The populations of most western countries are aging, while most developing countries are experiencing accelerated demand for qualified workers who can meet the needs of their fast-growing economies. Many organizations are experiencing difficulty keeping their organizations fully staffed with qualified resources, and organizations world-wide are realizing the importance of putting in place programs and initiatives to attract well-qualified workers and retain them once have been hired. These trends underscore the importance of career development and succession management initiatives aimed at preparing employees for increasing responsibilities within their organizations.
Career Development and Succession Management Defined
Career Development traditionally has been driven primarily by employees. Organizations provide the frameworks, tools and processes, but the responsibility rests with employees to take advantage of these to advance in their careers.
Succession Management, on the other hand, has traditionally been management driven. Key roles are identified, and ranked lists of suitable candidates are prepared based on their existing competencies and / or potential to perform in the targeted roles or levels. Potential to perform can be identified in a number of ways: past performance in career track positions; supervisory assessments of potential; standardized assessment programs (e.g., assessment centres); etc. The lists are used to appoint candidates as positions become available.
More recently, however, the lines between the traditional concepts of Career Development and Succession Planning have blurred. Organizations are instituting development programs that allow employees to progress through a phased program of development aimed at increasing employee competencies and preparing them to take on increased responsibility. These programs typically include: formalized in-class training; planned work assignments; assessments at key stages; and, “gradation” defined through some form of assessment or certification, and / or appointment to targeted roles or levels.
Establishing effective career development and succession management programs starts at the planning stage by:
Defining the Competency Architecture - Competency dictionaries and competency architectures are established that allow employees and managers to compare and contrast competency requirements across roles and levels within or across job groups.
Defining Career Streams and Roles - Beyond this, typical roles and career streams within the group to be profiled are defined. This allows both managers and employees to see how progression typically occurs. It also allows the organization to develop career development and succession management programs, tools and processes that support progression.
Career Development and Succession Management typically include a selection of competency-based elements that address the requirements of the job group:
career stream information provided in a number of formats (e.g., intranet; orientation programs; guidebooks; etc.);
employee guides to support self-directed development or participation in a planned program;
learning resource catalogues organized by competency (see Learning and Development section);
training for both managers and employees on how the program works and how to gain the maximum benefit;
self-assessment or multi-source assessment to evaluate progress in development (see Learning and Development and Performance Management sections);
formal in-class training;
e-learning elements;
work assignments or action learning exercises aimed at developing skill (see Learning and Development section);
supervisory (or other) assessment of performance in roles or work assignments (see Performance Management section);
a form or process (e.g., passport) that accredits or documents employee progress;
final assessment to validate that the employee has acquired the necessary competencies to be considered for targeted roles / positions.
Best practice organizations also have a talent management HR system that stores and reports information on employee competencies, and enables some or all parts of the Career Development and Succession Management process, for example:
employee / multi-source competency assessment;
catalogued learning resources;
on-line registration for courses / programs;
job / role matching that compares employee competencies against targeted role / job requirements;
various reporting capabilities that support both Succession Management (e.g., lists of employees ready for targeted positions / role) and broader HR Planning.
The following implementation stages are suggested for mid to large organizations implementing competencies in support of Career Development and Succession Management.
Establish a Competency Architecture and Competency Dictionary that will support Career Development and Succession Management.
For each group to be profiled, define the typical roles and career streams for the job group.
Determine philosophy and policy with respect to how competencies will support Career Development and Succession Management and a high-level plan for implementation.
Build and incorporate competency-based elements that will support Career Development and Succession Management (e.g., self-assessment; multi-source assessment; on-line information on Career Development for job groups; etc.).
Develop and implement Career Development / Succession Management programs for high need job groups.
Determine the human resources information management infrastructure required to support effective and efficient Career Development, Succession Management and HR Planning. Evaluate and implement on-line systems and tools consistent with requirements.
Vendors of Competency-based Management Systems include:
Boxley Group CompetencyIQ
Cornerstone on Demand
Halogen Software
Human Resource Systems Group
Kenexa
Keyera CMDS
Shift iQ
