Succession Planning

Organizations can plan for their future employee needs. Manpower planning involves identifying the positions and skill requirements needed to continue providing a service or meeting the organization’s goals and objectives.

This planning also includes an assessment of the current staffing structure in order to project where replacements will be needed due to retirements or employee turnover. This predictive information can be used to plan professional development opportunities needed for employees to train and prepare themselves for future advancement opportunities.  Internal candidates provide a good source of manpower for future position openings and provide less disruption to the organization caused by employee replacement.

Therefore, employees should be prepared for future advancement opportunities. Organizations can plan for succession and begin to prepare employees for future career opportunities.

“In the long run, it may be cheaper and wiser to provide professional development to enhance management skills and leadership abilities of current administrators rather than to bring in outsiders to fill administrative positions” Individuals may also create opportunities to learn within their own organization or specialty area.

This can come through networking with others. Sometimes the networking is done informally, or it can occur through participation in more formal activities such as workshops or meetings. The mentor relationship is also an important resource for career advancement. “The majority of administrators will spend their entire careers within one institution”. Career development does not just happen, but it is something that individuals can plan for themselves.

If career development is to occur in a meaningful way, insiders should expect to become actively involved in the process, accepting responsibility for their own career development and for the development of their college or university”.