8 Reasons why Succession Planning fails and developing strategies to mitigate and counteract these causes

1. DR CHARLES COTTER
www.slideshare.net/CharlesCotter
MAPUTO, MOZAMBIQUE
28 NOVEMBER 2019

2. O FUTURO
DOS RECURSOS HUMANOS |2019
PRESENTATION OVERVIEW
Exploring 8 reasons why Succession Planning Fails
Developing strategies to mitigate and/or
counteract these causes

3. AGREE OR DISAGREE?
WHY?

4. O FUTURO
DOS RECURSOS HUMANOS |2019
REASON #1: SUCCESSION PLANNING IS NOT STRATEGIC
• Refer to the link https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KMPZ5JJ
• #1: Succession planning is a strategic driver of sustainable organizational
development and competitive advantage.
• #2: Succession planning is vertically aligned with the strategic business plan and an
enabler of the achievement of strategic goals/objectives.
• #3: Succession planning is multi-level is implemented on 3 levels i.e. executive
management; senior management and critical/key roles (professional and technical)
to develop qualified successors.
• #4: Succession planning builds organizational capacity, promotes institutional
memory and stimulates knowledge and skills transfer.
• #5: Succession planning is horizontally integrated with other HRM value chain
processes e.g. Career Planning, Workforce Planning; PMS; Learning and
Development etc.

5. O FUTURO
DOS RECURSOS HUMANOS |2019
REASON #1: SUCCESSION PLANNING IS NOT STRATEGIC
Refer to the link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KMPZ5JJ
#6: The talent pipeline is vibrant in creating an adequate succession planning rate/ratio e.g. 1:3
and talent bench strength of high potential/performers.
#7: The succession planning is effective in developing and grooming the depth and breadth of
talent and fast-tracking ready-made successors in identified key roles.
#8: The succession planning process is proactive and adopts a medium to long-term view e.g. 3-5
years and uses scenario planning/”what if” analyses.
#9: The succession planning frequently scans the micro, market and macro business environments,
is consistently reviewed and is agile in it’s response.
#10: Succession planning results in effective leadership development, higher levels of employee
engagement and improved employee retention.

6. SUCCESSION PLANNING – WIDEST COMPLIANCE
GAPS
BEST PRACTICE CRITERIA RELATIVE DIFFICULTY
RANKING
MEAN SCORE
Q9: Succession planning frequently scans the micro, market and macro business
environments, is consistently reviewed and is agile in it’s response.
1 67%
Q6: The talent pipeline is vibrant in creating an adequate succession planning
rate/ratio e.g. 1:3 and talent bench strength of high potentials/performance.
2 67%
Q8: The succession planning process is proactive, adopts a medium to long-term
view e.g. 3-5 years and uses scenario planning/"what if" analyses.
3 68%

7. SUCCESSION PLANNING – MOST COMPLIANT
CRITERIA
Range Median Mean Standard Deviation
22-100% 76% 71.9% 18%
BEST PRACTICE CRITERIA DIFFICULTY
RANKING
MEAN SCORE
Q1: Succession planning is a strategic driver of sustainable
organizational development and competitive advantage.
10 79%

9. • https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KT2PMCZ
• #1: Aligned with the organization’s strategic business plans and priorities.
• #2: Future-focused, adopting a strategic, medium to long-term forward-looking approach.
• #3: Pro-active, sensitive and responsive to (internal and external) environmental change and
trends.
• #4: Provides accurate and reliable (clear view) talent planning/management information for
the organization e.g. available core competencies; scarce skills; critical jobs and employee
segments and talent gaps.
• #5: Collaborative, well coordinated and partnering effort (HRM has co-opted business
partners e.g. line managers to the process).
DIAGNOSIS: 10 BEST PRACTICE GUIDELINES FOR
EFFECTIVE SWP

10. • https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KT2PMCZ
• #6: Integrated (bundled) with other HRM value chain processes e.g. Recruitment, Succession Planning,
Retention and Leadership Development.
• #7: Generates meaningful business intelligence for the organization which shapes, informs and influences
business planning and supports strategic decision-making.
• #8: Integrates both scientific (HRM metrics, predictive analytics and strategy maps) with artistic (planning)
principles.
• #9: Dynamic - regularly and systematically monitored, reviewed, evaluated and adapted (committed to
continuous improvement processes).
• #10: Yields a positive ROI, with tangible/demonstrable outcomes and impact for the organization i.e. creates
sustainable HCM competitive advantages
DIAGNOSIS: 10 BEST PRACTICE GUIDELINES FOR
EFFECTIVE SWP

11. STRATEGIC HR PLANNING – WIDEST COMPLIANCE GAPS
BEST PRACTICE CRITERIA RELATIVE DIFFICULTY
RANKING
MEAN SCORE
Q10: Your organization's HR plan yields a positive ROI, with
tangible/demonstrable outcomes and impact i.e. creates sustainable HCM
competitive advantages
1 58%
Q8: Your organization's HR plan integrates both scientific (HRM metrics,
predictive analytics and strategy maps) with artistic (planning) principles.
2 59%
Q4: Your organization's HR Plan provides accurate and reliable (clear view) talent
planning/management information e.g. available core competencies; scarce
skills; critical jobs and employee segments and talent gaps.
3 59%

12. STRATEGIC HR PLANNING – MOST COMPLIANT
CRITERIA
Range Median Mean Standard Deviation
27-93% 59%
60.3%
12%
BEST PRACTICE CRITERIA DIFFICULTY RANKING MEAN SCORE
Q1: Your HR Plan is aligned with the organization’s strategic business
plans and priorities.
10 67%

14. SABPP HR AUDITED RATINGS (2018)
- x39 COMPANIES

16. CLEAR VIEW – LINE OF SIGHT
x5 STRATEGIC HR PLANNING CHECKPOINTS
(Cotter, 2016)
#1: Inventory of available organizational core competencies and scarce
skills (by means of a skills audit)?
#2: Mission critical organizational jobs (to enable strategic goals
achievement)?
#3: Critical employee segments (to promote business continuity i.e. -
future-proofing of the business model)?
#4: Identification of organizational talent gaps (e.g. by means of Succession
Planning 9-box matrix)?
#5: Competitivity, maturity and readiness of the organizational talent
pipeline (i.e. number of future-fit HIPO’s and the talent bench strength, who
can seamlessly ascend into the key positions)?

17. O FUTURO
DOS RECURSOS HUMANOS |2019
REASON #2: SUCCESSION PLANNING IS NOT HORIZONTALLY INTEGRATED WITH
OTHER HRM VALUE CHAIN PROCESSES

18. INTEGRATED TALENT MANAGEMENT
ARCHITECTURE/SYSTEM

20. STRATEGIC HRM VALUE CHAIN

21. O FUTURO
DOS RECURSOS HUMANOS |2019
REASON #3: SUCCESSION PLANNING AND NOT SUCCESSION MANAGEMENT

22. O FUTURO
DOS RECURSOS HUMANOS |2019
REASON #4: SUCCESSION PLANNING IS NOT STRATEGIC BUSINESS PRIORITY

23. O FUTURO
DOS RECURSOS HUMANOS |2019
REASON #5: SUCCESSION PLANNING DOESN’T SCIENTIFICALLY MEASURE AND ASSESS
POTENTIAL SUCCESSORS
• Succession planning starts when you can accurately measure the performance of employees,
assess skills and career growth information.
• Succession planning tools need to have extensive integration and customization options to
support all of your talent management efforts.
• Refer to the software criteria and requirements
• Succession Planning metrics - Measure outcomes, not process

24. IDENTIFY AND ASSESS SUCCESSORS –
9 BOX MATRIX

25. LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

26. ASSESSING LEADERSHIP POTENTIAL (GALLUP)

27. O FUTURO
DOS RECURSOS HUMANOS |2019
REASON #6: SUCCESSION PLANNING FOCUSES EXCLUSIVELY ON (EXECUTIVE)
MANAGERIAL POSITIONS
• #3: Succession planning is multi-level is implemented on 3 levels i.e.
executive management; senior management and critical/key roles
(professional and technical) to develop qualified successors.

28. O FUTURO
DOS RECURSOS HUMANOS |2019
REASON #7: ORGANIZATIONS ARE TALENT HOARDERS AND MONOPOLIZERS, NOT
TALENT LIBERATORS

30. O FUTURO
DOS RECURSOS HUMANOS |2019
REASON #8: SUCCESSION PLANNING IS A PROCESS, NOT AN EVENT

31. STEP 7 REVIEW AND EVALUATE THE IMPACT/EFFECTIVENESS OF SUCCESSION
PLAN
STEP 6 MONITOR AND TRACK PROGRESS
STEP 5 IMPLEMENT SUCCESSION PLAN AND DEVELOPMENTAL STRATEGIES
STEP 4 DEVELOP SUCCESSION PLAN AND STRATEGIES
STEP 3 IDENTIFY TALENT GAPS
STEP 2 IDENTIFY AND ASSESS SUCCESSORS – POTENTIAL AND
PERFORMANCE (9-BOX MATRIX)
STEP 1 IDENTIFY CURRENT CRITICAL/KEY POSITIONS AND ANALYZE FUTURE
REQUIREMENTS AND COMPETENCIES (BUSINESS STRATEGY)
GENERIC SUCCESSION
PLANNING PROCESS

32. O FUTURO
DOS RECURSOS HUMANOS |2019
CONCLUSION
Summary of key points
Questions

33. CONTACT DETAILS