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Although practitioners and academics alike have argued for succession planning
practices that facilitate better talent identification and creation of stronger
bench strength, there has been little attention to the incorporation of gender
and racial diversity with succession planning. We discuss practices and
competencies for incorporating diversity with succession planning and identify
methods for developing women and minorities as successors for key positions.
Improvements in strategy, leadership, planning, development, and program
management processes are suggested. Recommendations for process
improvement are developed from the diversity and succession planning
literatures and interviews of 27 human resource professionals from a broad
range of industries.
Those being positioned as future leaders tend to look and act an awful lot like
people in those top positions.. it simply reflects an adherence to traditional
methods of succession planning.
An emerging body of empirical evidence indicates positive performance effects
for diversity, and there are increasing indicators of strategic importance of
diversity to the success of companies. Pepsicos previous CEO, Steve Reinemund,
has said, I first will clearly have a competitive advantage (Therhune, 2005). A
leading insurer Allstate, also has embraced diversity and sees it as a source of
competitive advantage, particularly in terms of expanding the number of
minority policyholders (Crockett, 1999). Cosmetics maker LOreal attributes its
global success in developing and marketing cosmetics to marketing initiatives
that have drawn on International diversity (Salz, 2005).
Aside from the impact of competitive forces, some of the recent interest in
succession planning may be attributed to the more active role of boards of
directors in response to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2012 and other regulatory
developments. We see striking examples of succession planning successes and
failures in organizations. For instance, GEs former CEO Jack Welch placed great
emphasis on succession planning. One of his legacies was a process that allows
the company, which is a veritable CEO greenhouse, to develop and promote
talent from within the organization (Gale, 2001). Companies such as Bank of
Amerika, Dell, Dow Chemical, and Ely Lilly also have developed bench strength
for their top positions by closely linking leadership development with succession
planning (Conger & Fulmer, 2003). McDonalds provides an unusual example of
preparedness in that the company was able to quickly designate a permanent
replacement within six hours of CEO Jim Catalupos death, compared to the
typical timetable of several months (Gibson & Gray, 2004). A few months later,
when Cantalupos successor, Charlie Bell, resigned because of terminal illness,
McDonalds was able to immediately appoint Jim skinner as CEO (Gray, 2014).
While there have been note-worthy successes with successes with succession
planning, companies have had disappointments. At coca-cola, for example,
Douglas Ivester replaced the late Robbert Goizueta but lasted only two and a half
difficult years (Conger & Fulmer, 2003). While such failures may be attributed to
flawed external searches, internal succession is often not an attractive option in
the absence of succession planning and development. Some well-managed firms,
such as Hewlett-Packard, Lincoln Electric, Southwest Airlanes, and Whole Foods
Markets, place heavy emphasis on promotion from within (Preffer, 1998) and
treat succession planning as a critical process. Improved practices and
competencies are needed for succession planning to meet the challenges posed
by environmental turbulence, shortage of talent, and globalization (Karaevli &
Hall, 2003).
Although these examples concern high-profile CEO succession, our broader
approach involves succession to key managerial and professional positions and
incorporates diversity initiatives. While failures in diversity are reflected in
enduring underrepresentation of women and minorities in key positions, the
combined effects of diverse succession planning have received little attention.
Nonetheless, companies such as Allstate are using succession planning to
increase diversity in key positions and women now occupy 40% of Allstates
executive and managerial positions, with 21% being held by minorities (Kim,
2003). Succession planning has also been critical to Harley-Davidsons
accomplishments in diversity, as 17% of its vice presidents are women (PR,
Newswire, 2004).
Although we are unaware of any empirical evidence on the combined effects of
diverse succession planning, the importance placed on both diversity and
succession planning by several leading companies makes the topic relevant for
consideration. Recent survey data also have called attention to the importance of
diversity practices for increased organizational competitiveness (Esen, 2005).
Practitioners and academics alike have argued for succession planning practices
that facilitate better talent identification and create stronger bench strength, yet
there has been little attention paid to the incorporation of gender and recial
diversity with succession planning. As companies attempt to revitalize their
succession planning, it is a good time to address a major challenge for these
efforts-specifically, integrating diversity with succession.
Performance Effects of Diverse Succession Planning
While little research has focused on the performance effects of succession
planning, some aspects of succession systems are related to financial
performance (Friedman, 1986). Success factors include CEO involvement,
rewards for developing subordinates, earnestness of performance reviews,
forecasting the need for talent, and individual values consistent with
organizational values (Friedman, 1986). Succesion planning also has indirect
impacts on measures of firm performance such as productivity and gross returns
on assets (Huselid, 1996). Indirect evidence of effective succession planning also
is provided by the lower failure rates of insider CEOs (Charan, 2005) and the
infrequency in which some very successful companies search beyond the firm to
fill vacant CEO Positions.
Promotion from within policies, which require some level of sophistication in
succession planning, also are positively associated with measures of
organizational performance (Delaney & Huselid, 1996). In fact, researchers have
concluded that external successors are likely to be effective in more limited
circumstances, such as when they are brought in to help with poorly performing
firms (Wei & Cannella, 2002).
The future of many organizations is likely to depend on their mastery of diverse
succession planning given that building bench strength among women and
minorities will be critical in the competitive war for talent. For example, the U.S.
Department of Labor predicts that women and minorities will account for 70% of
the new participants in the labor force in 2008 (McCuiston, 2004).
The integration of diversity with succession planning requires an appropriate
approach. Typically, organizations have adopted one of three approaches to
managing diversity: an assimilation view that downplays differences; an access
view that focuses on building diversity in order to gain access to ethnic consumer
groups; and an integrated view that emphasizes uniform performance standards,
personal development, openness, acceptance of constructive conflict,
empowerment, egalitarianism, and a nonbureaucratic structure that encourages
challenges to the status quo (D.A. Thomas & Ely, 1996).
Data Sources and Analysis
Our investigation was based on a review of the succession planning and
diversity literature and on 27 interviews of HR professionals from 25 different
organizations in the United States and one in Canada.
Notes taken during the interviews were reviewed to identify practices or themes
and then transferred to electronic files for analysis with computer search
routines. Because we were concerned with identifying a broad range of practices
we used qualitative editing and template analytical approaches provide a
search for meaningful content segments (Miller, 1992), and a codebook is
compiled from the categories or themes that are created from an intial
examination of the data or on an a priori basis. The codebook is then revised as
themes emerge from continued searches of the data (King, 1994).
We identified several themes such as communication related to program
strategy , values driving the process, and leadership involvement. Computer
search routines were then used to refine the organization of content according to
the themes and to reconcile the content with the narrative of our findings. We
will discuss the practices that facilitate the integration of diversity with
succession planning, beginning with the organizations business strategy.
Information on interviewee demographics, job titles, and industries of their
organizations is provided in Table 1. As indicated in Table 1, there was substantial
diversity in our group of interviewees.
obtaining senior level jobs (Catalyst, 2003). Many leading companies have
recognized and are addressing this issue. Lateral moves are especially important
in large complex companies dominated by engineering or other technical work
(Flynn, 1998), since many key professional positions are not on the vertical
career track. Interviewees also noted that programs championed by only few
senior leaders are unlikely to be successful in the long term because of the lack
of organizational support and the absence of a systematic approach. After the
champions are gone, the programs often fail.
Nonetheless, it has been argued that in the absence of special programs that are
targeted specifically toward women and minorities, very little is likely to change.
Special challenges often occur in professional settings when there are small
proportions of women or minorities. Interestingly, when women comprise a small
proportion in a professional setting, those in early career stages may not
perceive senior women as role models because they view such women as lacking
in power or behaving more like men than women (Ely, 1994). Women employed
in industries that rely heavily on operations face such challenges.
Mentorship
Scholars have found difference in mentoring experiences when different races
and genders are involved (Noe et al. 2003). For example, when women are
mentored by women, they are likely to learn more about overcoming barriers to
promotion and methods for achieving career and family balance (Noe et al.,
2002). Nonetheless, cross gender mentoring relationships can add value because
they enable men and women to gain insights and perspectives about how the
other gender handles workplace issues (Clawson & Kram, 1984).
Nonetheless, cross race relationships require that mentors have diversity skills.
With cross gender mentoring relationships, there also can be problems unless
mentors and protgs maintain appropriate levels of admiration, informality,
respect, and trust, and act in a manner that does not create public image
problems (Clawson & Kram, 1984).
The retention of women and minorities, which is critical for program success, is
being addressed with a number of different practices. A number of companies
have been using affinity groups to provide informal guidance and networking
assistance. For example, nike now has such groups for Americans, Lesbians,
gays, and other minorities (Jung, 2005).
Program Management
Reward Systems
Some companies are using reward systems to motivate diverse succession.
Some companies have also recognition as a reward for mentors who performed
well, but that over time the company began to include such contribution in the
performance appraisal process and linked financial rewards to these efforts. On
the other hand, intrinsic rewards may be very powerful, particularly for minority
mentors who mentor other minorities (Noe et al., 2002).
Perencanaan
Peramalan Demand
Meskipun permintaan untuk bakat didorong oleh strategi bisnis dan pendekatan
keragaman bakat dan kompetensi perilaku diidentifikasi sebagai persyaratan
untuk posisi eksekutif di masa depan mungkin berubah (Charan, 2005). Salah
satu paradoks dari perencanaan adalah bahwa dengan kondisi yang lebih
bergolak, perencanaan lebih sulit tetapi juga menjadi lebih berharga (Greer,
2001). Mengingat cakrawala waktu perkembangan panjang dan ketidakpastian
terkait, fleksibilitas terbaik diperoleh dengan bakat-bakat pendekatan untuk
perencanaan suksesi sebagai lawan yang lebih posisi tertentu pendekatan yang
ditargetkan, biasanya disebut sebagai pengganti perencanaan (Carnazza, 1982)
Bakat Identifikasi dan Penilaian
Identifikasi awal bakat penting bagi pengembangan berbagai pengalaman yang
dibutuhkan untuk mengisi posisi eksekutif (McCall, 1998), dan kami wawancarai
menekankan perlunya untuk mencapai lebih dalam organisasi. Untungnya,
pemahaman kita identifikasi bakat awal membaik, terutama peran pembelajaran
dan kelincahan belajar, yang merupakan indikator penting dari keberhasilan
dalam posisi kepemimpinan senior (Lombardo & Eichinger, 2000). Masalah
umum bias negatif dalam evaluasi kinerja untuk minoritas membuat langkahlangkah kelincahan belajar sangat relevan dengan isu perencanaan suksesi
beragam. Salah satu responden kami mencatat ketergantungan perusahaannya
pada ukuran kelincahan belajar dalam penggunaan data dan ukuran hasil
orientasi terhadap kedua tenggat waktu dan tujuan.
Salah satu yang paling banyak digunakan pendekatan untuk mengidentifikasi
bakat untuk perencanaan suksesi melibatkan evaluasi kinerja. Pendekatan ini
memiliki masalah, bukti yang diberikan bias negatif dalam evaluasi kinerja
manajer minoritas (Kilian et al. 2005). Perusahaan memimpin jalan dalam
mengembangkan eksekutif minoritas mengambil pendekatan yang berbeda
dengan menekankan hasil, mengandalkan indikator objektif kompetensi, dan
berfokus pada track record terukur untuk mengidentifikasi bakat (Thomas &
Gabarro, 1999). Prosedur pusat penilaian juga digunakan untuk perencanaan
suksesi dan memiliki potensi untuk inisiatif keanekaragaman (Conger & Fulmer,
2003).
Tambahan rekomendasi kesepakatan dengan formalisasi, yang melibatkan para
pembuat keputusan yang lebih, dan sejauh mana keputusan partisipasi harus
terpusat. Lebih khusus, telah direkomendasikan bahwa organisasi harus menjaga
daftar potensi tinggi dapat berubah sementara rekomendasi lain adalah untuk
memungkinkan selfnominations (Conger & Fulmer, 2003). Sejalan dengan hal ini,
Deloitte & Touche telah berubah proses suksesi dari satu di mana manajer
berangkat dipilih pengganti untuk pendekatan yang lebih terpusat. Ketika
lowongan muncul di peringkat atas, manajer senior di review negara pendek
daftar calon tetap tujuan keanekaragaman dalam pikiran (Armour, 2003).
Sebuah varian dari pendekatan ini, dicatat oleh satu diwawancarai, adalah untuk
Learning Objectives
-
Once the corporate and business unit strategies have been established, then the
human resource (HR) strategy can be developed. The HR strategy involves
taking the organizations strategic goals and objectives and translating them into
a consistent, integrated, complementary set of programs and policies for
managing employees.
HR strategy is developed in a proactive manner, with HR staff attempting to
design and develop appropriate HR systems to meet the anticipated conditions
under which the organization will operate. The senior HR professional, as a vital
member of the top management team, should also be heavily involved in
corporate or business unit strategic planning so that the top management team
of the skills and capabilities of the organizations workforce and how they might
impact strategic plans.
The first component of HR management strategy is strategic workforce planning.
The second component, the design of work systems. All other functional HR
activities such as staffing, training, performance management, compensation,
labor relations, and employee separation are derived and should flow from the
strategic workforce planning process. The organization will also need to assess
its current stock of employees as well as those available for employment
externally. The key facet of strategic workforce planning is that it is a proactive
process. It attempts to plan and anticipate what might happen in the various
domains of the organizations internal and external environments and to develop
plans to address these events prior to their actually happening. HR planning is
particularly important during periods of organizational turbulence, such as
during a merger or acquisition, when labor market conditions are tight, or when
unemployment is high.
Because strategic workforce planning involves making assumptions about the
future, particularly the status of the economy, competition, technology,
regulation, and internal operations and resources, it is critical that all strategic
workforce planning initiatives be flexible.
To facilitate this flexibility, it is critical that key decision makers in the
organization clarify and write down all assumptions they make about the external
environment and the organization when developing the HR plan. If the
organization has difficulty achieving its strategic objectives despite following a
carefully wrought HR plan, there is a very good chance that inaccurate
assumptions were made about what might happen in the future or when
expectation failed to materialize.