SUCCESSION PLANNING EXECUTIVE ASSESSMENT

A key role of the senior executive is to pick talented and qualified individuals to fill senior positions in the organization. And, one of the most critical of these situations is to select his/her own replacement. Succession planning is the process whereby the senior executive(s) looks at the organization and decides who is talented and ready to be promoted to take the next higher level position of responsibility. Succession planning identifies individuals whose style and capabilities equip them for crucial future leadership challenges.

In a recent research article, only about one-third of some 800 top executives have designated a back-up successor. However, it is important to do succession planning, because it enables the executive to leave his/her imprint on the organization in a planned way. Organizations that have succession planning are seen by employees as offering greater career opportunities and, therefore, have greater employee tenure. Investors and analysts perceive companies with these programs as better organized and with considerable management depth making them more valuable.

Setting Up A Succession Planning Program

To be successful, the succession planning process needs to be well thought out. Organizations need to gather information on the competencies needed for the key management positions and the capabilities of the incumbents in those positions. At a minimum, each incumbent needs to be evaluated on matters such as:

• years of service and years in position
• performance rating over the last three years
• their unique capabilities and strengths (competencies) to meet future organization challenges
• potential or ability to move upward, and to what position
• peer feedback
• their readiness for the move - now or at a time in the future, and
• the developmental issues that must be addressed to better prepare the individual for the next position.

Sometimes an organization has this data because the individual is well known to them. At other times, such information is not available nor objectively understood. It is not appropriate for an organization to do succession planning with limited or biased data.

Succession Planning Assessment

Atsaides Associates, Inc. offers organizations a senior management Succession Planning Executive Assessment program to help identify the capabilities, strengths, and developmental areas of a potential successor. This is an in-depth evaluation that looks at the competencies that are important for the position as well as the competencies that the person possesses. For internal candidates, a multi-rater (360 Degree) feedback program is also conducted to get input from peers and others who have a vested interested in this position's success (known as "stakeholders"). In our assessment process, objective evaluation instruments are administered to the individual along with an in-depth behavioral evaluative interview. Our report about the individual highlights matters such as:

• intellectual functioning style and capability
• creativity and thinking style
• interpersonal interaction style
• decision making style and ability
• confidence and self discipline
• communication ability and ability to influence
• motivation and energy level to meet the challenges ahead
• presentation skills and impact on others
• stress and ambiguity tolerance

This program comes with two feedback sessions. One feedback session with the senior manager(s) discussing our findings and the implications to the organization. The second feedback session is an extensive session with the individual that was evaluated to provide him/her with the objective results of this assessment. This process helps the individual fully understand his/her current capabilities, future potential, and our recommendations for their personal growth and development.

Benefits of an Objective Succession Planning Assessment

Our Succession Planning Executive Assessment program is an objective process when coupled with the organization's own understanding of the individual will insure a greater degree of accuracy and objective understanding of the individual. The process provides a clear assessment of the individual's skills, personal style, and leadership potential. Often, employees who go through such a succession planning evaluation feel that it is more of a fair treatment than when an organization only relies on their own data as input.

Succession planning assessments help management see the bigger picture by better understanding the future impact that an individual would have on the organization if they were in a key position. Also, it helps to avoid hiring simply a "clone" of the current senior management, and hiring someone that will make a difference.

Succession Planning Services Available

As management psychologists and consultants, we offer the following corporate services that are oriented toward succession planning within the organization:

• Succession Planning Executive Assessment - This is an in-depth evaluation of an internal or external candidate to assess capability and readiness for a senior level position with recommendations for their continued growth and development. Feedback to the organization and person that was evaluated is included.
• Competency Modeling Program - We help facilitate a meeting of senior managers in using competency modeling to identify the knowledge, skills, abilities, and style needed for success in a specific senior level position. This program sets the benchmark as to what competencies the organization should be looking for.
• Executive Position Interview Guide - Along with the Competency Modeling Program described above, we can also develop the interview guide and the questions to be asked of candidates. This assures that those interviewing candidates will ask the most appropriate questions during the interview process. These questions focus on the candidate having the right background of knowledge, skills, and style to fit within the culture of the organization.
• Developing The Organization's Succession Planning Protocol - We consult with the organization to develop an internal succession planning system that has the best protocols to match the organization's orientation and needs. This is a valuable service for those organizations who do not have an objective and structured internal succession planning system yet in place.
• Succession Planning Retreat - We help facilitate a meeting of the senior management team to look at current employees, their performance, potential successors, and developmental needs

Please contact us for more information about your organization's succession planning needs. Our skill and services are focused at the senior management level of the organization. We can provide you with the services that will make a difference to the performance of your organization.