According to the dictionary of the Royal Academy of the Spanish Language, the word succession means, among other things, the "entry or continuation of a person or thing instead of another" and "prosecution, orderly continuation of people, things or events.
If we bring this definition to the field of talent management then we can affirm that it is the continuation in the organization by methodological and orderly means, planned by one collaborator instead of another, with equal or superior human and technical characteristics.
However, there are those who affirm that this is a concept of career plans and, some tend to refer to both as synonyms, being that this does not have a well-founded reason for being.
Unlike career plans, whose planning is usually rigid and linear, succession plans do not foresee the professional growth or development of employees based on years and years of seniority in a position or according to the academic levels studied; If we talk about succession plans, they are based mainly on the model of competencies developed in each organization and that distinguish them and become complementary and competitive with respect to other organizations; In other words, a succession plan is unique to each organization and non-transferable.
Said model is coupled to the maps corresponding to the different vacancies that may exist in any unit, those competencies in each individual that most closely becomes the future successor immediately, regardless of whether the candidate has three or three months. years in the company.
In addition, when we speak of a methodology and an orderly and planned continuation as a concept of succession plans, the traditional character of space and time is not being given, the order is given by the scheme, called PIDES, represented in the Map of competencies, throughout the life of the position and the planning is located on the premise that it establishes that whoever has the talent is the one who should occupy the position, in order to be owed:
1.- educate
2.- train
3.-train
4.- train
in the competencies of the position vs the gap represented in the graph by the ideal model of competencies and the real proposition of the subject who occupies or will occupy the position.
Succession plans are used in companies whose organizational maturity and responsible order in human capital processes; They allow them to take the leap or cross the bridge between so-called human resources and talent management; be added to the latter even "by competitions".
What allows you then is to establish the map of skills of your collaborators from the moment they enter the company, updating it constantly and according to the goals set in the PIDE for ROI, which translates into an important decision tool because it allows evaluating to the future managers of positions of greater scope for their talent and not for their curricular trajectory and productivity, adding to this the marginal contribution of the employee vs. his productivity and achievement of goals.
Organizations that use the succession planning methodology are not looking for matches between positions or levels of training, nor do they carry out a DNC, and they do not spend their money and time on resources without guidance; or in cheap programs; since they have understood that their economic and human resources deserve a real opportunity reflected in productivity and organizational growth.
Its orientation is primarily aimed at accurately rewarding competent employees; understanding this as the sum of:
• Abilities
• Capabilities
• Aptitudes
• Attitudes
and the way in which they have been distributed in the competencies model.
This advantage is what makes succession plans much more flexible and attractive, at the same time more demanding and accurate, than the old and different vision of career plans, while the latter emphasize seniority, certification and duration Succession plans address the intensity of experience, expertise, and existing talent or potential.
Succession plans are usually more demanding than career plans because they require a real effort in the development of skills:
• Organizational Core
• You specify the position
• Specialized techniques
• Human demonstrations
and the implementation of the model and its consequent financial reflection in:
* ROI
* Marginal contribution per employee;
in addition to the corresponding measurement:
• of value
• effective
• measurable
• effective
• updated
• productive
• profitable
• strategic
• functional
While in the past the accumulation of time, academic levels or professional experience accumulated points to pass from one level to another, in an environment of skills and talent; sequences and methods mastery is what is imposed; which seems to recall that evolutionary phrase where survival is attributed to the fittest and not to the oldest.
This means that the measurement of skills to efficiency.
This is why we can even catalog the levels of competence in 5:
1.- Level 1: You know it
2.- Level 2: Is able to do without errors
3.- Level 3: He does it masterfully
4.- Level 4: Is able to teach others
5.- Level 5: Improve the process
This is how achievement levels can fully capture and support any employee who is immersed in an organizational productivity career; the company makes known the existing or expected competency maps for each position in the organization.
In a scenario like the previous one, it is the collaborator together with the Coach and not the company who sets the goals; relying on the PIDE for ROI, calculated with the marginal contribution that it will give to the company in exchange for obtaining an optimal development of its technical and human professional skills.
PIDES for ROI never last for years; that is a big difference with the training plans put together by human resources.
Talent management; elaborates through Balance Score Card and concrete, measurable and observable indicators so that in support the collaborator can clearly see progress and review setbacks with their mentor, or changes of route with their coach and direct boss.
So we talk that succession plans are characterized by:
1.- Clear, specific and measurable functions with indicators
2.- Job descriptions prepared by competencies that comply with:
- CORE skills
- Specific skills to the position
- Technical specialized skills
- Human individual skills
To which in the successful models developed over 20 years; We have been convinced by the fact that the committed human being will be able to rework and develop a number no greater than 8 Competences contained in the PIDE over more than 3 years.
Even if the accompaniment is done by a true executive coach; It will use as a starting point the PIDE for ROI, the coaching kills win and the wheel of life to integrate a total vision to the individual; This recommendation is truly important and relevant to making the entire estate planning process successful.
That is to say, the companies should consult and check that the cars are authorized by the international IFC; in addition to having the NBA Coach certification; which allows them to get into the tools described here; in the financial management of training and in the technical and human knowledge of the various tools mentioned here.
If you stopped us to review the comparison with respect to career plans, we would say that every individual who accumulated the points corresponding to seniority automatically became a pre-candidate to be evaluated for a higher position.
With the 5 starts Methodology applied to succession plans, seniority is not ruled out but it is not exclusive either, talent and effective knowledge outweighs the time spent in a position, since succession plans far outweigh the limited vision of career plans.
The succession plans, observed under the concept presented here, are the evolution of the career concept as a result of the development of the vision of the Competences Model; the consistent, organized, structured and planned use provided by the methodology and what is now called executive intelligence Ping and the recognition of the great work done by Gardner in stating that "we are all intelligent" what you have to find out is why we use intelligence and with which we identify ourselves; then in the succession plans in the organizations true value is given to the main value: "Human capital"
I could then mention that succession plans use real tools in favor of talent such as:
• Job manuals by competencies
• Competency models designed specifically for each organization
• Psychometric evaluations used in favor of the measurement of competences
• Determination of graphs developed to evaluate the real profile vs the ideal profile;
• Implement through powerful tools such as the Balance Score Card meaningful measurements
• Make known through the Communications Plan to the
• Organization the Model
• Use and support the assessment of the ethics, morals and values of the Company.
• Use tangible financial measures that allow describing productivity in terms of marginal contribution.
• Constantly talking about how efficiency in doing and effectiveness in execution can be integrated
• Work to support, develop and implement the PIDES
• Individual development plans
• Being able to offer various modalities for the enrichment, intellectual, technical and emotional of the collaborators such as:
a.- Educate
b.-Train
c.- Train
d.- Train
Include true and powerful tools that help us anchor, give meaning and renew professional training such as:
• Executive Coaching
• Mentoring In Company
• Psychometric evaluations that accurately measure human competencies and their escalation.
For all the above it can be pointed out that, without a doubt, these two tools should be understood as two different practices but with a common root that is none other than the development and personal and professional growth of the individual within the organization, differentiated mainly in the flexibility or rigidity of their visualization, because while one is more orthodox and respects traditional management practices, the other, heterodox, challenges the linear concept and is oriented to give value to elements that every day demand more importance in the demanding world of today, such as knowledge and talent, no matter how, where and when it was obtained as long as it can be transformed, demonstrated and improved in a concrete fact and offers added value translated into productivity; the rest is just a matter of stories.
Final questions:
Who in your organization deserves the biggest budget for their professional performance?
Does managing incompetent make you a leader?
What are the fundamentals of the training you provide in your company?
a.- Is the training to develop the weaknesses that you find in the collaborators?
b.- Is the training granted according to the competencies necessary for each position?
I appreciate your patience in having followed this idea to the end; I have undoubtedly caused a certain confusion and many thoughts in your mind.
