Succession planning helps to ensure critical posts that are essential for the organisation's operation in the future, can be filled. It is an element of workforce planning and sits within the wider workforce plans and strategies, and an important aspect of business continuity that helps ensure the continued performance of the organisation.
Start by identifying the critical posts that are essential for the operation of the organisation in the future - Demand Analysis and Critical Posts
Use workforce data to understand the make-up of the workforce and to help anticipate and forecast future challenges and issues.
Things to consider – Done effectively, succession planning will help ensure people are being developed with the knowledge, skills and abilities required for key posts so that future vacancies can be filled effectively. It is important to ensure openness and fairness at all stages.
Creating a talent pipeline
Build Activity that supports and helps grow the internal talent
| Buy Advertise externally to find the talent that is needed
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Borrow Cultivate and tap into communities of talent outside the organisation
| Bridge Help people move on and move up to new roles in the organisation
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Further information and guidance
CIPD Factsheet – Succession Planning
Succession Planning Demystified (Institute for Employment Studies)
Succession Planning: A Step-by-Step Guide (National Institutes of Health)
Phone: 07815 732048
Phone: 07557 587501
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Organisational Development
Supporting capacity building to improve the performance and effectiveness of organisations.
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Scenario Planning
Scenario planning supports and informs the strategic planning process by providing a set of tools for thinking about the future and exploring possibilities of what that might look like.
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Talent Management in Public Services in Scotland
This research has been undertaken by the University of the West of Scotland’s School of Business and Enterprise, Edinburgh Napier University Business School, and the Improvement Service to establish the current nature and status of talent management across Scotland’s public services.
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Talent Management in Public Services in Scotland: Practitioner Report
Joint research report exploring senior stakeholder perceptions of the drivers, barriers and enablers of talent management within a collaborative public service context.
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Local Authority Organisational Development Network
A group for people working in organisational development across Scottish local authorities.
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Change Managers Network
Operated by the IS Change Management Team, this network coordinates the sharing of good practice and facilitates discussion on change and transformation.
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Society of Personnel and Development Scotland
A space for heads of HR and other senior HR professionals in councils to consider issues around personnel management in Scottish local government.