for Prof. Shaukat only

Succession planning is a process whereby an organization ensures that employees are recruited and developed to fill each key role within the company.

The role of HR is to actively pursue a process of Succession Planning that ensures that employees are constantly developed to fill each needed role.

As an organization expands, loses key employees, provides promotional opportunities, and increases sales, succession planning allows companies to have employees on hand ready and waiting to fill new roles.

Effective, HR Management of proactive succession planning allows the company to well prepared for expansion, the loss of a key employee, filling a new or needed job, managing employee promotions , and re- organizational opportunities.

Successful succession planning builds bench strength.

There’s more to succession planning than coming up with lists of candidates for important positions on the back of a cocktail napkin.

But unfortunately, that’s about as far as some companies take it (if they’re doing it at all.) Then they end up scrambling looking for replacements, hiring overly paid and risky outsiders, or over-promoting unqualified candidates

As part of the succession planning process HR needs to identify employees that may be needed for lateral moves, assignment to special projects, team leadership roles.

HR must also recognize that one ancillary outcome of the succession planning process is that a company can better retain superior employees because they appreciate the time and attention they receive from HR through this process.

Such employees are motivated and engaged when they can see a career path for their continued growth and development presented to them by HR.

The 10 best HR practices aligned with Succession Planning

1. HR must earn the commitment, involvement and Trust of the CEO. Succession planning cannot be just an HR driven paperwork exercise

2. HR must conduct regular talent reviews. HR must cast a wide net throughout the organization looking for rising stars.

3. HR must identify pools of successors not just a handful of key players. These “pools” of high potentials form the backbone of a successful succession planning process

4. HR should take a “pipeline” approach to succession planning, by indentifying talent at ALL levels of the organization.

5. Hold the executive team accountable. HR must measure key activities and results, as part of the succession planning process.

6. HR must align succession planning with overall business strategy. HR must be in a position to “connect the dots” – what we have vs what we may need.

7. HR must manage the irrational, political, and emotional dynamics of succession. Ask anyone who’s ever been in the thick of a succession planning program, it’s not for the faint of heart. This is the stuff that you won’t find in a textbook, but comes with experience and emotional intelligence. HR must “Tell Truth to Power” to have a successful succession planning program.

8. HR must be in a position to assess both past performance and potential. Performance as a predictor of future success in a new role. That’s a high risk.

9. HR must integrate succession planning with recruitment. Both must play a critical role in the succession planning process.

10. HR must make a serious commitment of time and resources to Succession planning.. The best HR Departments spend considerable time on the succession planning process.