Few U.S. companies integrate management development with strategy: Survey

1 in 4 firms do no succession planning at all

Less than one in 10 large organizations integrates management development and succession planning with strategic business objectives, according to a survey by AMA Enterprise.

The survey found that United States companies take a variety of approaches to succession planning in terms both of management development and overall corporate strategy, said Sandi Edwards, senior vice-president at AMA Enterprise.

“Integrating leadership development and succession planning with strategy is the gold standard today, yet it remains a far-off hope for many organizations,” she said. “Even more disturbing is that, in the view of respondents, nearly half of the organizations don’t even seem to be seeking to achieve this best practice.”

Only eight per cent of companies have a comprehensive development program integrated with strategic business objectives, while the focus for 17 per cent is primarily on training and development of specific competencies, found the survey of 1,098 senior managers and executives.

For another 18 per cent, such planning is focused more on replacement of key executives.

At nearly one-quarter of organizations (23 per cent), management succession is principally an exercise conducted by the HR department, according to the survey.

And one-quarter reportedly do no succession planning at all.

Latest stories