Succession planning is the process of identifying and preparing for the leadership and personnel changes that will occur as an organisation maintains its current level of operations and prepares for growth. Diversity and inclusion are key considerations in succession planning because it’s essential that your organisation has a succession plan that can continue with little interruption, no matter who is leading the organisation in the future. However, many organisations don’t prioritise diversity and inclusion in their succession plans, and as a result, they miss opportunities to hire qualified candidates who are a good match for the organisation’s culture and values. A recent report from Deloitte suggests that women and non-white workers make up only about a quarter of all leadership teams and that “companies often haven’t built diverse networks or recruited talent that more closely resembles a broader multidimensional workforce”.
To help you prepare for the changes that will take place as your organisation continues to grow, this article describes the importance of succession planning, how it can be improved to include diversity and inclusion, and suggestions for how you can continue to lead your organisation successfully.
What is Succession Planning?
Succession planning is the process of identifying and preparing for the leadership and personnel changes that will occur as an organisation maintains its current level of operations and prepares for growth. And although the term succession planning is often used interchangeably with the term succession, it’s important to note that there are significant differences between the two. Succession planning is a process the organisations use to plan for changes that may occur when current leadership is no longer able to lead the organisation. Succession planning is distinct from succession because it focuses on one specific thing: What will happen if the current leadership team is no longer able to lead the organisation? It also differs from succession because succession identifies what will happen if the current leadership is no longer able to lead the organisation.
Why is Succession Planning Important?
Succession planning is important because it helps an organisation prepare for leadership changes that may occur as it continues to grow. This may mean that the current leadership team isn’t able to lead the organisation effectively, or it may mean that the organisation wants to expand its operations and add new employees. Either way, having a clear plan in place will help the organisation maintain its operations and grow without interruption. Succession planning also helps ensure that employees feel prepared for leadership changes that may occur at the organisation. When an organisation has a clear succession plan, employees know where they fit into the organisation’s plans and can take steps to ensure that they are ready to step into the role of the organisation’s leader when the time comes.
How can Succession Planning be Improved for Diverse and Inclusive Recruitment?
In order to improve succession planning for diversity and inclusion, you need to start by assessing where your organisation currently stands. Ask yourself these questions to assess how inclusive your organisation currently is: Do employees feel included in the organisation’s leadership? Are employees comfortable sharing their views on company issues? Have you conducted a comprehensive analysis of your current workforce demographics to identify any gaps in your organisation’s leadership that could impact diversity and inclusion? Once you understand where your organisation currently stands, you can work on making improvements. The first step is to start recruiting and hiring diverse candidates. When you do so, look for candidates who are a good fit for your organisation’s culture and values. This can help you hire qualified candidates who will be a good fit for the organisation and who will be able to add diversity to your leadership. It can also help you avoid hiring candidates who may be a poor fit for your organisation but who are simply looking for a job.
6 Steps to Incorporate Diversity and Inclusion in Your Succession Plan
Once you have assessed where your organisation currently stands in terms of diversity and inclusion and have started to make improvements, you can incorporate diversity and inclusion into your succession planning.
Here are the six steps to take:
– Identify your organisation’s leadership needs. This can help you focus your efforts and identify areas where you may need additional leadership. For example, perhaps you have identified that you need to expand your operations or add new positions within the organisation. This step can help you identify the areas where you currently lack leadership.
– Create a leadership development plan. As your organisation continues to grow, you’ll likely face increased leadership demands, and this can create a leadership gap. As a result, leadership demands may outweigh the current leadership team’s ability to pick up the slack. To address this, you can create a leadership development plan that identifies the leadership competencies that are most important for your organisation’s leaders. This can help you identify areas where you may need to invest in leadership development and help address any gaps.
– Identify your organisation’s leadership succession plan. This can help you identify who is currently in your organisation and how they are positioned to lead the organisation should the current leadership team fall short. This can also help you identify who is ready to step into the leadership roles if the current leadership is unable to pick up the slack. This step can also help you determine where you may need to focus your efforts to better ensure that your organisation has leaders who are qualified and ready to lead the organisation in the future.
– Create a workforce analysis for future leaders. This can help your organisation identify potential gaps in your leadership that could impact diversity and inclusion and help ensure that your organisation is prepared to address those gaps.
– Ensure that your organisation continues to invest in leadership development. This can help you ensure that your organisation stays on track and addresses any leadership gap that may exist within your organisation. This may mean that your organisation needs to focus on hiring leaders who have leadership development plans to address any leadership gap that may exist within your organisation.
Conclusion
Succession planning is an important process in leadership development. If your organisation is experiencing growth or expanding, or your business is experiencing a period of rapid expansion, then it’s a good idea to include a plan for recruiting a more diverse employee base. This can help to maintain consistency in your company’s growth and avoid the risk of interruption. To be effective, your succession planning needs to include diversity and inclusion. After all, the most effective way to attract diverse talents is to create an inclusive culture.
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