Many attempts to establish a succession plan fail. Why? They run up against insurmountable implementation challenges, or weak executive commitment and follow-through. Succession Planning That Works: The Critical Path of Leadership Development is a step-by-step guide to help HR professionals and senior leaders develop a succession plan that delivers a measurable return on investment. Based on in-depth interviews with senior executives from nearly 50 organizations, Succession Planning That Works reveals not only the most important components of effective succession planning, but also the most effective order in which to put them into practice. Packed with real-world examples, Succession Planning That Works shows how real companies have attempted to tackle succession planning issues and examines both their victories and their failures to highlight the most common pitfalls and how to avoid them. Topics include: - 13 reasons to begin succession planning now - How to calculate the ROI of promoting from within - The Succession Planning Critical Path - the most efficient and effective way to implement a succession plan - How to gain or strengthen executive buy-in for succession planning - How to measure your success Also included are 20 downloadable templates and tools to help make succession planning easier to comprehend and implement....

William Rothwell honored with the ASTD Distinguished Contribution Award in Workplace Learning and Performance. The definitive guide to a timely and timeless topic-- now fully revised and updated. As baby boomers continue to retire en masse from executive suites, managerial offices, and specialized or technical jobs, the question is—who will take their places? This loss of valuable institutional memory has made it apparent that no organization can afford to be without a strong succession program. Now in its fourth edition, Effective Succession Planning provides the tools organizations need to establish, revitalize, or revise their own succession planning and management (SP&M) programs. The book has been fully updated to address challenges brought on by sea changes such as globalization, recession, technology, and the aftereffects of the terror attacks. It features new sections on identifying and assessing competencies and future needs; management vs. technical succession planning; and ethics and conduct; and new chapters on integrating recruitment and retention strategies with succession planning programs. This edition incorporates the results of two extensive new surveys, and includes a Quick Start guide to help begin immediate implementation as well as a CD-ROM packed with assessments, checklists, customizable guides, and other practical tools.

The fast and easy way to get a handle on business succession planning While the demand for effective managers continues to grow, the retirement of baby boomers is producing a sharp decline in the ranks of available management personnel. In addition, the executives of the future are expected to be more sophisticated in order to develop and lead new global and technological initiatives. For these reasons, strategic and often long-sighted succession planning for the eventual replacement of managers at all levels has reached a critical level. Business Succession Planning For Dummies aids managers, human resource professionals, and upper management in cultivating and retaining their existing employees to ensure the availability and capability of persons to assume leadership roles in the future. In plain English, it prepares business owners to ask the difficult questions when it comes to developing a working succession plan for their businesses key positions. This book also offers information on how to retain and train personnel within an organization so that a more seamless transition can be made when a senior leader or other important personnel retires or leaves the organization. How to retain and train personnel for a more seamless transition Easy-to-follow guidance on developing a working succession plan Tips to create a plan to save time, money, knowledge, and clients by hiring from within If you're a manager or human resources professional looking to develop a working succession plan, this hands-on, friendly guide has you covered.

Packed with new research, new interviews, and practical solutions, this updated and expanded edition of Next will equip pastors, ministry teams, and Christian organizations to navigate leadership changes with wisdom and grace. While there is no simple, one-size-fits-all solution to the puzzle of planning for a seamless pastoral succession, Next offers church leaders and pastors a guide to asking the right questions in order to plan for the future. Vanderbloemen, founder of a leading pastoral search firm, and Bird, an award-winning writer and researcher, share insider stories of succession failures and successes in dozens of churches, including some of the nation's most influential. The authors demystify successful pastoral succession and help you prepare for an even brighter future for your ministry. Includes a foreword by John Ortberg and an introduction by Eric Geiger and Kenton Beshore.

If succession planning works, how do the wrong people so often get to the top? Succession planning was once the key to identifying potential leaders to fill important positions. However, in today's rapidly evolving business world traditional succession planning is no longer a viable strategy with research showing that 70% of succession plans fail within two years, simply from lack of management support. In a climate of growing skills shortages and lack of confidence in leadership potential, David Clutterbuck offers a new a process of dialogue between an organization and its employees. The Talent Wave presents a dynamic, flexible approach to succession planning and talent management. Clutterbuck first demolishes most of accepted practice in these areas, and then presents practical solutions which align employee ambitions and business priorities to ensure that organizations have the right leadership in place for ongoing success.

Plan For Your Organization's Success Linkage's Best Practices for Succession Planning provides the ultimate guide for planning, developing, implementing, and sustaining succession planning in any organization. This must-have book provides step-by-step instructions, practical advice, templates, and tools from some of the world's best companies and Linkage, a global organization development company that specializes in leadership development. Linkage Inc.'s Best Practices for Succession Planning is the comprehensive resource that includes information needed to * Ensure that succession management is owned by business leaders rather than just HR * Assess potential for future roles, not just track record of performance * Manage succession data on individuals and talent pools * Balance talent development and acquisition in achieving future objectives * Develop the processes, tools, and organizational capabilities necessary to effectively implement and sustain the system * Integrate succession planning systems with other businesses and HR systems in the organization to achieve efficiency, consistency, and impact

Organizations that don't take steps to address future talent needs at all levels will face certain disruptions, and even disasters, when key employees leave. The most comprehensive book on the subject, Effective Succession Planning helps readers: Identify competencies and clarify organizational values * Plan for and quickly fill crucial vacancies at all levels * Develop and retain top talent, building and preserving the organization's intellectual capital * Assess current needs and future resources for seamless succession planning * And more Covering best practices, current trends, and the latest technology, the fifth edition also features new and revised material on: succession planning for small businesses and nonprofits; replacement planning; transition management; downsizing; international issues; mergers and acquisitions as a talent strategy; and succession planning for technical positions as well as roles built on longstanding social relationships. Packed with enlightening case studies and practical guidance, Effective Succession Planning remains an indispensable resource for any organization concerned with retaining the accumulated wisdom of its most valued employees.

Leaders leave. It’s inevitable. It might even happen today. Are you prepared? Every organization needs a plan for leadership succession, but few leaders know how to start the process. WHO COMES NEXT? solves that problem and easily guides you through the steps of creating a viable succession plan. The book simplifies the process and gives you the tools you need to build and activate your leadership succession. Whether you are part of a small, family business or a Fortune 500 company, you need to start now by answering the question: WHO COMES NEXT? “This book is a comprehensive look at succession planning, but with a refreshing spin that favors the practical over the theoretical. It’s applicable to any industry, and readers will benefit from action items, tools, and resources with every chapter. Succession planning has never been more critical, and this book is a must-read for any professional looking to answer the question, “Who Comes Next?” --Michael Delucchi, President and Chief Elevation Officer, The Elevate Group “Meridith and Mary are my ‘go to’ experts for succession planning, and they’ve created the definitive guide for how to build a strong succession plan. In this book, they break it down, give you a strategy, and deliver everything you need to create leadership depth at every level of your organization.” --Angela Cox Weston, President, Midwest Speakers Bureau “Succession planning goes way beyond the person at the head of the company. Depth on the bench is essential to ensure an organization’s resiliency and contingency planning.” --Eric Holloway, Captain, U.S. Navy (ret)

The purpose of succession-related practices is to ensure that there are ready replacements for key positions in an organization so that turnover will not negatively affect the organization's performance. CCL first published an annotated bibliography on succession planning in 1995. That bibliography focused primarily on the link between succession and management development. This bibliography has a broader scope; it is an update and expansion, commensurate with the maturation of this area of practice. In addition to linkages between succession and development, we also consider representative literature on CEO succession, high potentials, and succession systems and architecture. It is hoped that those who use this bibliography will find resources that help them in conceptualizing, planning, and implementing effective succession systems in their organizations.