SUCCESSION PLANNING: DEVELOPING LEADERS FOR THE FUTURE OF THE
ORGANIZATION
(continued)
OUR APPROACH TO LEADERSHIP TRAINING AND SUCCESSION PLANNING
Given the realities outlined above, Daytona Beach Community College
decided to look for a solution that would encompass leadership
development needs throughout the institution. The college already had
in place a highly successful presidential leadership seminar series. It
was expected that the new initiative would build on these seminars. A
desired emphasis was to focus on internal progression of existing
employees when possible, so that the learning curve experienced with
new employees would be minimized. This was not meant to imply that all
replacements would be internal. A task force representing all employee
groups, faculty, administrators, professionals, and career employees
was developed and charged with researching options and developing a
recommendation.
Initial research showed that the most common strategies for producing
new community college leaders involve leadership development programs.
Although some leadership development programs are designed for and
include potential leaders at levels other than the presidency, in most
cases there is a strong focus on developing community college
presidents. Mcfarlin (1999), in an article in the Community College
Review, identified nine common background factors among outstanding
community college presidents: (1) a doctorate-level earned degree, (2)
study of community college leadership as an academic major, (3) a
professional publication record tied to personal research, (4)
preparation as a change agent, (5) previous leadership positions, (6)
an ongoing relationship with a mentor, (7) involvement in a peer
network, (8) prior participation in leadership development activities,
and (9) an understanding of technology. In consultation with the
institution's senior leadership, the task force concluded that many of
these factors were important for all institutional leadership
positions. This conclusion led to the decision to develop a
comprehensive leadership development initiative tied to succession
planning - a common approach in the private sector, but a relatively
new concept in community colleges. Daytona Beach Community College
realized that the introduction of succession planning had to be done in
a strategic manner.
Succession planning is not a clandestine strategy to immediately
replace people in certain positions. It is a systematic process whereby
professional and personal development is blended with a strategic plan
to ensure that the organization is prepared to fill any position that
becomes vacant, with the right person who possesses the right skills
and attributes, at the right time. While some succession plans focus on
preparing one specific employee for an identified position, Daytona
Beach Community College elected to follow a collegial model whereby
several employees were encouraged to engage in personal and
professional development in preparation for one or more positions that
might become available. The plan made it clear that when a position
became available, the candidate would be required to compete for the
position through the college's normal internal hiring process.
While the college has always supported the professional development
efforts of faculty and staff, there has never been an undertaking
whereby professional development was tied to specific advancement
opportunities. The college's leadership and the leadership development
and succession - planning task force realized that the approach to this
initiative had to be inclusive and carefully executed. The initiative
had to be seen as a positive one that opened doors to anyone who
desired to enter and prepare for advancement, while keeping it very
clear that actual succession to advanced positions, as they became
available, would be based on qualifications and merit.
PRACTICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS
Believing that the foundation of succession planning is an effective
leadership development program, the college invested resources into the
development of a collegewide Leadership Development Institute (LDI).
This approach appeared to be the logical next step to build on the
presidential leadership seminar series. Leadership of the LDI was
assigned to a vice president with an academic background and training
in industrial - organizational psychology and an associate vice
president with a human resources background.
All employees at the college were invited to participate in the
leadership program. The LDI used a tiered, tracked approach. The tiered
component took into consideration that some employees were preparing
themselves for advancement to positions that required only a few of the
nine leadership factors previously identified. For example, one of the
positions identified in the succession plan was that of physical plant
director. While this position required specific leadership skills,
factors such as a doctorate, an academic major focusing on community
colleges, and professional publication were clearly unnecessary. The
task force concluded that while the nine factors must be considered,
the LDI needed to develop a set of philosophical foundations specific
to Daytona Beach Community College.
In addition to the practical guidelines for leadership development, the
college developed a set of guiding foundation statements to assist in
defining program parameters:
* Leadership development is directly related to relationship
development.
* Leadership opportunities exist throughout the institution - not in
just so-called leadership positions.
* Leadership development is directly related to organizational
development.
* Leadership development deserves an organization's investment of time
and resources.
* Leadership development is an essential component of succession
planning.
Four leadership tracks were devised for use in the LDI: leadership
skills, formal education, topic-intensive training, and experiential.
The leadership-skills track included an emphasis on determining and
understanding individual leadership styles and focuses. The formaleducation track included all levels of formal education ranging from
high school diplomas to doctoral degrees. Topic-intensive training was
designed for individuals seeking to acquire a skill that would
supplement existing education or experience. For example, an employee
with a bachelor's degree and working in the student advising area might
desire to become an accountant. The topic-intensive training would
provide the mechanism for the acquisition of training in accounting.
Finally, in some ways, the most important component was the
experiential track. In this track, employees were introduced to
mentoring, job shadowing, coaching, and a personalized sponsoring
process.
SUCCESSION MANAGEMENT PLAN
As the LDI took shape, attention was turned to structuring and
formalizing the succession plan, approached as a planning tool designed
to prepare the college for the future by preserving its human
resources. Care was taken to ensure that employees understood the
purpose and goals of developing the plan: organizational development
while serving as a guide for personal and professional development.
Plan development was approached with these points in mind:
*
Replacement planning is more expensive than succession planning.
* Succession planning allows for systematic organizational
development.
* Succession planning allows an organization to identify knowledge
gaps and develop employees to fill these gaps.
* Succession planning allows employees to express their aspirations
for career advancement in a safe, positive, and comfortable
environment.
The plan covers all leadership positions, from senior leadership to
director level, and provides a rolling five-year view of potential and
anticipated personnel changes. For each position identified, the
minimum qualifications are listed to allow potential applicants to
pursue appropriate professional development for possible promotion to
that position. The plan identifies critical areas and incorporates
anticipated retirements and resignations, projected internal
promotions, vacated positions that will not be filled, and other
personnel changes in conjunction with efforts to diversify the
workforce. While some employees were recommended for inclusion in the
succession plan, all employees were given the opportunity to nominate
themselves. The plan does not grant or convey any rights or benefits to
any individual, is not binding on the college, and is subject to change
without notice.
STRUCTURE OF THE PLAN
The succession management plan is a dynamic document in that employees
may be added to the plan or removed as the needs of the organization
and employees change. For example, as employees complete training or
develop experience, either through the LDI or other means, they may be
added to the plan, change positions in the plan, or be removed.
Generally, employees are removed from the plan only at their request or
when they leave the college. However, through the LDI, employees are
encouraged to be realistic about the progress they are making toward
becoming qualified for positions. The philosophy behind this approach
is not to promote unrealistic expectations, but to ensure that each
employee has the opportunity to aspire to any position.
The plan is structured to provide at a glance all the basic information
needed by college leadership and employees. The format is as follows:
*
Name of the position
*
A brief description of the qualifications required for the position
* Name of the incumbent in the position, including any available
information on retirement or separation plans
* Name(s) of potential replacements for the incumbent when the
position becomes available
The following is an example of a typical entry in the succession
management plan:
Position: Vice President for Planning and Development
* Qualifications: Master's degree, doctorate preferred in an academic
discipline or in educational leadership, with progressive experience
and knowledge in planning and evaluation.
* (Name of incumbent). Plan to retire or to seek advancement outside
of the institution in three to five years.
*
(Names of potential replacements)
PROGRESS AND OUTCOMES
Almost four years after the first presidential leadership seminars were
offered, the LDI and the succession management plan have been fully
implemented. During the 2003-2004 academic year, 97 employees are
participating in one or more tracks in the LDI. Three employees have
earned master's degrees; 12 are enrolled in doctoral degrees. Six
employees are in various stages of completing bachelor's or master's
degrees. Approximately 85 employees, in various combinations, are
participating in the in-house leadership series, mentoring, jobshadowing, and other experiential activities.
In addition to these tangible outcomes, the college has reaped other
important results. Feedback from participating employees has
consistently showed a renewed appreciation for the college and the
administrative support for the leadership development and successionplanning initiatives. Employee groups have begun to regularly describe
the college as a learning organization. While it is not easy to
objectively correlate these comments to employee satisfaction and
productivity, it is logical to conclude that these initiatives are
having a positive impact. One thing is clear: Daytona Beach Community
College is now well positioned to meet future leadership challenges
that it may encounter.
REFERENCES
Campbell, D.F. (2002). The Leadership Gap: Model Strategies for
Leadership Development . Washington , D.C. : American Association of
Community Colleges.
Mcfarlin, C.H. (1999). "Background Factors Common Among Outstanding
Community College Presidents." Community College Review , Winter, 1999.
Charles Carroll mailto:CARROLC@dbcc.edu is Vice President of Planning
and Development at Daytona Beach Community College .