a business leader to understand the business environment and local market needs (A

guide to Saudi Arabia – etiquette, customs, clothing and more…, n.d.). A leader must be

competent and knowledgeable in his or her duty (Lumen, 2006, pg. 77). Marg has the Arabic

background that is essential for this position and is highly motivated to succeed. Being a

relational leader, she will be able to empower her team, which will allow them to contribute ideas

in terms of what needs to be done to have a competitive advantage and accomplish Biotech's goal

there.

However, there is a couple of concern noted by the succession committee while evaluating the

candidacy of Marg Simpson. The first concern is not Marg herself, but rather the regional

culture, customs and traditions itself. Considering the conservative nature of society, the

committee had some concern for appointing the female leader in the sales function in the region.

However, considering the changing nature of region, the committee is eager to be a part of

change and trust Marg’s ability to navigate the challenges skillfully and create an opportunity for

Succession Planning Report: Part Two 7

future businesswomen. Due to the changes which started during the era of late King Abdullah bin

Abdulaziz and newly introduce labor laws (A guide to Saudi Arabia – etiquette, customs,

clothing and more…, n.d.). The second concern is her being a single mother. Saudi Arabia is a

very male dominated culture, and her being a single mother could cause some potential

problems. Her family views are very similar to those of the Arabic culture, so that could be an

advantage as well as a positive note to those working with her.

To summarize, the succession committee highly recommends Marg Simpson for the position of

Sales Director in the Middle East region with a proviso. With the company being aware of the

potential risk of sending a woman into a male dominated culture.

Position 2:

Candidate: Henrietta Higgins

Current Position: Assistant Director of Purchasing

Proposed Role: Director of Research and Development (R&D)

Henrietta Higgins is recommended to fill the position of Director of Research and Development

(R&D). She has a degree in business administration, which makes her qualified to lead the team

of the researchers because of her knowledge in running a business; also, her transactional

leadership style will motivate the staff to ensure that everything is done to standard. As the

director of research and development, she will direct and implement Biotech's research and

policy development for present products and future ones. Being a collaborative person, she will

be able to work with the top management, research, and development team for new ideas that can

Succession Planning Report: Part Two 8

make present products better and develop new ones. As a formal assistant director of purchasing,

her experience in purchasing will help Biotech to cut cost on research and development of

products, and the company goal of affordable products for customers will be achieved.

There are rules and structures for how things must be done in Research and Development

department in order to get the expected result, and there is a reward for achieving the goal and

punishment for failure (Leadem, 2018, p. 3). Her belief in supervision and management will

make the team follow the structure, procedure, and rule to accomplish Biotech's goals against all

the odds. Innovation is out of competition, Higgins's personality as type A person will enhance

the rate of innovation because she believes in competition and she is also full of ideas that will

make the process of research and development better and more efficient while saving cost.

Being a no-nonsense person, she is a leader that will instruct followers about what they have to

do, how it must be done, when the task must be ready, and the expected result. She is objective

and practical, there will be a clear standard for performance for every member of the team, and

she makes the rule clear so that no ambiguity in the course of doing the research and

development of any product. She will also influence her followers to come up with new ideas

that can help in achieving the organization's goal. There is no doubt about Henrietta's ability to

lead the team successfully. She is honest and trustworthy, which means the outcome of every

product's research and development will give a positive result that will be used the production of

products that have no side effects. Her thought of eco-friendliness, which is part of sustainability,

will enhance Biotech's sustainability core value.

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The succession committee recommends Henrietta Higgins for the above position base on her

leadership style and personality traits.

Position 3:

Candidate Rafael Mendez

Current Position Director of Sale, New Mexico

Propose Role VP of Headquarter Operations

Rafael Mendez can be the VP of headquarter operation, which consist of four departments full of

a diverse group. Base on his experience, and success as a director of sale department that is

similar to the new role in term of people. He will be able to coordinate all of the departments and

make them work together, regardless of their demographic in terms of age. His situational

leadership style will make it possible for him to relate with the diverse groups in the different

departments. Though each department has its subculture, Rafael has what it takes to make them

work together for a common goal without clashing. He has done it before as a Director of Sales

in New Mexico, and it earned him outstanding performance reviews from all the employees

regardless of age and cultural background. Rafael likes working with customers, spending time

with them to make them all satisfied; he will do the same thing to the employees as the VP of

Headquarters operations because he knows that part of Biotech's core value is treating its

employees as internal customers. Consequently, he will be able to bridge the gap between the old

and the young people and coordinate all the departments that are in the headquarters house.

Succession Planning Report: Part Two 10

Rafael is efficient in his work. He is result-driven; he would be specific about his expectations

from the departments, and he would want measurable results from them to make sure that they

are on the same path with Biotech’s mission statement, which would lead to the organization's

vision. His sales experience will be beneficial to Biotech as a VP of headquarters operations in

the sense that he will make sure all the departments work on projects that are measurable in

terms of sales and cost savings. His communication ability will allow the free flow of

information between the headquarters and other branches.

Rafael, as the middleman between the CEO and all the branches worldwide, his communication

effectiveness will make policies and guidelines clear to other executives and build a strong

relationship in the organization. Though every department is vital to the company's growth, being

a result-driven person, Rafael will prioritize the allocation of resources, based on projects

assigned to each department, so that projects with the most significant result will be done without

delay. Rafael is recommended for the new role based on his strategy of knowing his clients,

which made the sale department successful. He will apply the same approach in his new role, but

it will be "knowing" his employees, which is about inclusiveness.

Although Rafael deviates from the rule sometimes, the succession committee does not see that as

an obstacle for him to become the VP of headquarters operations. Rafael is a result-driven

person; the deviation might be part of his strategies for achieving his expected goal.

Position 5:

Candidate Jackie Johnson

Current Position Director of Purchasing

Succession Planning Report: Part Two 11

Proposed Role Director of Finance

Jackie Johnson, a graduate of the University of Maryland University College also, served in the

military and worked with Biotech in a leadership position. She will be a suitable internal

candidate for the post of director of finance with some guidance. Her military background

provides integrity and disciplines which are desired in the finance department considering

demonstration of ethics and integrity is an integral part of Global Executive Competencies

("Leadership Competencies," 2018). Also, her association with Biotech in her current role has

already provided her an opportunity to understand the company's culture and its strengths and

weakness better than external candidates. Understanding the company's market position, culture,

history, future aspiration along with its strength and weakness is important where an internal

candidate is more likely to succeed due to familiarity with these factors whereas external

candidates are 61% more likely to fail as they get laid off or fired at some point during their

tenure with the company (Gale, 2013).

In addition to that, her merit list will also include her current job role as Director of Purchasing

where she has already sharpened a few fundamental skills, which are closely associated with the

finance department. For example, the ability to work with a budget, save cost while still meeting

the internal customers' demand in the process of procurement. Most importantly creating a

culture of financial integrity while Biotech purchasing department deals with its vendor and

suppliers.

In addition to job-specific skills, she also empowers her employees to take care of day-to-day

operations with minimal supervision from her so that she could have time to think strategically

(Rowe & Nejad, 2009, p. 3). With her strategic leadership style, she can anticipate the future for

Succession Planning Report: Part Two 12

all four geographical divisions. As a transformational leader, she can connect with all her

followers to influence them toward her vision for the finance departments.

However, there is some reservation within the committee for Jackie's candidacy. These concerns

arise from her "Laissez-Faire" or hands-off approach to leadership in the past which caused a few

minor issues in distribution with divisions outside of North America (Para 9, Leadem, 2018).

However, the most objectionable concern was Jackie's tolerance towards a risky approach, which

at times can be a double edge sword.

Despite the above mentioned, concern due to Jackie's ability to quickly learn and adapt makes

her a viable candidate for the position. In the past she was able to change her leadership style,

with guidance, the committee expects the same result in her new leadership role as well.

The leadership succession committee recommends Jackie Johnson for the position of Director of

Finance with a provision to have a mentorship for a smooth transition to her new role.

Position 6:

Candidate Need to Pursue External Candidate

Current Position -

Proposed Role Executive Director, North American Division

All the available internal candidates who can be considered for this role were evaluated.

However, the succession committee did not consider any candidates for recommendation

considering the strategic goal of Biotech. One of the biggest factors for this leadership

Succession Planning Report: Part Two 13

succession exercise is to appoint, promote and if needed bring leaders which possess a new style

of organizational leadership. Ideally leaders with relational leadership style. Considering the

impact of Executive Direct especially in the base country, currently is very difficult if not

impossible to fill this position, while still accomplishing the goals with a great degree of success.

As for individuals involved in senior leadership positions, knowing the leadership style is not

enough, but should also have experience in executing it before they can influence other to

practice a particular style of leadership (Lumen, 2006).

Considering these factors, the succession committee's recommendation is to look for external

candidates to fill in the position of Executive Director, North American Division.

Other Candidates

Mohammad Darvish

Darvish has extensive sales experience and enjoys getting to know the customer and their needs.

He enjoys working in a team and believes in flexibility as a leader and in a team. Part of his

flexibility in leading those around him is his belief in following the contingency style of

leadership, being flexible and leading those with whatever type of leadership style works best for

the individual and the situation[CITATION Rau \p 416 \l 1033 ]. Darvish’s likes to collaborate

with other people and the succession committee believes that he would be able to work well with

Marg Simpson. He does his research, is knowledgeable in sales and homeopathic remedies and

believes in honesty; all of which are traits that would be appreciated in the middle east (A guide

to Saudi Arabia – etiquette, customs, clothing and more…, n.d.).

Succession Planning Report: Part Two 14

Considering these factors, the succession committee's recommendation is to make him the new

sales manager for the middle east division. The committee feels that he will be able to work

effectively with Marg Simpson, and that his presence there will help her succeed in the new

region.

Mr. Barney should seriously consider the succession committee’s recommendations for the

company’s future. The committee has spent considerable time researching and surveying

employees to find out what kind of leadership is needed for the company to continue. The

committee believes that these recommendations will place the type of leaders needed into

positions that they can excel at and that are needed for the company and their employees.

Succession Planning Report: Part Two 15

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Leadem. R. (November 8, 2018). Eight most common Leadership Styles-which one are you?

Transactional Retrieved from: https://www.business2community.com/leadership/8-most-

common-leadership-styles-which-one-are-you-02136922

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