CAREER AND SUCCESSION PLANNING

The concept of career A career comprises of a series of work related activities, that offer continuity, order and meaning to a person’s life. The underlying idea behind a career is that a person can shape his destiny through a number of well planned and well timed, positive steps. The success of one’s career, therefore, depends on the individual more than anything else.

Career: Important features A career develops over time The success of one's career depends, most often, on one's own careful planning and timely steps taken at a right time The important element in one's career is experiencing psychological success. The typical career of a person today would probably include many positions and transitions.

Career stages A career includes many positions, stages and transitions just as a person’s life does.

Career stages Exploration: the transition that occurs in mid-twenties as one looks at work after college education, seeking answer to various questions about careers from teachers, friends etc. Establishment: this is the stage where one begins the search for work,picks up the first job, commits mistakes and learns thereafter. Mid-career: Between 35 and 50 one is typically confronted with a plateaued career, where your maturity and experience are still valued but there is the nagging feeling of having lost the initial fire in the belly Late career: This is the stage where one relaxes a bit and plays an elderly role, offering advice to younger ones as to how to avoid career mistakes and grow continually. Decline: This is the stage where one is constantly reminded of retirement, after a series of hits and misses.

How to get off to a flying start in your new job? According to William Ellis, the following strategies help a person get off to a flying start in a new position. Make yourself visible early: Try a novel tactic, use a stunningly different strategy or follow a route that’s generally avoided by most others. Try anything so as to get noticed. Overkill that first assignment: In your first assignment, set impossible targets for yourself – which others can’t even think of in their wildest dreams and deliver results faster than others. Get the lay of the land: Get as much information as possible about people, processes and activities in your work spot – at an amazing speed and become a quick and authoritative information source. Say “sure” and figure out how later: Management values the new employee who grabs a challenge and runs with it. Try to get over the hurdles somehow – through a painful process of trial and error and come back with winning solutions Cont…

How to get off to a flying start in your new job? Accelerate your enthusiasm: An enthusiastic newcomer can spark a whole department. Yet some days your enthusiasm will run low. There is a remedy, however; if you want to be enthusiastic, act enthusiastic. Inner enthusiasm follows, and it will have an echo effect on colleagues and bosses. Even cynical old hands want to help an enthusiastic new person. Dare to Change the Entrenched Method: Try to challenge the traditional old ways of doing things. Stretch yourself to find those creative ways that save lot of organisational time, energies and resources. The greatest advantage of the fast start on a new job is the early creation of a winning mystique. Even if you were a little slow in the beginning, nothing says, you can’t go to work tomorrow morning and act as if it was your first day on a new job. Better late than never? Source: W. Ellis, “Get off to a fast start in your new Job,” Reader’s Digest, Win@Work, 2001.

Career anchors More about eight career anchors These are distinct patterns of self-perceived talents, attitudes, motives and values that guide and stabilise a person’s career after several years of real world experiences. More about eight career anchors Managerial competence Technical competence Security Creativity Autonomy Dedication to a cause Pure challenge Life style

Career planning Why career planning? Career planning is the process by which one selects career goals and the path to achieve those goals. Career planning, it should be noted here, is a prerequisite to effective human resource planning. Why career planning? Career planning seeks to meet the following objectives Attract and retain talent Use human resources properly and achieve greater productivity Reduce employee turnover Improve employee morale and motivation Meet the current and future human resource needs of the organisation

The process of career planning Identify individual needs and aspirations Analyse career opportunities Align employee needs with available career opportunities Develop action plans Carry out periodic review

Career Development Career development consists of the personal actions one undertakes to achieve a career plan. The actions for career development may be initiated by the individual himself or by the organisation Individual career development: Some of the important steps that could help employees achieve their career goals could be listed thus;

Individual career development Performance Exposure Networking Leveraging Loyalty Mentors and sponsors Key subordinates Expanding capabilities over time

Career Development Organisational career development Organisational career development: organisations could help promote individual careers through a series of well planned moves. These include: Organisational career development 1 Self assessment tools such as holding a career planning workshop, circulation of a career work book in advance etc. 2. Individual counselling 3. Information services job posting system skills inventory career ladders and career paths career resource centre Cont…

Career Development 4. Employee assessment programmes Assessment centres Psychological tests Promotability forecasts Succession planning 5. Employee developmental programmes 6. Career programmes for special groups

Career Management The career management model Career management includes both organisational actions and individual efforts aimed at setting career goals, formulating and implementing strategies and monitoring the results. The career management model

The Goal: Matching Individual and Organizational Needs The Employee’s Role The Organization’s Role Career Management Individual and Organizational Goals

HR’s Role in Career Development

The Organization’s Role: Establishing a Favorable Context Management Participation Provide top management support Provide collaboration between line managers and HR managers Train management personnel Setting Goals Plan human resources strategy Changing HR Policies Provide for job rotation Provide outplacement service Announcing the Program Explain its philosophy

Balancing Individual and Organizational Needs

Identifying Career Opportunities and Requirements Competency Analysis Measures three basic competencies for each job: know-how, problem solving, and accountability. Job Progressions The hierarchy of jobs a new employee might experience, ranging from a starting job to jobs that require more knowledge and/or skill. Career Paths Lines of advancement in an occupational field within an organization.

Typical Line of Advancement in HR Management

Alternative Career Moves

The Plateauing Trap Career Plateau Types of Plateaus Situation in which for either organizational or personal reasons the probability of moving up the career ladder is low. Types of Plateaus Structural plateau: end of advancement Content plateau: lack of challenge Life plateau: crisis of personal identity

Successful Career-Management Practices Placing clear expectations on employees. Giving employees the opportunity for transfer. Providing a clear and thorough succession plan Encouraging performance through rewards and recognition. Giving employees the time and resources they need to consider short- and long-term career goals. Encouraging employees to continually assess their skills and career direction.

Internal Barriers to Career Advancement Lack of time, budgets, and resources for employees to plan their careers and to undertake training and development. Rigid job specifications, lack of leadership support for career management, and a short-term focus. Lack of career opportunities and pathways within the organization for employees.

Career Management: Developing Talent over Time Career Planning Workbooks Stimulate thinking about careers, strengths/limitations, development needs Career Planning Workshops Discuss and compare attitudes, concerns, plans Career Counseling Discuss job, career interests, goals

Career Development Initiatives Career Planning Workbooks Stimulate thinking about careers, strengths/ limitations, development needs Career Planning Workshops Discuss and compare attitudes, concerns, plans Career Counseling Discussing current job activities and performance, personal and career interests and goals, skills, and career development objectives. Workforce Investment Act of 1998

Determining Individual Development Needs Fast-track Program A program that encourages young managers with high potential to remain with an organization by enabling them to advance more rapidly than those with less potential. Career Self-Management Training Helping employees learn to continuously gather feedback and information about their careers. Encouraging them to prepare for mobility.

Succession Planning The basic purpose of succession planning is to identify and develop people to replace current job holders in key positions. Through succession planning organizations ensure a steady flow of internal talent to fill important vacancies. Succession planning encourages “hiring from within” and creates a healthy environment where employees have careers and not merely jobs. It should be noted here that career planning (which covers executives at all levels), by its very nature, includes succession planning (which covers key positions at higher levels)

Succession Planning is the Process of identifying and developing suitable Team Members who are able to replace Key Positions as and when required. In nutshell Strategic Planning will help :- To prepare Team Members for leadership roles and make them ready for new roles as & when need arises. To plan Career Path for talented Team Members. Risk Management.

Integrated Approach BUSINESS STRATEGY RESULTS BUSINESS Recruitment & Selection Career Management Performance Management BUSINESS STRATEGY RESULTS BUSINESS Rewards Management Talent Management Training & Development Senior Management Development Succession Planning

Objective Foster a process of building leadership capability across the lines of business / support functions The emphasis is on developing a broad spectrum of talent within the management ranks so that the availability of internal talent will not be a constraint to the organization's strategic direction Identify the key leadership success factors

Outcomes Retention and development of high potential employees Builds internal staff capabilities (bench strength) for the emerging organizational demands Maps various succession options Facilitates developmental moves across the organization Establishes a professionally managed organization with the systems in place to ensure that it will have effective leaders going forward