Succession Planning 4 pages essay

Succession Planning

Introduction

CapraTek is leveraging its culture of innovation to expand into emerging wireless technologies. As part of that diversification, CapraTek is developing advanced smart-home technology.

Last month, CapraTek announced that it will begin development of an integrated wireless system that will provide seamless integration of virtually all home electronics and appliances all controlled through a single, wireless device and a simple web-based interface. The system (Alfred!) will be produced in a new manufacturing facility in central Illinois. Groundbreaking on the new facility will begin this summer with full operations to be accomplished in three phases over the next two years.

While most workers at the new plant will be hired locally, manager and supervisor positions will be filled through a combination of transfers and promotions from the two current U.S. CapraTek manufacturing plants and local hires. The new plant manager, Mark Cranston, had been the assistant plant manager at CapraTek’s Spartanburg South Carolina plant. His promotion leaves a vacancy at the South Carolina plant that will need to be backfilled quickly as the current plant manager is scheduled to retire in less than two years.

After completing the activity, you should:

· Understand how succession planning and employee development relate to an organization’s strategic goals.

· Be able to select appropriate candidates for development.

· Be able to apply various tools and resources to an individual’s development plan.

Email

Succession Issues at Spartanburg

From: Evelyn Unger, Senior HR Generalist

I am assuming that you have had a chance to read Kathleen’s announcement on the company intranet – if you haven’t, you should. 

The bottom line is that we didn’t see Mark’s promotion coming and there has not been much done in terms of succession planning at that plant (or, to be honest, at our other plants). It is looking like there isn’t a strong internal candidate to take Mark’s place, so we will be posting the position and looking externally to fill the position.

With the current plant manager slated to retire, we’d like to avoid this kind of thing happening again, so I’d like you to take a look at the management and supervisory in Spartanburg and come up with a development plan for one of those individuals. Basically, identify one person who you think has the potential to be a strong internal candidate to replace Chuck when he retires. Identify what needs to be done in terms of succession planning and career development planning, and be prepared to talk about it later this week. You’ll probably want to set up virtual meetings with several potential candidates to talk about their goals and current plans.

I’m asking a couple of other people to do the same thing, so be prepared to defend your choice!

I’ll follow up with you later. Good luck!

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Intranet

Company Announcements:

On behalf of the entire Executive Team, I am pleased to announce that Mark Cranston has accepted the position of Plant Manager for our new facility in Mahomet, Illinois.

Mark has been the Assistant Plant Manager for our facility in Spartanburg, SC for the last 5 years. In that time, Mark was overseeing production of several new product lines including CapraTek’s SwitchBack server. Mark implemented cost reductions for the last two years, contributed to increasing manufacturing output by 10% without adding to labor costs, saving the company over $75,000. He also introduced Lean Manufacturing and Kaizen Management methods, and created management tools to analyze productivity which were implemented as best practices at our New Mexico plant.

We are proud that Mark is a part of CapraTek and appreciate his contributions to the success of our Spartanburg operations. The Executive Team looks forward to supporting Mark as he spearheads the manufacturing of our Alfred! line of products. Please join me in congratulating Mark on his promotion!

Kathleen Brady 

Sr. Vice President – Human Resources

View additional Capratek Intranet Content »

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Spartanburg Organization Chart

Chuck Fulmer - Plant Manager

· VACANT - Assistant Plant Manager

· Suzanne Pope - Quality Assurance Manager 

AAS in Industrial Management - working on BS online. Five years’ experience – named ‘Supervisor of the Year’ last year and promoted to department manager last year. Great people skills and very ambitious.

· David Rivers - 1st Shift Manager 

BS in Mechanical engineering, 12 years with company - rose from supervisor to shift manager in seven years. No interest in more education but a quick learner and very good people person. Needs more current tech knowledge.

· Doug Knutson - Production Manager 

BS in Mechanical Engineering - 14 years as a department manager - solid technical skills - decent people skills. While a good solid performer little willingness to learn new things. Well-liked by his staff - a fishing buddy with several of them.

· Carl Anderson - Product Manager 

Senior Department Manager with over 20 years as Supervisor and department manager - got BS at night and working on MBA at night. Employees consider him hard but fair. Always willing to take on new assignments and almost always gets the job done on time.

· Robert Schwartz - 2nd Shift Manager 

BS in Math, currently completing MBA online. Eight years with company - but only two as shift manager. Strong current tech skills but needs more development in people skills.

· Sean Lewis - Product Manager 

BS in industrial engineering - seven years as a Supervisor and three as a department manager. Has recommended several new methods to improve operations in the last two years - well-liked by all and seen as a good boss who supports the people who work for him.

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Interviews and Development Resources

Interview Questions:

· What are your goals for the next 5 to 10 years?

· Do you have any plans to further your education and if so in what area and why?

· Are you willing to move into broader management areas than your current position?

· What are your weaknesses and what training would you need to enhance these?

· What are your major strengths and how can these be used for your future growth?

· Are you willing to accept transfers and/or travel to enhance your skills?

Development Resources:

· Formal Education - CapraTek offers tuition reimbursement for employees’ college and university expenses. This program requires employees submit an application and obtain their supervisor’s approval. The program or degree must be related to the employee’s current position or to promotional opportunities.

· Technical Seminars - Employees attend seminars or conferences that focus on topics or skills relevant to their work. Employees are usually asked to prepare a written report or deliver a presentation to other staff as a way of demonstrating the new knowledge and to extend the benefit to CapraTek. 

· Leadership / "Soft Skill" Seminars - Newly promoted supervisors and managers are encouraged to attend leadership seminars or courses that provide opportunities to develop leadership skills and competencies.

· Special Projects - These projects provide an employee an opportunity to work on a project that is normally outside his or her job duties. These are coordinated through the manager, the employee, and HR so that goals and expectations can be clarified and measured.

· Short Term Assignments - Short term assignments are sometimes used to have two employees in different departments “swap” jobs for a predetermined duration, usually to increase collaboration and inter-department understanding.

· Cross-Training Opportunities - Cross-training uses training and development opportunities to ensure employees have the skills necessary to perform various job functions within an organization.

· Mentoring - CapraTek has a structured mentoring program in which an experienced employee is paired with a less experienced employee in a similar job or career structure. The mentor assists the mentee in developing skills and knowledge relevant to the employee’s professional growth.