Effective Succession Planning

Succession planning has emerged as an important issue as the world’s population ages under the dual impact of falling birth rates globally and improved healthcare. Neither is it easy to assume that young people will occupy traditional entry-level positions nor is it easy to fill positions from outside as other organizations scramble to make up for years of downsizing and cost-cutting. Succession planning can be systematic and can be effectively implemented, but that requires knowledgeable leaders, who are committed to developing their people. This webinar will define succession planning, distinguish it from such related topics as talent management and workforce planning, describe a conceptual model to guide implementation, and summarize key trends and new thinking in succession planning.

• Define succession planning
• Distinguish succession planning from talent management and workforce planning
• Review conceptual models to guide the systematic implementation of succession planning
• List important trends in succession planning
• Review common mistakes made in succession planning and how to avoid them

• Important definitions
• Stunning facts and figures about succession planning
• Conceptual models to guide the implementation of different kinds of succession plans
• Trends in succession planning
• Common mistakes
• How to overcome common mistakes made in succession planning

Only 40 percent of U.S. companies have a working succession planning. Is your organization one of those that needs a backup for key people and key positions in the event of the sudden, unexpected loss of talent due to death, disability, sudden resignation, or even planned retirement? If so, this seminar is for you.

• Senior managers
• Business owners
• Vice Presidents of HR
• Managers of HR
• Talent Development professionals
• Organization Development professionals

William J. Rothwell, Ph.D., SPHR, SHRM-SCP, CPLP Fellow is President of Rothwell & Associates, Inc. He has worked in HR for more than 40 years and has also worked as a consultant for more than 50 multinational corporations--including Motorola China, General Motors, Ford, and many others. In 2012 he earned ASTD’s prestigious Distinguished Contribution to Workplace Learning and Performance Award, and in 2013 ASTD honored him by naming him as a Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP) Fellow. (ASTD is now called ATD.) In 2014 he was given the Asia-Pacific International Personality Brandlaureate Award.

He has authored, coauthored, edited or coedited 115 books since 1987. His recent books since 2017 include Virtual Coaching to Improve Group Relationships: Process Consultation Reimagined (Routledge, 2021), The Essential Human Resource Guide for Small Business and Start Ups (Society for Human Resource Management, 2020); Increasing Learning and Development’s Impact Through Accreditation (Palgrave, 2020); Workforce Development: Guidelines for Community College Professionals, 2nd ed. (Rowman-Littlefield, 2020); Human Performance Improvement: Building Practitioner Performance, 3rd ed. (Routledge, 2018);  Innovation Leadership (Routledge, 2018), Evaluating Organization Development: How to Ensure and Sustain the Successful Transformation (CRC Press, 2017), Marketing Organization Development Consulting: A How-To Guide for OD Consultants (CRC Press, 2017), Assessment and Diagnosis for Organization Development: Powerful Tools and Perspectives for the OD practitioner (CRC Press, 2017). He also authored such books as The Leader’s Daily Role in Talent Management (2015), Effective Succession Planning, 5th ed. (2015), and Becoming an Effective Mentoring Leader (2013).