Succession Planning Report: Recommendations and Analysis of Candidates

This report delves into the critical process of succession planning, presenting a detailed analysis of potential candidates for leadership positions. The report begins with a succession planning table that outlines the positions, leadership sources, required competencies, and candidate profiles. The analysis includes recommendations for filling key roles, such as Director of Purchasing, Assistant Director of Purchasing, Marketing Manager, Sales Director, and Director of Sales, emphasizing the benefits of internal promotions and the importance of aligning candidate skills with job requirements. The report identifies suitable internal candidates based on their skills, experience, and performance. It also acknowledges instances where external searches are recommended to bring in specialized expertise. The report's recommendations are designed to improve organizational efficiency, foster innovation, and ensure the long-term success of the company. The report underscores the importance of creativity, adaptability, and a focus on candidate's potential to contribute to the company's goals. The report also highlights the practical tools used to determine candidate's training, motivation, management, and leadership skills. This report is available on Desklib, a platform offering study tools for students.

Running head: SUCCESSION PLANNING 1
Succession Planning
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

SUCCESSION PLANNING 2
Table of Contents
1.0 Part 1.........................................................................................................................................2
1.1 Table 1: Succession Planning Table...................................................................................2
2.0 Part 2.........................................................................................................................................4
2.1 Introduction..........................................................................................................................4
2.2 Recommendations................................................................................................................5
2.3 Summary...............................................................................................................................6
References........................................................................................................................................8

SUCCESSION PLANNING 3
1.0 Part 1
1.1 Table 1: Succession Planning Table
Position Leadership
Competencies
Source
Candidate 1 – Jackie Johnson Executive
communication
Byrne, Downey, and Souza
(2013)
Strategic Thinking Byrne et al. (2013)
Aligns resources with
key objectives
Byrne et al. (2013)
Inspires and motivates Byrne et al. (2013)
Candidate 2 – Henrietta Higgins Positive social
interactions.
Byrne et al. (2013)
Emotional intelligence Byrne et al. (2013)
Collaboratively works
across boundaries.
Byrne et al. (2013)
Area experience Byrne et al. (2013))
Candidate 3 – Mohammad
Darvish
Open and broad-minded (Mulder, 2017)
Flexibility (Mulder, 2017)
Collaboratively works
with other departments.
(Mulder, 2017)
Influence skills (Mulder, 2017)
Candidate 4 – Marg Simpson Technical competency (Mulder, 2017)

SUCCESSION PLANNING 4
Flexibility (Mulder, 2017)
Work Ethic (Mulder, 2017)
Innovative (Mulder, 2017)
Candidate 5 – Rafael Mendez Open and broad-minded (Mulder, 2017)
Determination (Mulder, 2017)
Ability to harmoniously
work with other
employees.
(Mulder, 2017)
Corporate
communication
(Mulder, 2017)
2.0 Part 2
2.1 Introduction
According to (Barnett and Davis, 2018), the succession planning process promotes the
continued operation of a firm. The concept mainly highlights the idea, concept or hope of
recruiting or promoting employees to vacant positions left by incumbents. The planning process
involves reviewing a set of legal documents such as performance grids, position profiles and
replacement charts for the incumbents. Notably, succession planning for prominent employees in
the “C” level, such as COO, CFO or CEO is difficult. In most cases, the resignation of this senior
officials exposes a company to vulnerabilities.
One aspect of the succession process is creating a plan (Perrenoud and Sullivan, 2016).
The procedure involves confidential files only reviewed by executives in senior positions. The
group’s succession planning process consisted of five steps, including identifying the critical

SUCCESSION PLANNING 5
positions; determining the competencies; seeking interested workers; creating and implementing
succession transfer plans; and evaluating the effectiveness of the plans. The first stage entailed
listing vacant positions left by incumbents, and how the empty slots affect business goals.
At the second stage, the group determined capabilities such as skills, abilities, and
knowledge required to maintain business goals. For the third stage, the group listed interested
workers and their capabilities. At the fourth stage, the group developed and implemented transfer
plans such as training and learning. Additionally, the stage involved discussing general company
processes with employees seeking the vacant position. For the last stage, the group analyzed the
succession system to ensure that primal positions have employees and new workers in prominent
positions worked well.
2.2 Recommendations
From the succession planning process, the group enlisted various recommendations. The
findings allow the company to remain successful in the long-term. During the succession
planning, the group identified some internal candidates who “suit” the five positions. Notably,
hiring workers from within the company is cheap compared to employing external candidates.
Additionally, the concept improves a worker's morale in that they feel appreciated because their
possibility of promotion is high.
One suitable internal candidates were Ann Thompson for Director of Purchasing. Her
biography indicates that she is detail-oriented; that is, she thrives as a procurement officer.
Additionally, she is a good negotiator – she is persuasive and skilled at creating a win-win
situation. For the Assistant Director of Purchasing, Jake Harvin is an ideal suit. He is a good
time manager and decision-maker. Studies indicate that the purchasing role requires a person to
prioritize activities which improve the profitability. Agnes Harvey is a suitable internal

SUCCESSION PLANNING 6
candidate for the Marketing Manager position. She is honest, risk tolerant and flexible. For the
sales director position, Daniel Johnson is the ideal worker. In recent years, he invented creative
solutions to address recurring problems. Additionally, he motivates his co-workers to align their
operations with the business goals. A suitable internal candidate for the Director of Sales
position is Mark Johnson. He is highly experienced, having worked in the sales department for
ten years.
During the succession planning process, some workers were not chosen for a leadership
position. They include David Meyer. The group was unsure about his familiarity with the
demands of the position. For instance, the professional relationship between David and other
workers is poor. Additionally, he cannot inspire other employees to work towards a particular
goal. Sharma and Sengupta (2018) argue that a worker must express good standards in their
field. The argument is that if an employee lacks vital skills to manage a sales position, then they
cannot comprehend a senior position.
Notably, the Director of Purchasing role cannot be filed from the current pool of
candidates. The purchasing department is one of the most prominent departments; and therefore,
the group recommends an external search to identify a suitable candidate. One benefit of the
external search is that the company may obtain an “instant talent” for its programs and products.
Kathleen and Patricia (2013) suggest that hiring from the outside stimulates innovation and
culture change. The new employee brings new ideas which inspire the company to rethink its
operations.
Studies indicate that a suitable candidate for the Director of Purchasing position must
display passion; be a creative problem solver; be a good negotiator; build relationships; and
display flexibility or effective adaptability with different departments.

SUCCESSION PLANNING 7
2.3 Summary
The practical relevance of the group’s recommendations is vast. One reason is that the
findings create a framework for hiring the suitable candidate. During the succession planning
process, the group interviewed different candidates and reviewed their biographies. The goal was
to identify the right employees for the leadership positions. Notably, the group utilized practical
tools when conducting the succession planning process. One of the criteria was to determine the
candidates training, motivation, management skills, and leadership skills among others (Donner
et al., 2017). The selected workers fulfill this criterion.
The recommendations improve the company’s organization and efficiency. The group
rejected candidates who did not suit the organization’s processes. In recent years, companies are
increasingly aligning their recruitment process to their operations. For instance, the candidates
undergo extensive evaluation in high-pressure situations. Depending on their reactions, the
company is able to access their leadership skills. Barnett and Davis (2018) suggest that the
recruitment process inspires innovation and cultural change. One of the primal considerations of
the group was creativity. That is the group only enlisted candidates who displayed a free flow of
ideas. According to (Mulder, 2017) companies which lack creativity and innovation run
themselves to the ground – this is because they constantly follow similar techniques in
production, marketing, and promotion. Today, firms operate in highly competitive markets; and
therefore creativity is crucial. Innovative employees fuel big ideas, create new business
opportunities and challenge the way other workers think.
The recommendations save time and money. In most cases, hiring is an expensive and
time-consuming activity. The succession planning process involves analyzing the incumbent
traits or job requirements in comparison to the candidate's profile (Sharma et al., 2018). The

SUCCESSION PLANNING 8
process aims at identifying the capabilities of a candidate through recruitment processes such as
an interview. In terms of metrics, the group selected suitable candidates for the professional
fields. As such, the group allows the company to focus on other core tasks such as production,
rather than spend time and resources conducting phone interviews for sourcing potential
candidates. Additionally, the group’s findings improve inclusivity; that is, the group listed
potential employees from different racial or ethnic backgrounds. In this way, the
recommendations enhance growth, learning and business success.
References
Barnett, R., and

SUCCESSION PLANNING 9
Davis, S. (2018). Creating Greater Success in Succession Planning. Advances in Developing
Human Resources, 10(5), 721 - 739.
Donner, M. et al. (2017). Succession Planning and Management: The Backbone of the Radiology
Group’s Future. Journal of the American College of Radiology, 14(1), 125-129.
Byrne, J., Downey, C., and Souza, A. (2013). Teaching and learning in a competency-based
curriculum: the case of four secondary schools in England. The Curriculum Journal,
24(3), 351-368.
Mulder, M. (2017). Workplace learning and competence development. The Journal of
Agricultural Education and Extension, 23(4), 283-286.
Kathleen, M., and Patricia, H. (2013). Leadership Development and Succession Planning in Case
Management. Professional Case Management, 18(1), 5–12.
Sharma, A., and Sengupta, T. (2018). Perspective on succession planning in multiple MNCs: the
interview with Aparna Sharma. International Journal of Construction Education and
Research, 21(4), 382-390.
Perrenoud, A., and Sullivan, K. (2016). Analysis of Executive Succession Planning in 12
Construction Companies. International Journal of Construction Education Research,
13(1), 64-80.