LEADERSHIP
SHIFT FROM SUCCESSION
PLANNING TO SMART
TALENT
By Dr. Kellen Kiambati
I
Succession planning is one part
of ensuring that an organization
can meet its future needs for
people. ‘Talent management’ is
now a common umbrella term for
the attraction, identification and
development of people with potential.
Succession planning and talent
management should be integrated,
not two separate sets of processes.
Talent and succession management
is essential to all companies. If talent
is not managed appropriately, skills
can be wasted and good people
may decide to go elsewhere, leaving
the outfit with lo w performers.
Without succession management,
organizations can be left in difficulty
whilst important roles remain empty.
In some organizations succession
planning and talent management
focus only on the senior leadership
‘pipeline’. Others apply the same
concepts and processes to other
groups of jobs and people and/or to
particular ‘critical posts’.
Whatever job groups and kinds of
employees are addressed by talent and
succession management, the concern
should be identifying individuals
who may be able to develop their
potential into different roles (often
but not always at higher level) on
varied timeframes, usually both short
term and longer term. A key aspect is
‘‘ Talent and succession management
is essential to all companies. If talent is
not managed appropriately, skills can be
wasted and good people may decide to
go elsewhere, leaving the outfit with low
performers. Without succession management,
organizations can be left in difficulty whilst
important roles remain empty’’
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planning and then facilitating tailored
career and skill development for
identified individuals to prepare them
for the future.
Talent management should also check
that agreed development actions are
taking place, link appropriately with
the way jobs are actually filled, and
influence wider workforce planning
and resourcing strategies. Each
organization needs to fit its approach
to talent and succession management
to its own particular business needs,
culture and workforce situation, and
the capability of its line managers.
Principles that can be applied
1. Talk to senior managers at the start
and involve them in co-designing
the approach. Ask them what they
want out of talent and succession
management – it’s their process.
Agree directly with the top team
purposes, populations and principles
that address their real concerns.
2. Focus on easily defined groups
of jobs or groups of people where
succession or resourcing is a problem
and could be improved by growing
talent from within. Identifying