The Success of Succession Planning - Essay Example

"The Success of Succession Planning" is a great example of a paper on the health system.

Succession proves as a critical aspect of organizational management. Careful and planned succession results in the normal running of an organization without disruption of its operations. An unplanned or poorly executed succession process, on the other hand, results in significant disruptions of an organization's operations. Such a situation can prove dire and deleterious, especially when it affects an organization such as healthcare. This situation calls for a definitive definition and elaboration of succession planning to help healthcare organizations manage a smooth succession process. This paper achieves this role by firstly defining succession planning, outlining its importance, and the various steps involved in succession planning.

Succession planning refers to the process of identifying and developing employees for potential promotion or transfer into positions that are critical to the operations of the organization (Schepker, Nyberg, Ulrich & Wright, 2018). Succession planning ensures that the vitality of the organization continues without significant disruptions. For instance, this planning helps identify the primary roles and mapping of the organizational hierarchy (Burke & Erickson, 2020). This planning ensures that an organization has the right professionals with the required expertise, skills, and capabilities. This realization helps eliminate the possible voids, which would result from an unplanned and poorly executed succession process. Succession planning also maintains an organization's vitality by enabling the organization to save a lot of hiring capital (Phillips, Evans, Tooley & Shirey, 2018). The hiring of individuals of exceptional expertise, skills, and capabilities usually costs an organization a lot of resources. This cost also extends to the hired individuals' training to fit into the organizational culture and practice. Thirdly, the process ensures maintains organizational vitality by ensuring the availability of people who understand the mission, values, and vision of an organization. This situation ensures the maintenance of the competitiveness of an organization at all times.

The succession planning process consists of six distinct steps (Cavanaugh, 2017). The first step involves the review of the organizational mission, goals, and objectives. This situation helps identify the critical positions and the required or associated competencies, skills, and expertise. The latter forms the second step of this process. Identification of the required competencies and positions enables identifying the potential successors based on the required expertise (Cavanaugh, 2017). This identification process forms the third process of succession planning. After identification, the fourth step follows. This step involves the provision of professional development activities capable of supporting the succession planning philosophy. For instance, these activities may include the formal orientation, coaching, and training of the identified professionals. This step serves to ensure effective succession and blending of the selected individuals with higher professional requirements. The fifth step of the planning process involves the review of the plan (Cavanaugh, 2017). This review should occur in the face of anticipated vacancies to ensure adherence to the ever-changing organizational dynamics. The last step of the planning process involves the updating of the identified changes. This change should occur hand in hand with the changes in organizational objectives or employee base.

Conclusion

Change in an organization proves as a common occurrence. This change occurs as people holding various positions age, retire or quit from the jobs. This situation calls for effective planning to ensure the smooth running of an organization. A well-planned succession process results in the maintenance of an organization's vitality, and vice versa. Organizations should, therefore, adhere to the stipulated succession planning process to maintain their competitiveness and vitality.