Succession planning serves a dual purpose. The first purpose is to ensure that the new leader and the followers of the organization have a mutual and continuous understanding of the direction of the organization (Weese and Crabtree, 2004).
The second purpose is that succession planning is the ability to identify critical positions and provide maximum coverage in the event that any role within the organization would need to be filled. Succession planning should not be confused with replacement planning. Replacement planning's sole purpose is to ensure that all positions are filled at all times. It is not concerned with the development of the leader. Therefore, the roles are not necessarily filled by those who have the "DNA" of the organization. Succession planning on the other hand is more concerned with ensuring that the DNA of the organization is passed on by training future leaders to understand and imbibe the vision of the organization. It is designed to comprehensively plan not only for positions that need to be filled, but also for the organization's entire workforce. It is the leaders and the follower's responsibility to be able to identify, plan and manage an organization's need for the right type of people and the right number of people to carry out the vision of the organization (Rothwell, 2005).
At the core, succession planning should have three main objectives--to ensure the long-term viability of an organization, sustain its core competencies, and maintain a competitive advantage. This is the function of strategy to organizational leadership. A healthy organization should recognize that succession planning does not end with handing over leadership responsibilities, but that this is a conscientious continuous cyclical event within the life-span of an organization.
Long-term viability substantiates the significance of an organization's vision. A leader has to understand that a vision's relevance is passed down the members of the organization and has to be sustained by the people within the organization. Therefore, succession planning reflects the focused attention of the leader dedicated to the systematic development of best practices within the organization for the purpose of developing and sustaining the organization's intellectual capital. Intellectual capital is the collective economic value of an organization's workforce (Rothwell, 2005). This means that the vision of the organization is supported by the operation and functions of the organization. The people who manage these functions and operations are the members of the organization—the intellectual capital. Therefore, an organization's best asset and legacy, its people increase the value of an organization's intellectual capital through sharing the knowledge they have gained through managing the functions of the organization. Intellectual capital is transformed into knowledge management as an organization makes decision, operates and interacts with the surrounding environment. The transference of an organization's knowledge management ensures the integrity of the vision and provides a road-map for the future. The value of creating willable best practices for an organization is the continuous transmission of knowledge from one leader and followers to another leader and followers.
Sustainable core competencies can be a result of shared knowledge management. Followers within an organization seek leader who are able to model appropriate ethics. As a result, competency has become quite important especially in light of failed leadership expectations. Competency represents the distinguishing feature between high performers, average performers and below-average performers. Competency differentiates an organization's character as either being traditional or cutting-edge. It is the "glue" that holds succession planning efforts as an organization's work reflects a dynamic environment. For instance, it provides for a forward-thinking organization the flexibility an organization needs to maintain its desire for high performers and positive reputation of being cutting-edge (Rothwell, 2005).
Optimally, an organization should desire to be economically viable. The purpose for succession planning is to maintain a competitive advantage. Succession planning aligns an organization's present status with future goals by questioning how innovative the organization is. The vision is why an organization exists, but the sustenance of that vision is dependent upon its innovation. Succession planning allows the leaders to continually examine its best practices in lieu of staying-abreast within a competitive environment. The goal of succession planning is to ensure that an organization places its best foot forward. Therefore, the determinant of the next leaders is based upon their ability to accept and implement, without compromising the vision innovative and creative methods for ensuring that their organization continually meets the need for why it was created.
Fostering a positive culture requires the concerted efforts of both the leaders and followers within the organization. It cannot be assumed that an atmosphere of mutual interdependence is the ideal for everyone (Winston, 2002). Positive core competencies and values modeled by the leaders will be reflected by the followers. If both the leader and followers reflect shared competencies, their shared value and core competencies will influence the functionality and operations of the organization. The return on investing in a positive culture is that an organization's best asset, its people will desire to continue to foster such an inspiring environment. The organization will have created a symbiotic environment for future leaders to be developed to lead. Replacement practices and turnover are eliminated as empty positions are filled by followers who have bought into the vision.
The concerted building of future organizational leaders starts with creating a positive culture. However, this is sustained by a concerted effort to mentor future leaders. The greatest benefit of having a succession plan in place is the purpose identification, selection and development of future leaders. Even more important is the creation of a platform that emphasis the fact that succession planning and management allows the members of the organization to accept responsibility for the organization despite actual roles and positioning in the organization. This platform empowers all members of the organization to essentially work as a unit for the mutual benefit of each other and for the vision. Within this platform, the departing leader finds a new purpose in the organization when re-invention of their role as the mentor. Knowledge sharing becomes purposeful and intentional. In return, those mentored fortified by an understanding of the vision are released into creative brainstorming and innovation building processes for the competitive edge required for the organization's sustainability. As the organization falls into a seamless flow of mentorship—a symbiotic relationship of knowledge sharing; the organization becomes a living organism. It cannot be threatened with stagnation as the members re-invent the methods of delivering their vision while grounding themselves in the purpose for why they were united.
Succession planning plays an integral role in the intertwining relationship of leadership development, strategy and organizational culture. These interdependent systems provide the foundation for the future survivability of any organization. As a result, succession planning can be considered a living organism that survives on the development and retention of future leaders (Mandi, 1985).
The second purpose is that succession planning is the ability to identify critical positions and provide maximum coverage in the event that any role within the organization would need to be filled. Succession planning should not be confused with replacement planning. Replacement planning's sole purpose is to ensure that all positions are filled at all times. It is not concerned with the development of the leader. Therefore, the roles are not necessarily filled by those who have the "DNA" of the organization. Succession planning on the other hand is more concerned with ensuring that the DNA of the organization is passed on by training future leaders to understand and imbibe the vision of the organization. It is designed to comprehensively plan not only for positions that need to be filled, but also for the organization's entire workforce. It is the leaders and the follower's responsibility to be able to identify, plan and manage an organization's need for the right type of people and the right number of people to carry out the vision of the organization (Rothwell, 2005).
At the core, succession planning should have three main objectives--to ensure the long-term viability of an organization, sustain its core competencies, and maintain a competitive advantage. This is the function of strategy to organizational leadership. A healthy organization should recognize that succession planning does not end with handing over leadership responsibilities, but that this is a conscientious continuous cyclical event within the life-span of an organization.
Long-term viability substantiates the significance of an organization's vision. A leader has to understand that a vision's relevance is passed down the members of the organization and has to be sustained by the people within the organization. Therefore, succession planning reflects the focused attention of the leader dedicated to the systematic development of best practices within the organization for the purpose of developing and sustaining the organization's intellectual capital. Intellectual capital is the collective economic value of an organization's workforce (Rothwell, 2005). This means that the vision of the organization is supported by the operation and functions of the organization. The people who manage these functions and operations are the members of the organization—the intellectual capital. Therefore, an organization's best asset and legacy, its people increase the value of an organization's intellectual capital through sharing the knowledge they have gained through managing the functions of the organization. Intellectual capital is transformed into knowledge management as an organization makes decision, operates and interacts with the surrounding environment. The transference of an organization's knowledge management ensures the integrity of the vision and provides a road-map for the future. The value of creating willable best practices for an organization is the continuous transmission of knowledge from one leader and followers to another leader and followers.
Sustainable core competencies can be a result of shared knowledge management. Followers within an organization seek leader who are able to model appropriate ethics. As a result, competency has become quite important especially in light of failed leadership expectations. Competency represents the distinguishing feature between high performers, average performers and below-average performers. Competency differentiates an organization's character as either being traditional or cutting-edge. It is the "glue" that holds succession planning efforts as an organization's work reflects a dynamic environment. For instance, it provides for a forward-thinking organization the flexibility an organization needs to maintain its desire for high performers and positive reputation of being cutting-edge (Rothwell, 2005).
Optimally, an organization should desire to be economically viable. The purpose for succession planning is to maintain a competitive advantage. Succession planning aligns an organization's present status with future goals by questioning how innovative the organization is. The vision is why an organization exists, but the sustenance of that vision is dependent upon its innovation. Succession planning allows the leaders to continually examine its best practices in lieu of staying-abreast within a competitive environment. The goal of succession planning is to ensure that an organization places its best foot forward. Therefore, the determinant of the next leaders is based upon their ability to accept and implement, without compromising the vision innovative and creative methods for ensuring that their organization continually meets the need for why it was created.
Fostering a positive culture requires the concerted efforts of both the leaders and followers within the organization. It cannot be assumed that an atmosphere of mutual interdependence is the ideal for everyone (Winston, 2002). Positive core competencies and values modeled by the leaders will be reflected by the followers. If both the leader and followers reflect shared competencies, their shared value and core competencies will influence the functionality and operations of the organization. The return on investing in a positive culture is that an organization's best asset, its people will desire to continue to foster such an inspiring environment. The organization will have created a symbiotic environment for future leaders to be developed to lead. Replacement practices and turnover are eliminated as empty positions are filled by followers who have bought into the vision.
The concerted building of future organizational leaders starts with creating a positive culture. However, this is sustained by a concerted effort to mentor future leaders. The greatest benefit of having a succession plan in place is the purpose identification, selection and development of future leaders. Even more important is the creation of a platform that emphasis the fact that succession planning and management allows the members of the organization to accept responsibility for the organization despite actual roles and positioning in the organization. This platform empowers all members of the organization to essentially work as a unit for the mutual benefit of each other and for the vision. Within this platform, the departing leader finds a new purpose in the organization when re-invention of their role as the mentor. Knowledge sharing becomes purposeful and intentional. In return, those mentored fortified by an understanding of the vision are released into creative brainstorming and innovation building processes for the competitive edge required for the organization's sustainability. As the organization falls into a seamless flow of mentorship—a symbiotic relationship of knowledge sharing; the organization becomes a living organism. It cannot be threatened with stagnation as the members re-invent the methods of delivering their vision while grounding themselves in the purpose for why they were united.
Succession planning plays an integral role in the intertwining relationship of leadership development, strategy and organizational culture. These interdependent systems provide the foundation for the future survivability of any organization. As a result, succession planning can be considered a living organism that survives on the development and retention of future leaders (Mandi, 1985).
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