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.

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

 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. Career stages

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

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

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;

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

 Organisational career development: organisations could help promote individual careers through a series of well planned moves. These include: Career Development Cont…

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

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

Balancing Individual and Organizational Needs

Typical Line of Advancement in HR Management

Alternative Career Moves

The Plateauing Trap Career Plateau  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

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.