Succession Planning

1. Succession Planning Based loosely on “Effective Succession Planning in the Public Sector,” 2007, Watson Wyatt Worldwide

2. Definition Succession Planning - The means by which an organization prepares for and replaces managers and other key employees when it is anticipated that they will be leaving their current positions. • Promotion • Retirement • Transfer • Resignation • Dismissal

3. Why Succession Planning? • The “graying” of the work force • Retirement incentives • High competition for public sector employees by the private sector • Today’s employees less averse to mobility • Uncertainty of employer commitment to employees • Resultant high rates of turnover up to 10% per year

4. Public Sector Challenges • Succession planning less practiced in public sector • Agencies may be less focused on the need until it is critical • Governmental procedures create complications • Employee acceptance may be limited

5. Key Elements of Succession Planning • Retention of key staff involved in organization successes • Preparing an agency for change • Evaluating the readiness of individuals to accept higher level responsibilities • Sustaining continuity • Initiatives • Morale • Performance • Service

6. Succession Planning Tasks • Identification of potential successors • Development of skills and abilities through aggressive formal training • Mentoring and cross-training through job-share arrangements and temporary details • Recruitment at the proper time • Management of transition periods

7. Succession Planning Pitfalls • Designing as a separate program rather than an integrated piece of an agency’s design • Periodic event rather than an ongoing program • Failure to develop as a culture of the organization • Failure to link to organization strategy and goals • Sustaining through administration changes • Failure to discern difference between leadership potential and technical competence • Inadequate coaching and performance assessment • Poor management buy-in

8. Oklahoma Dept of Corrections Model • Formal and informal recruitment • Encouragement of high performers and employees receiving special recognition • Rigorous interviews and personality assessments • Strategic staffing and training assignments • Learning journey prior to assignment • Management involvement directly in training and transition

9. Recommended Components • Competition • Transparency • Voluntary • Flexibility including use of time outside normal work day • Conformance with personnel rules • Planned in advance • Integration with strategic plans and employee performance goals

10. Conclusions • Succession planning can and should be a key component in the long-term strategies of regulatory agencies. • Failure to plan can and will cause complications and impact delivery of services. • Most agencies have the capability to construct and implement a succession planning program and should pursue integration of such a program into their standard operations.