The implementation of appropriate succession planning for key positions has become a factor of success for organisations. Additionally, it is increasingly associated with the career management at all levels of the organisation. After carrying out comprehensive analysis among the Top Employers Spain, we have found out that succession managment and career management are interrelated.
These companies are fully aware of the importance of having a succession plan. In fact, 98% of them have developed it for key positions at the management level. Thanks to all the initiatives implemented in this regard, it the percentage of internal succession rate in the executive management has increased: 82% versus 77% last year.
At the same time, enterprises not only conceive professional growth as a vertical succession process, but also as a way to define horizontal and multifunctional careers. Career management, in a global context, has now turned into clear strategic commitment. 94% of the Top Employers Spain feature a framework of career management and succession. Many of them have also defined the objectives they want to achieve with it.
An example of career management in the entire organisation is that of the insurance company AXA, which has succession plans not only for key positions at management level but also for all executive positions in the enterprise. In addition, it has implemented programmes for accelerated development through individualised activities based on each collaborator’s requirements.
The emphasis laid to career management is such that executive management has become actively involved with activities such as promoting the workers’ mobility in the entire organisation, approval of the global career and succession strategy, and even the participation in the meetings regarding this subject. Moreover, in every company, executives are expected to actively promote the professional development of their team members, in two out of three organisations, they are trained in specific matters related to career and succession management.
In all these companies, employees meet their managers to discuss their personal development plan. Abbott is an example of this, which organizes discussions about professional careers with each of its collaborator.
Step 1. Identifying Talent
The first step to successfully manage a career is to be able to identify talent. In order to do so, enterprises use different methods, such as skill tests, models of performance and potential of 4 or 9 boxes, self-assessment or 360 degree feedback.
The financial services company Cetelem, for example, has developed a comprehensive programme called Talentos (Talents) with which it assesses the performance, behaviour and potential of all its collaborators, and it has also included a specific assessment and 360 degrees feedback on enterprise’s values.
Step 2: Achieving the professional plans
Having identified the talent, the next step is to launch initiatives to help workers achieve their career plans through training programmes, special projects, coaching or job rotations. It is worth mentioning that Spanish Top Employers Spain enterprises need to improve on a specific field as compared to those from European or other continents’ countries: the use of mentoring is even less implemented in our country.
Among the many good practices to help workers with their career plans, we can highlight the exchange or international mobility programmes of British American Tobacco, Ferrovial, KPMG or Samsung, or the shadowing programme of Novartis
Thales, on the other hand, provides cultural awareness sessions. In order to cope with its international expansion, it has designed a programme with which the entire staff is explained the cultural differences and the difficulties that they may come across while working on projects, so that they can overcome these difficulties and develop their skills.
Please leave your comment below and let me know what you think.
