Succession management and career development initiatives – especially when supported with the right technology tools – can help organizations make great strides toward filling their talent pipelines today and tomorrow. The following succession planning best practices can help avoid common pitfalls and maximize the effectiveness of these programs:
• Provide more than one way up in an organization. Climbing the ladder of success isn’t always a journey straight to the top. Modern organizations require diverse capabilities and skills. Organizations should provide multiple routes in a career journey to avoid creating a culture that is risk-averse and unwilling to innovate.
• Reward managers for developing talent. Unfortunately, some managers are unwilling to promote top performers to the next level for selfish reasons. Organizations that value talent understand that this is a recipe for turnover and create incentives for managers to recommend employees for promotions and new assignments.
• Use enterprise learning as a performance lever. Career development without the “development” aspect is insufficient. Gaps in knowledge, skills and behaviors can be addressed through development plans that tie directly to learning. Career Development can also drive engagement and retention as employees see clearly how the organization is helping them grow. As the screen on this page shows, the right technology can allow managers to assign training or a development plan with the click of a button.
• Understand that senior management isn’t the only destination. Not every valuable employee is destined for the C-Suite. Creating a career track for technical experts and non-management positions allows employees with specialized skills and knowledge to build a career while focusing on what they do best.
• Train managers to be coaches and provide them with the right tools. Line managers may excel within their functional areas but may not have a clue how to be a career coach. Whether through classroom or online training or access to development tools within a talent management system, take the time to cultivate the skills of the people who will have a direct impact on the development of your employees.
• Allow employees to move horizontally as well as vertically in the organization. Employees have different needs at different life stages. A new parent may not be willing or able to access a foreign assignment. A young and rising star may want to focus on graduate school for a few years. Providing opportunities for employees to make horizontal as well as vertical moves can drive both retention and engagement in the long run.
• Make transparency a priority. Effective succession management and career development thrives on providing access to information. Executives need insight into talent gaps and opportunities. Managers and employees need to be aware of measurement criteria and career opportunities. Technology can facilitate this openness.