Chapter 10

Succession and talent management

Learning objectives

After reading this chapter you will be able to:• discuss the concept of succession management • identify key principles for effectiveness in

succession and talent management • outline the six steps in a succession and talent

management process• identify challenges in implementing succession

and talent management • consider how succession and talent

management can contribute to strategic human resource management in a sport organisation

What is succession management?

• Succession management is a comprehensive set of assessment and development processes that support the attraction, development, reward and retention of talented individuals, from entry level positions through to senior management.

Succession management

• incorporates a broad range of standardised performance evaluation methods and gathers information on employee and volunteer performance from multiple perspectives.

• is designed to supplement subjective manager judgements of potential with independent objective assessment data related to key succession criteria

Succession management can include:

• senior leadership roles

• critical roles within the sport organization

• professional or specialist roles

• entire cohorts of staff or volunteers

Strategies for effective succession management

• Obtain support from the CEO and senior Management• Gain line management and staff support• Keep it simple and tailored to unique organizational needs• Make sure it is flexible and linked with the strategic business plan• Link it to the human resources review process• Use well-developed competencies and objective reviews of

candidates• incorporate employee input• Make a part of the broader management development effort• Include plans for development job assignments• Integrated with other human resource systems• Emphasize accountability and follow-up.

(Eastman, 1995)

6 steps in succession management

1. designing the process

2. ensuring strategic integration

3. assessing the current situation

4. identifying and assessing talented individuals

5. implementation: planning and undertaking development

6. evaluation

1. Design the process

• define a business case for succession management

• ensure transparency and confidentiality

• build in staff feedback systems

• develop a communication strategy

2. Ensure strategic integration

• identify roles/jobs critical to organisation's success

• identify distinctive leadership capabilities

• align with training and development and performance management systems

3. Assess the current situation

• conduct a risk assessment of potential departures from existing critical roles

• determine the extent of any pending position shortage by projecting requirements, internal mobility and attrition over the next 3-5 years

• Use relevant succession and talent management strategies to fill the gaps identified between current capability for key roles and future requirements

4. Identify and assess potential

• Outline the capabilities required for effectiveness in critical roles

• map essential skills and competencies identified using consistent & objective criteria

• also use criteria to identify high-performance and high-potential candidates with advancement potential

Accurate identification & assessment

Use existing performance management data such as:• biographical data • current performance • observed behaviour • 360° feedback and formal appraisal outcomes • interviews to determine career preferences• behavioural interviews • feedback from a range of senior managers performance• external assessments such as assessment centres

5. Implementation

• outline the types of roles or experiences which may be offered as accelerated development opportunities

• develop each individual’s required capabilities through a program of learning experiences

• development opportunities include: targeted job assignments, managing a project, a formal training program, access to a mentor etc

6. Evaluation

• establish clear timeframes • for the organisation, evaluation could be in

terms of whether organisational risk has been reduced or minimised.

• for the individual, evaluation includes self-assessment about the degree of capability development and demonstrated changes in performance and behaviour in the workplace.

6 succession derailers

1. Inaccurate information and limited choices

2. A focus on only one person for each specific role

3. Poor experiential development 4. Misunderstanding what is needed for

future success 5. Failure to execute and follow through 6. Lack of accountability

6 trends in succession and talent management programs

1. Expand succession management to lower levels of the organization.

2. Do a complete success profile for assessing readiness 3. Assess the whole person for development purposes4. Select/deploy talent by leveraging an aging workforce5. Accelerate development through applied learning and

mentoring networks6. Focus/drive performance through measurement

Summary

• Succession and talent management provides a process by which high potential and valuable staff are recruited, developed, rewarded and retained by the sport organization

• There are six key steps to a succession management program: designing the process; ensuring strategic integration; assessing the current situation; identifying and assessing talented individuals; implementation; planning and undertaking development; and evaluation.