Succession Planning

Previously, the unexpected loss of an experienced leader without a timely replacement was extremely effecting the department. And just as Fibuch & Way (2012) suggested, the best solution to reduce those challenges is to cross-trained qualified employees within the organization for leadership roles. It is important also for organization to recognize and view their existing skill sets in terms of their future operations. Consequently, succession planning should be an essential element of organization's strategic

“Competency models describe the behaviors and skills managers need to exhibit if an organization is to be successful” (Hughes, Ginnett, & Curphy, p. 252). In many organizations, competency models can differ between the different hierarchies of managers. As a person’s leadership role evolves so do the behaviors and skills he or she must possess to be an effective leader. This statement holds firm as with the case of Andra Rush.

Because it is an art form, motivation requires that the CIO have special skills and elevated expertise, including:

The CIPD (2005a) has stated that: All personnel and development specialists must be thinking performers. That is, their central task is to be knowledgeable and competent in their various fields and to be able to move beyond compliance to provide a critique of organisational policies and procedures and to advise on how organizations should develop in the future.

The objective of the Cisco executives is to emphasis consideration on competencies that truly affect its competitive advantage. Cisco core competency comes from the precise group of talents and manufacturing practices that bring extra value to the. These competencies allowed Cisco to enter an extensive range of markets.

The ability and strength of an individual to achieve goals by supervising processes, guiding initiatives and employees is defined as Leadership skills. Valuable leadership skills include taking thoughtful decisions, allocation of resources, and the ability to delegate, inspire and communicate effectively. Other leadership traits include honesty, confidence, commitment and creativity. Leadership competencies can be used to effectively select, develop and promote leaders in an organization .The difference between Leadership Skill and leadership competency can explained as the required level of efficiency to perform a task assigned is known as skill whereas the quality to accomplish the same is called as competency. When creating leadership competencies certain factors are considered such as business strategies and future trends. To drive the use of competencies in selecting and developing leaders HR practitioners should use the business strategies. To effectively build a unique set of skills for the organization 's leaders, the firm will sustain competitive advantage. The role of a project manager has always been my interest. The position which I have always desired is a role of project manager.

CIPD (2) defines Succession Planning as ‘a process for identifying and developing potential future leaders or senior managers, as well as individuals to fill other business-critical positions, either in the short- or the long-term’.

Competencies can be used to provide the behaviours needed at work to achieve the business strategy, and enable organisations to form a model of the kinds of employee it wishes to attract through recruitment.

Succession planning is a key part of filling leadership roles in the workforce. Leaders have been making decisions from the beginning of time. The term leader has many faces in life. Whether on a battlefield in ancient time or in modern society running a multimillion dollar business, leadership styles were used by leaders or managers to get results. A leaders effective succession planning builds the availability of experienced employees in all areas of an organization.

According to Baridam (2001), it is not enough to review literature without presenting the studies by topic and determining how each of these topics relates to the researcher’s own study. A systematic presentation of the literature forms the foundation of the study.

“Companies need to reach deep, almost down to entry level, for talented women and minorities who can rise to leadership positions. Early identification and development of talent is crucial,” says Dr. Greer. “Also, identifying skilled mentors and fully utilizing their talents should be a priority. Mentoring has great importance in terms of succession.”

practices, learning, motivation, reward, selection – those are the strategic choices…to make” - Geoff Armstrong, CIPD. Aside from this, what other skills and qualities

Competency: Ability to collect and evaluate information, develops alternatives, and expects possible penalties and risks (Jones, 1991).

As the generation known as the “baby boomers” are growing older, retirement is seen in the near future for most. According to the Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) (2016), there are around 76 million Baby Boomers in the United States, 40 million of which are either 65 years of age or older. It is estimated that nearly 10,000 of them retire every day, and it will continue through the year of 2030 (IRI, 2016). These men and women have worked their entire career working their way up the ladder to success, dominating CEO or higher-level management positions. Due to the fact that a large portion of the leadership positions are or will soon be open, it begs the question; who will take over these roles? It is key for an organization to have an effective leadership programs in place that are comprised of accurately identifying high potentials and training these individuals to fulfill the positions. Successful programs should be able to accurately recognize, coach, and retain the high potentials employees. However, a 2011 study of 1,098 senior managers and executives conducted by the American Management Association (AMA) Enterprise, found that 23% of the organizations have not developed a management succession program. In order for these high-potential employees to be recognized and promoted to levels complementary of their talent, it is imperative that organizations have a strong plan set in place.

Therefore, IT managers need effective management systems and processes to help them deal with the issues and challenges inherent in their responsibilities. Feeny and Willcocks (1998) suggested that core IS competencies are needed to assist the development of IT, measurable in terms of IT activities supported, and resulting business performance. Figure 1 shows the 9 core IS competencies. The research carried out indicated that in order to have a successful IT function there are four major tasks which need to be accomplished. These include: co-ordination and leadership; ensuring technical capability; managing the external supply; and meeting the business’s requirements.