Succession Planning: The Missing Ingredients
Cezanne Software White Paper
Cezanne Software Ltd · T: +44 (0)20 7202 9300 · F: +44 (0)20 7202 9321 · E: [email protected] · www.cezannesw.com
Contents
Cezanne Software Ltd · T: +44 (0)20 7202 9300 · F: +44 (0)20 7202 9321 · E: [email protected] · www.cezannesw.com
• Introduction
– why succession planning is relevant NOW
• Mind the Middle Management Gap
• Joining up the Dots
• Keeping Development on the Radar
• Keeping Line Managers in the Loop
• Robust Systems and Processes
• Getting Fit for the Future
• About Cezanne
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Introduction - Why succession planning is relevant NOW
At a time when survival is still top of
the agenda in many organisations,
it may seem incongruous to focus
on planning ahead for succession.
The first tentative green shoots of recovery
may be appearing, but the reality is that
private sector organisations are still hunkering
down, tightening their belts and shedding
jobs. There are undoubtedly difficult times
ahead in the public sector too, with estimates
suggesting 350,000 jobs will be lost between
now and 2015.
So at a time when no-one quite knows what
is around the corner and talented people
are in plentiful supply, why bother with
succession planning?
Our view is that it comes back to the old
adage about knowledge being power. If
organisations don’t know who they’ve got
and what they’re good at, how can they
ensure the business is equipped to meet
the next challenge, whatever that might be?
If companies don’t know what their people are
potentially capable of, how can they ensure
they are maximising their talent and getting
the absolute best out of their employees?
If they don’t have a clear picture of where the
best people are sitting in the organisation,
how can they slot them into the right place
at the right time as circumstances change?
Forward-looking organisations have
already recognised that an on-going focus
on succession planning will enable them to
keep fit for the future. Recent research from
the Chartered Institute of Personnel and
Development (CIPD) shows that many
businesses strongly believe effective talent
management could help them out of recession
- and they are in fact spending more time
on engaging, motivating, retaining and fully
using the skills of their existing workforce.
But the constantly changing and highly
competitive environment we’re currently
in means it’s more important than ever
to make sure that talent and succession
initiatives are delivering the goods. Cezanne’s
experience of working with numerous
organisations suggests there are several
key areas where organisations struggle
to ‘join the dots’.
There are some issues – such as line
manager involvement – that are regarded
as ‘difficult’ to deal with, so they get left out.
Or other areas, like providing wider access
to talent data, that organisations perceive
will force them to be more ‘transparent’
about their processes than they are
comfortable with.
The trouble is, if important issues like
these are brushed aside, the result is
a talent management and succession
planning programme that is dis-jointed
and only working at half pitch.
This report provides an overview of the
common ‘missing links’ and gives guidance
for those organisations who want to meet
the challenges face on and take their talent
management and succession planning
activities from good to great.
Julie Windsor, Cezanne Software
Cezanne Software Ltd · Succession Planning: The Missing Ingredients
Introduction - 3
“Employers have to know where
their key talent is if they are to
meet business critical needs.
It’s about ensuring your business
is sustainable.”
Claire McCartney, CIPD
Mind the Middle Management Gap
Cezanne Software Ltd · T: +44 (0)20 7202 9300 · F: +44 (0)20 7202 9321 · E: [email protected] · www.cezannesw.com
Succession planning programmes
typically revolve around the top
layer of the organisation – the critical
positions that provide leadership
for the business and keep a firm
hand on the steering wheel.
There are of course good reasons for this.
The people who sit in these senior roles
are the ones who have the knowledge
and experience that will take the
organisation forward.
If the business is to meet the challenges
ahead, it has to have a cadre of talented
people, ready to step into these pivotal
positions when the current incumbents
move on.
The top end is also, quite sensibly, where
organisations tend to start when they are
first getting to grips with succession planning.
The reasoning is that if they can cut their
teeth by successfully managing succession
at the top – they can filter the process down
through the organisation later on.
What organisations often fail to pay enough
heed to, however, is that decisions they
make about the top leadership and
management positions can have an
enormous impact in the ranks below.
The leaders of the future – those people who
have been earmarked as high potential and
put into the talent pool – are the ones sitting
in middle management right now. Often,
they are honing their skills in key operational
roles, which are absolutely critical to the
day-to-day running of the business.
They are being groomed for bigger and
better things – but is anyone ready to
step into their shoes when they move on?
How near are the people in their teams or
specialist areas to being ready and able to fill
the gap their eventual promotion will leave?
Depth, timing and the health of the talent pool
are three critical issues that organisations
need to consider when they are fine-tuning
their succession planning activities.
Depth
To have a plan with adequate depth means
making sure there are enough potential
candidates for a key senior role. In an ideal
world, an organisation would have at least
two or three names ‘pencilled in’.
But it also means looking right down into
the next layer of management. Are there
enough people with the right skills and
qualifications to cover the critical operational
roles that could potentially be left empty?
What kind of development needs to take
place further down to make sure the
business isn’t leaving itself exposed?
When organisations start to look more closely
at this issue, they often find two things:
Over-reliance on certain individuals: So
there might well be three people earmarked
as possible successors for a particular
leadership role – but they have also been
highlighted as possible candidates for a
number of other roles too, and there’s
only one of them to go round!
Under represented roles: These are the
roles that are important but more difficult
to plan for, either because they are less
‘popular’ roles (i.e. not many people are
interested) – or because they demand a
specific and hard to find combination of
skills, qualities and specialist expertise.
4 - Mind the Middle Management Gap
Mind the Middle Management Gap - 5
Timing
Timing is also a key issue. It’s not just about
who’s ready – it’s about who’s ready right
now, who will be ready in six months time
and who will need to get at least another
year’s experience under their belt.
It might be the right time to parachute
someone out of middle management into
a key leadership role – but the wrong time
for them to leave because none of their
likely successors are quite ready to step
up to the mark.
The impact can be far reaching. Morale in
the team can plummet, performance can
take a dip and the department’s ability to
provide a quality service to its customers
can be compromised.
Technology can play an enormous part in
helping organisations put the pieces of this
jigsaw together successfully. It can help
them plot likely moves and see what the
impact will be further down the organisation.
It can give a clear picture of how the timing
fits together and can highlight where there
are gaps in succession that need to be
tackled right now.
Health of the Talent Pool
Talent pools need regular ‘maintenance’
to ensure they remain healthy and fit for
purpose. Many organisations fall into the
trap of allowing their talent pools to become
static. But business is constantly changing
– and regular reviews need to take place to
make sure succession planning is in line
with shifting organisational scenarios.
Are there people in the talent pool who
are ‘at risk’ because opportunities haven’t
emerged in the expected timescale? Are
processes in place to ensure that ‘hidden’
talent in the middle management ranks
becomes visible? Is the age profile of
the talent pool appropriately balanced?
These are the kind of questions that an
organisations need to ask themselves on
an on-going basis so that they can regularly
‘sanity check’ their talent pool and fine-tune
their succession planning processes.
Key Questions
• Does your organisation’s succession
plan have enough depth?
• Have you considered the impact
of potential moves on critical middle
management roles?
• Is the business in danger of becoming
over-reliant on a few individuals?
• Are there roles that are not
adequately covered?
• Do you have a clear picture of how the
timing of possible moves fits together?
Cezanne Software Ltd · Succession Planning: The Missing Ingredients
Encouraging International Mobility
“A well-designed system can help you see exactly how
well some of your internal talent management initiatives
are working.
One of Cezanne’s global clients was surprised to find that
a programme to encourage international mobility wasn’t
as successful as they had thought.
Managers in the talent pool were telling the organisation
they were willing to take on overseas roles or assignments.
But the reality was that when these opportunities were
offered, they were frequently turned down.
Managers clearly felt that if they ruled the possibility of an
overseas posting out, it would have a negative impact on
their career progression. But when push came to shove, they
didn’t want to uproot their lives and families and move abroad.
Deeper analysis of the data in the succession planning
system highlighted this pattern, and helped the organisation
to see that although the programme looked good on paper,
the numbers weren’t stacking up and they needed to review
their strategy.”
Julie Windsor, Cezanne
Joining up the Dots
Effective technology is the
key to a succession planning
programme that really delivers
the information and interpretation
that the business needs.
But many organisations are still tinkering
around the edges of technology – and failing
to take advantage of the enhanced level
of understanding that a specialist system
can bring.
The best technological solutions can help
the organisation join up all the pieces to
form a coherent whole, so that they can
make decisions based on quality, robust
and in-depth information.
Succession management technology
can help the business fill critical gaps in
its knowledge about what talent is available
and how it can be maximised going forward.
Technology allows the organisation to:
• Gather data about wants and needs
from a wide variety of sources – from
individuals, line managers, departmental
or divisional heads, HR and the Board.
• Align information from key organisational
processes. Systems can bring together
data from appraisals, career plans and
learning and development programmes
and demonstrate how these connect
with resourcing and succession plans
for individual teams, departments and
the organisation as a whole.
• Identify possible areas of risk or conflict.
There may, for example, be several
people ‘ready’ to take on a particular
role, but no opportunities are likely to be
available at that level for some time. An
effective system will help the organisation
identify other roles that would meet those
individual’s aspirations and lessen the
likelihood of them leaving the business.
• Plan effectively for the future – but retain
enough flex to cope with the unexpected.
The best systems can show you where
your key people are, indicate their level
of readiness for their next role and
demonstrate the impact of moving
them – so that you can respond
quickly to changing circumstances.
Organisations are sometimes concerned
that a technological approach will make their
succession planning programmes too rigid.
Others expect technology will give them all
the answers and they can just input the
data and sit back and relax!
Neither is true. The key is to supplement
what the system tells you with an on-going
dialogue between individuals, their
managers and HR.
It’s about recognising that individuals may
well have aspirations they haven’t voiced
or an agenda that isn’t immediately obvious
– and making sure these are unearthed
through face-to-face discussions and
factored into the plan.
It’s also about understanding that line
managers sometimes need help to look
beyond the obvious. Are they overlooking
a potential candidate who doesn’t stack up
on paper but could perform really well in
the job? Is there a gap in their team for
someone with a more creative approach,
even though the job profile might lead them
in the direction of someone more analytical?
No system alone can give you all the
answers. But organisations who learn
how to capture the data and exploit it to
best effect will be the ones who will get
the best return on their investment.
Cezanne Software Ltd · T: +44 (0)20 7202 9300 · F: +44 (0)20 7202 9321 · E: [email protected] · www.cezannesw.com
6 - Joining up the Dots
Joining up the Dots - 7
Cezanne Software Ltd · Succession Planning: The Missing Ingredients
Swarovski Case Study
Swarovski is the world leader in precision cut
crystal. The company, which was founded in
1895 in Wattens, Austria, employs 22,000
people and has a presence in more than
120 countries worldwide.
People development is a key strategic priority
for Swarovski and it is committed t o investing
in the growth and development of its employees.
However, like many global organisations, the
business has a number of different HR databases
across its international operations. This meant that, with so many disparate systems, it was extremely
challenging for the Swarovski corporate HR team to manage key talent processes – such as career
and succession planning – on a company-wide basis.
“Although Swarovski were using an in-house Access database to support our career and succession
planning process, I knew that we could manage the process much more professionally and gain a much
better understanding of our global talent pool by using a specialist talent management system,” says
Remko Verheul, Global Head of Talent.
After a rigorous selection process, the business decided to work with Cezanne Software, who were able
to provide a global talent management solution which could be configured in line with its evolving career
and succession planning processes.
The system was implemented within a tight frame frame and rolled out to all of Swarovski’s HR managers in
40 countries. They now have a single, consistent view of their top 1000 employees across the globe, which
includes information about performance, potential, leadership, teamwork, functional expertise, international
mobility, strengths, development areas and succession planning.
The benefits are already being felt. Remko explains: “By utilising Cezane’s talent management software
we support and improve the quality of Swarovski’s HR decision making process. One of our most important
HR decisions is when a line manager appoints a certain person to a certain position. If you take a wrong
decision then the impact could be critical to the business.”
As well as succession and career planning software, Swarovski is also taking advantage of Cezanne’s
integrated organisation charting solution to provide it with the tools to view key data on people, positions and
performance in a very visual and accessible way. The organisational charts, together with talent and succession
trees, will provide key HR metrics and allow managers to see issues and opportunities more quickly. Importantly,
this information will support the decision making process in critical areas of Swarovski’s business.
Next year’s talent management process will start again in early March and Swarovski is already looking
forward to the next stage. Remko says: “We are moving in a good direction but the process never stops.
So far the focus has been on the implementation and go live date. The next step is to come up with a plan
to look at how best to maintain and evolve the system. We will also analyse and review this year’s
succession planning process and work out how we can improve and adjust it to make it more effective.”
Cezanne Software Ltd · T: +44 (0)20 7202 9300 · F: +44 (0)20 7202 9321 · E: [email protected] · www.cezannesw.com
8 - Keeping Development on the Radar
The training budget is often one
of the first to fall under the axe
in difficult times. But suddenly
calling a halt to development
activities can have a serious
impact on an organisation’s
ability to survive and grow.
When times are tough, organisations
need to make sure they are making the
most of the talent they have been able to
retain. But if your people’s development
is stifled, they will be less well equipped
to take on new responsibilities and more
difficult challenges – and less motivated
to pull the stops out for you.
Culling learning and development can
also have a longer term impact. If managers
are not given the opportunity to continually
develop their skills and competencies, the
organisation will be less fleet of foot when
it comes to future growth.
The key is for organisations to ensure
that their succession plan is actually drivingtheir development programme. An effective
succession plan will not only identify possible
paths for high potential people – it will also
pinpoint gaps in their development and
allow the business to prioritise its learning
and development activity accordingly. If the
board can see that money on training and
development is being spent in line with what
the business actually needs, they are less
likely to make damaging cuts.
There is no doubt that budgets for learning
and development have been squeezed
during the current downturn, although
perhaps not quite as badly as had been
predicted. Around a third of respondents to
the CIPD’s 2009 Learning and Development
survey said funding for training had been
cut, with just over half saying budgets had
remained the same.
What did emerge from the research was
that the pressure on budgets had led to
some highly innovative development
approaches. Organisations are finding
new ways of building on the skills and
capabilities of their managers and keeping
them motivated.
The following list of thought-starters may
stimulate your thinking about how to keep
development high on the agenda when
budgets are under pressure:
• Mentor – upwards, downwards and
sideways! Yes, get senior managers to
act as mentors to people in your talent
pool – but also think creatively about
how you can use mentoring to help your
people share experiences and develop
their own skills.
• Run ‘bite-sized’ refreshers on key
business topics. Could some of your
senior managers share their knowledge
in a short internal workshop?
• Pool information and resources. Ask
people to recommend books, websites
and on-line groups they have found
particularly useful.
• Use coaching to help your high potential
people prepare for the transition to their
next role.
• Build learning and development alliances
with other like-minded organisations.
Can the managers in your organisations
learn from each other by sharing insights
and experiences through facilitated
discussion groups?
Keeping Development on the Radar
Keeping Development on the Radar - 9
Cezanne Software Ltd · Succession Planning: The Missing Ingredients
• Organise ‘work’ exchanges. Can you
broaden your people’s thinking by giving
them short, focused experience in a like-
for-like work swap with a manager from
another industry or sector?
• Investigate funding or grants that
may be available to help support
your learning and development activity
(i.e. Train to Gain or grants available
through bodies such as Regional
Development Agencies).
• Consider voluntary placements. Look
into opportunities for your up-and-coming
talent to hone their skills by working on
projects with voluntary organisations or
social enterprises, either in or out of work.
• Stretch your people with challenging
internal assignments. Get them involved
on business critical projects where they
can add a fresh perspective whilst
building their skills.
• Organise job shadowing to give people
in your talent pool a deeper insight into
the challenges facing their more senior
colleagues.
• Share the learning. Encourage your
high potential people to share their
insights and stimulate each other’s
thinking through a bulletin board or
blogs on your intranet.
Keeping Line Managers In The Loop
Line managers have to be involved
in succession planning activities
because quite simply, they are
the ones who know the people.
It just isn’t feasible in any sizeable
organisation for the HR team
to have a detailed knowledge
of employees and what they
might be capable of.
Many organisations, however, still pay lip
service to line managers – keeping them
on the edges of succession planning activity
rather than allowing them to become fully
involved in the process.
Some of this reluctance is down to concerns
about transparency. It really isn’t that long
ago when succession planning was regarded
as something that should be shrouded in
secrecy. The Board, the HR Director and
a chosen few others knew who the high
potential people were and what they were
destined for, but everyone else was kept
in the dark.
Organisations were concerned that
transparency about who was in the talent
pool would demotivate those who hadn’t
been put on the fast track – and raise
expectations among the chosen few that
the organisation might not be able to meet.
There are organisations who still struggle
with the concept of openness, although
thinking does appear to have shifted.
Research from Ashridge suggests that
only seven per cent of front-line managers
believe that being open about who is
regarded as high potential results in
resentment among peers.
Lack of line manager involvement also stems
in part from a lack of understanding about
‘how to do it’ on the ground. Technology has
now advanced to the point where systems
offer the capability for multiple users to
enter, analyse and utilise data.
But organisations are struggling with
the practicalities – and often lack real
understanding of the groundwork that
has to take place to get line managers
both engaged and involved.
What’s in it for Me?
A key issue that needs to be recognised is
that line managers may actually be reluctant
to engage in a succession planning process
because, quite frankly, they can’t see what’s
in it for them.
There’s a perception that if you tell everyone
in the organisation about your best people,
they will be whisked away to bigger and
better things, leaving you with a huge hole
to fill.
That’s not too difficult to understand. Line
managers may have spent a great deal of
time building up a high performing team
that’s delivering great results.
Cezanne Software Ltd · T: +44 (0)20 7202 9300 · F: +44 (0)20 7202 9321 · E: [email protected] · www.cezannesw.com
10 - Keeping Line Managers in the Loop
“Line managers need a top down message and organisational
wide involvement before they can play a full part in succession
planning. That means that clear communication, driven by
HR, is critical for engagement.”
Julie Windsor, Cezanne.
Keeping Line Managers In The Loop - 11
Cezanne Software Ltd · Succession Planning: The Missing Ingredients
They are getting lots of internal kudos, are
being rewarded, financially or otherwise for
their efforts, and it’s all working very nicely
thank you.
What line managers need before they
will fully engage is reassurance that the
organisation isn’t going to leave them up
the proverbial creek without a paddle.
They need, first of all, to see that there’s
commitment from the top. That the
organisation’s leaders have made a
strategic decision to identify and nurture
high potential people, and that they will be
recognised for playing their part in that.
They need to understand that someone who
can identify and nurture talent in their team
– and let go of it at the right time – will
themselves be valued highly.
On a practical level, line managers also
need reassurance that the organisation is
looking at the bigger picture. They want to
know that the business will support them
fully in quickly plugging any gaps left if a
key member of their team is taken off to
pastures new.
Willing and Able
Of course being willing to support
succession planning isn’t enough
– line managers also need to be ‘able’.
The CIPD’s recent War on Talent survey
suggests that identifying and developing
talent in a downturn is an area where
managers definitely need more support.
Only six per cent of respondents felt
managers were well equipped to manage
talent, 51 per cent said they were only
partially equipped and 13 per cent felt
they were not equipped at all.
Part of the issue is around managers’
competence to conduct meaningful
appraisals, make judgements about
people’s ability and potential and find
ways of developing their people.
But there are also issues around consistency
of assessment. Some line managers may
consistently over-rate people in their team,
because it makes them look good and they
can bask in the reflected glory.
Others may, deliberately or sub-consciously,
under-rate people in their team because
they want to keep hold of them or are
afraid of exposing weaknesses in their
own performance.
There is a clear need for organisations to
focus on raising the ability of their managers
to manage performance and assess and
develop potential.
But technology can also help organisations
adjust the ‘tuning’, so that they wipe out
any bias and get a clearer picture. The best
talent management and succession systems
can, for example, pick up ‘rogue’ data and
highlight where a pattern of consistent over
or under-rating is emerging.
Tackling both these elements together is
the key to getting successful line manager
involvement – putting the groundwork in place
while also making sure the capabilities of
technology are being exploited to the maximum.
Checklist
• Send a clear ‘top down’ message about your talent
management and succession strategy.
• Re-assure line managers that the business
is taking a holistic view.
• Communicate clearly about the exact role
you want line managers to play.
• Emphasise that their contribution will be
valued and rewarded.
• Equip line managers with the skills they need
to assess and develop potential.
• Maximise technology to supplement and adjust
the data you receive from the line.
Robust Systems And Processes
Cezanne Software Ltd · T: +44 (0)20 7202 9300 · F: +44 (0)20 7202 9321 · E: [email protected] · www.cezannesw.com
The idea of implementing
technology based succession
planning can seem daunting for
those who are new to the concept.
Organisations are often concerned
about how it will fit with their
existing IT systems and how
secure their data will be.
They worry that installing a new system
and training people to use it will be time-
consuming and expensive.
Technology based succession planning
systems are, however, now a widely proven
concept. Thousands of organisations
are using them successfully to track
the potential, mobility and readiness
of their key talent to support the future
development of the business.
There are a number of issues, however,
that organisations need to bear in mind
when buying-in systems, to make sure
the technology delivers exactly what
they need and provides the maximum
return on investment.
Plan Carefully
A system will only ever be as good as the
information you put into it. So think carefully
about exactly what data you need to support
your decision-making, where it is going to
come from and what controls you may need
to put in place to ensure the information
is accurate and authentic. You need to
be absolutely clear about why you are
undertaking succession planning and what
you are hoping to achieve before you can
gain maximum benefit from the technology.
Start Slowly
A phased approach to implementation can
help to ensure you are getting it absolutely
right. Consider piloting the system with a
small key population first, so that you
can see how it is functioning, make any
necessary adjustments or iron out any
glitches early on.
Exploit the information
There is only value in putting information into
a succession planning system if you take it
out and use it effectively. Make sure you are
exploiting the data you have at your fingertips
to its fullest extent. Systems can be set up
to show you much more than the ‘surface’
information about capabilities of your talented
people. It can help you see, for example, how
many of your succession ‘plans’ are actually
translating into reality. Or it can help you
assess whether any diversity initiatives
you may have in place are really working.
12 - Robust Systems And Processes
“A clear understanding of critical
data will help you move the picture
from black and white to colour.
It provides businesses with the
tools to make accurate and
informed decisions.”
Julie Windsor, Cezanne.
Robust Systems And Processes - 13
Cezanne Software Ltd · Succession Planning: The Missing Ingredients
Make it Scaleable
Organisations are constantly evolving and
you need to make sure you are buying in a
system that can change and grow with you.
So make sure your succession planning
system can scale up when required – and
also that it can be reconfigured to fit around
your internal HR processes as they evolve.
Measure ROI
The organisation will need to know that
it is getting the maximum return on its
investment in succession planning. It’s
best to think about how you are going to
demonstrate this right up front, when the
system is being configured. If the evaluation
process is an integral part of the system
itself, you will be able to extract better
quality data. Think carefully about what
measures you want to include. Could you
make a comparison between the costs
of losing a key player or investing in their
development? Could you show the savings
to be made by making an internal rather
than external appointment? Bringing indirect
costs – such as time spent on interviewing
and induction – into the equation can also
help you make a business case.
Getting Fit For The Future
Cezanne Software Ltd · T: +44 (0)20 7202 9300 · F: +44 (0)20 7202 9321 · E: [email protected] · www.cezannesw.com
As UK Plc slowly emerges from
the recession, it will become
more important than ever for
organisations to ensure they
are maximising their talent.
Those who have continued to focus
on developing their people despite the
downturn will already be a step ahead
and ready to grasp new opportunities
as the economic climate improves.
A public commitment to investing in people
will also help organisations build a positive
brand and develop their reputation as an
employer of choice.
The changing face of business, however,
presents new challenges on the talent
management and succession planning front.
These are some of the issues organisations
will need to consider as they move forward.
Fit for the Future
Times remain turbulent and no-one can
predict exactly what is around the corner. But
if organisations have a clear understanding
of what the business looks like now – and
where it is likely to head in the future –
they will be able to develop resourcing
and succession plans that will help them
get ‘fit’ for the future.
Fit for the Job
Finding people who are the best ‘fit’ for the
job is an issue that many organisations still
struggle with. HR teams need to help line
managers get better at job profiling so that
they can paint a clear picture of exactly
what is required in a particular role. They
also need to equip managers with the
confidence to look beyond the ‘obvious’
candidates for roles. This will ensure that
people with potential don’t get overlooked
just because they appear not to ‘fit the
mould’ on the surface.
Flexibility
Organisations have a tendency to think
that once they’ve implemented a succession
planning system they can sit back and let it
do the work. But businesses are not static,
and talent management processes and
systems shouldn’t be either. They need
to keep evolving as the organisations
changes and grows.
The skills, competencies and qualities
an organisation needs today may be very
different to the ones that will be required in
the not too distant future. Organisations who
14 - Getting Fit For The Future
“We have been looking at what
policing looks like now and what
does the changing nature of the job
mean in terms of the skills we are
going to need in the future? What
are the hours and patterns people
are working to, how many people
are going to retire and who is going
to fill these positions? We have to
be able to develop people with the
right skills and attributes for a very
fast changing world – we are
dealing with different sorts of crimes
and working at a different pace –
so we have to make sure we are
preparing people for that.”
Angela O’Connor, Chief People Officer, National Police
Improvement Agency.
Getting Fit For The Future - 15
fail to recognise this and adapt their systems
accordingly will be in danger of developing
high potential ‘clones’ who no longer deliver
what the business actually needs.
Fleet of Foot
HR needs to become more ‘fleet of foot’
in helping the organisation paint a picture
of the skills it will need in the future. HR
people need to position themselves at the
heart of the strategic decision making
process, so they can take a pro-active
approach to identifying and developing
the new skills that will be needed as the
business moves forward.
Forward Looking
The cost of not planning for succession is
a real issue organisations need to consider.
Developing and implementing an effective
succession planning process can be a
difficult journey. The board have to be
convinced of the value of the exercise,
line managers have to be engaged with
the process and communication with
employees needs to be carefully managed.
Cezanne’s experience shows, however,
that investment in succession planning –
particularly in programmes that are supported
by the latest technology – can pay huge
dividends over the long term. Organisations
that place high priority on succession
planning, report they are making significant
savings in recruitment costs, experiencing
higher levels of retention and are better
equipped to deal with the challenges
facing them.
Software-supported systems are now no
longer solely the preserve of huge, global
organisations. Thanks to a radical shift in
delivery models over recent years, they are
now accessible to a much broader range of
organisations. The advent of software as a
service, where users pay a monthly
subscription for an externally hosted system
rather than a hefty up-front licence fee, has
now made systems much more affordable
and accessible to organisations who want to
develop a real advantage in the talent stakes.
Cezanne Software Ltd · Succession Planning: The Missing Ingredients
About Cezanne
Cezanne Software is a leading supplier of global HRC and Talent
Management software systems delivered on both a Software as
a Service (SaaS) and on premise basis. Headquartered in the UK,
Cezanne Software has over 20 years’ experience of working with
some of the world’s leading organizations. Today, it supports over
700 organizations, including companies as diverse as Vodafone,
HM Prison Service, Swarovski, TNT, Heineken, LINPAC, & TSYS Europe.
The company’s integrated suite of Human Resource systems include solutions for people
management, succession and career planning, employee performance management,
survey, training administration, recruitment, salary analysis, pay review and budgeting,
and reflect many years’ experience of working with clients, independent consultants and
academics at the forefront of best practice in HR, talent and compensation management.
Designed around modern web technologies, Cezanne’s HR systems offer extensive
support for manager and employee self-service and can be deployed in house or on
a Software as a Service basis, providing significant benefits in terms of both cost and
speed of deployment.
Cezanne Software’s focus is to provide flexible, people-centred Human Resource systems
that improve the day-to-day execution of HR and business strategies, help drive critical
employee performance and reward processes and enable companies to achieve and
sustain a competitive talent advantage.
16 - About Cezanne
Further Information
France - Cezanne Software S.a.r.l.
T: +33 (0)1 44 09 71 21
Italy - Cezanne Software S.p.A.
T: +39 080 549 84 11
Portugal - Cezanne Software Ibérica S.A.
T: +351 21 3562024
Spain - Cezanne Software Ibérica S.A.U.
T: +34 91 7684080
USA - Cezanne Software, Inc.
T: +1 617 418-3945
(from USA 1 800 CEZANNE)
Venezuela - Cezanne Solutions C.A.
T: +58 212 959 87 16
For other locations please email
or visit www.cezannesw.com
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Contact Details
Cezanne Software Ltd · T: +44 (0)20 7202 9300 · F: +44 (0)20 7202 9321 · E: [email protected] · www.cezannesw.com