Objectives

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Demonstrate understanding of the basics of career development and succession planning

• Distinguish succession planning and management from replacement planning, talent management and human capital management

• Compare traditional HR focus with career planning oriented HR focus

• Explain the role of employee and employer in career development

• Apply innovative corporate career development initiatives

• Evaluate and operate an effective succession planning program to close the developmental gaps in the organization

• Prepare individual development plans and manage career choices

Outline:

• Putting people first

  • Putting people before numbers

  • People’s wants from their organizations

  • Organizations’ wants

  • The war for talent

  • Today's top priorities in HR

  • Disengagement and the downward performance spiral

  • People based strategy

  • HR activities: traditional focus versus career development focus

• The basics of career management and succession planning and management

  • Careers today: the importance of development

  • Definition of career development

  • The career development process and links with HR

  • Essential elements in an integrated career development system

  • Definition of succession planning

  • Main aims and reasons for establishing a succession planning and management system

  • Distinguishing succession planning from replacement planning

• Organizational readiness for change

  • Promoting a development culture

  • Characteristics of a development culture

  • Career development as a change agent

  • Roles and responsibilities in a development culture

  • Role of human resources

  • Role of line managers

  • Role of top management

  • Role of developers

• Identifying high potentials

  • Key positions

  • High potentials and high professionals

  • Assessing individual potential

  • Best practices to improve the management of high potentials

  • Qualities of processes to spot, develop, and retain high potentials

• Career development: tools and methodologies

  • Competencies: the foundation for career development

  • Competencies framework

  • Coaching: an essential managerial function

  • Mentoring: a must have system for career development

  • Career counselling services

• Developing internal successors

  • Making the business case for succession planning and management

  • Starting the systematic succession planning and management program

  • Refining the program

  • Assessing present work requirements and individual job performance

  • Assessing future work requirements and individual potential

  • Closing the development gap: the Individual Development Plan (IDP)

  • Designing the individual development plan