William J. Rothwell - Effective Succession Planning (2005)(3-e)(en)

Exhibit 13-3. A Worksheet for Identifying Appropriate Ways to Evaluate Succession Planning and Management in an Organization

Directions: Use this worksheet to help you identify appropriate ways to evaluate the SP&M program in your organization.

In column 1 below, indicate the various stakeholder groups (such as top managers, key position incumbents, line managers, and the SP&M coordinator) who will be primarily interested in evaluation results on SP&M in your organization. Then, in column 2, indicate what levels of evaluation—customer satisfaction, program progress, effective placements, and organizational results—will probably be of prime interest to each stakeholder group. Then, in column 3, indicate how evaluation of SP&M may be carried out in your organization.

Exhibit 13-4. A Sample ‘‘Incident Report’’ for Succession Planning and Management

Directions: The purpose of this ‘‘incident report’’ is to track successor/replacement experiences in your organization.

Answer the questions appearing in the spaces below. Be as truthful as possible because the collective results of many incident reports will be used to identify program improvement initiatives for the succession planning program.

Fill out this report for each position filled from within. (This report should be completed in addition to any personnel requisitions/justification forms that you are to complete.) Submit the completed form to (name) at (organization address) within 3 weeks after filling the vacancy.

1.Describe how this position is being replaced (internally/externally).

2.Was there an identifiable ‘‘successor’’ who had been prepared to assume this position previously? If so, briefly explain who and how the individual was being prepared; if not, briefly explain reasons for not preparing a successor.

3.Who was selected for the position, and why was he/she selected?

4.If an individual other than an identifiable successor was chosen for the position, explain why.

Approval

(Signature)

Periodic Evaluation

Periodic evaluation examines components of SP&M at different times, focusing attention on program operations at present or in the recent past. Rather than evaluate critical incidents (as anecdotal evaluation does) or all program components (as programmatic evaluation does), periodic evaluation examines isolated program components. For instance, the SP&M coordinator may direct attention to:

▲The Program Mission Statement

▲Program Objectives, Policy, and Philosophy

▲Methods of Determining Work Requirements for Key Positions

▲Employee Performance Appraisal

▲Employee Potential Assessment

▲Individual Development Planning

▲Individual Development Activities

Periodic evaluation may be conducted during regular SP&M meetings and/ or in SP&M committee meetings. Alternatively, the organization’s decisionmakers may wish to establish a task force, create a subcommittee of the SP&M committee, or even involve a committee of the board of directors in this evaluation process.

A chief advantage of periodic evaluation is that it provides occasional, formal monitoring of the SP&M program. That process can build involvement, and thus ownership, of key stakeholders while simultaneously surfacing important problems in the operation of the SP&M program. A chief disadvantage of periodic evaluation is that it makes the improvement of SP&M an incremental rather than a continuous effort. Problems may be left to fester for too long before they are targeted for investigation.

Programmatic Evaluation

Programmatic evaluation examines the SP&M program comprehensively against its stated mission, objectives, and activities. It is an in-depth program review and resembles the human resources audit that may be conducted of all HR activities.6

Programmatic evaluation is usually carried out by a formally appointed committee or by an external consultant. The SP&M coordinator is usually a member of a committee. Representatives of key line management areas—and the CEO or members of the corporate board of directors—may also be members.

Examine the steps in Exhibit 13-5 and the checklist in Exhibit 13-6 as starting points for conducting a program evaluation of SP&M in an organization.

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Exhibit 13-5. Steps for Completing a Program Evaluation of a Succession Planning and Management Program

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