HR and succession planning (Web Sight)

It's important to focus on upcoming vacancies in all key positions across the organization

Succession planning is expected to play an increasingly important role as the baby boomers vacate the workforce, leaving organizations with a number of gaps to fill. Whereas it may have seemed less important a decade ago, a greater focus is being placed on the need to create a functional succession plan for key positions across the entire organization — not just for executive positions. In the shift of focus, HR’s role can sometimes be a little murky. These sites provide resources, dispel common myths and shed some light on HR’s responsibility.

SUCCESSION MANAGEMENT RESOURCES

www.gov.ns.ca/psc/default.asp?mn=1.360.363

This site, found on the Government of Nova Scotia website, is an information resource for managers and HR professionals, providing reference guides, tools, forms and other resources for leading HR planning and succession management initiatives. Although the site and some of the information is geared toward organizations in Nova Scotia, the resources provided are useful for organizations across the country. The site advises that, “working through an HR planning process allows you to analyze your demand and supply of human resources and develop the appropriate strategies aimed at filling projected gaps.”

It provides diagrams, including an HR planning process and a corporate succession management model, and at the bottom of the screen, provides a number of links to tools to help with succession management, leadership development, performance management and more.

LESSONS FROM A U.K. SUCCESSION PLANNING SUMMIT

www.lg-employers.gov.uk/documents/leadership/succession_planning/summit_speech_summaries.doc

This keynote speech summary, delivered at a U.K. succession planning summit earlier this year, deals with some general succession planning principles that can be applied to organizations in Canada. It points out 10 key myths about succession planning and looks at how to cut through the confusion. Myths examined include: “it is a mysterious process,” “we will be giving people jobs,” “succession planning is just for those at the top of the organization,” “it is complicated and elaborate,” “it is a secret process,” “the individual doesn’t have to do anything.” The summary goes on to look at the practice of succession planning from both the individual and corporate perspectives.

SUCCESSION PLANNING IN ATLANTIC CANADA

www.deloitte.com/dtt/article/0,1002,sid%253D7871%2526cid%253D86748,00.html

In this article from the May 2005 edition of Progress Magazine and reprinted on the Deloitte website, Halifax-based human capital consultant Andy Peck answers questions on the topic of succession planning in Atlantic Canada.

The interview covers issues faced by Atlantic Canadian organizations, what is bringing these problems to the forefront, comparisons and potential lessons from Australia, changes brought on by the retiring baby boomers and more.

There are some interesting sidebars within the article that look at six questions CEOs should ask their HR leaders, the differences between organizations in Atlantic Canada and those in Ontario, and some of the underlying reasons behind the difficulty faced by Atlantic Canadian organizations.

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