The changing face of succession planning
Traditionally, large blue-chip companies ran highly structured, mechanistic,
secretive and top-down schemes aimed at identifying internal successors for key
posts and planning their career paths to provide the necessary range of
experience. These schemes worked reasonably well in a stable environment
where structures were fixed and careers were long term.
But with growing uncertainty, increasing speed of change in the business
environment, and flatter structures, succession planning of this sort declined in
the 1990s. How can you plan ahead for jobs that might not exist next year? One
apparent result was that more and more people from outside organisations
came to be appointed to top jobs.
A further problem with traditional succession planning was that it failed to take
account of non-managerial roles – for example, a brilliant R&D technician who
might be crucial to the future management of the organisation and who wanted
to stay in an R&D role.
Succession planning in uncertain times
The new succession planning looks quite different from the old version: it has a
broader vision, and far closer links to wider talent management practices.
Succession planning becomes more, not less, important in an economic
downturn.
During uncertain times it is more vital than ever to know where key talent sits
within an organisation and how to develop people to meet short-term and long-term
business-critical issues.
These worksheets are designed to help you develop your own robust succession
plan.
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