tmhra annual conference2014tmhraconference.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/ross-successio… ·...
TRANSCRIPT
TMHRA Annual Conference
Succession Planning:
Capturing the Institutional Knowledge Walking Out The
Door
May 7, 2014
1
Stephen Klineberg, Ph.D. Department of Sociology Rice University
“I don’t think there have ever been more interesting times than right here and right now.”
2
• People
• Financial Stewardship/ Challenges
• Risk/Rewards
• Technology
3
Most Suitable Candidate?
Financial Trends
Technology Advancement
Inclusion in Decision-making
Governance Models vs
Citizen Expectations
Recruitment/ Retention
Public Scrutiny/ Open Government
Revenue Sources
Core Services
Changing Demographics Leadership
Style
4
5
“The essence of profound
insight is simplicity.”
Jim Collins Business consultant, author and lecturer
on the topic of company sustainability and growth
• Current, future objectives for organizations
• Strengths, weaknesses of organization’s culture
• Necessary changes to influence continuous improvement
• Leadership competencies required for success
• Assessments to identify talent and training
• Tools to evaluate success
• Most challenging positions to fill
6
Think Long-Term
• Recruitment
Impart Knowledge • Orientation
• Collaboration
7
• Professional
Development
• Skills Training
Cultivate Knowledge
8
Think Long-Term
• Coach
• Mentor
• Team Assignments
• Communication
Transfer Knowledge
9
Think Long-Term
10
Think Long-Term
What do you do about questions that cannot be answered by attending class or reading
the latest leadership publication?
Institutional Memory
Institutional Knowledge
11
Technical competencies • Skills
• Knowledge • Ability
• Visible
• Surface • Easy to identify and manage
Behavioral competencies • Self-concept
• Trait • Motive
• Difficult
to identify and manage
Think Long-Term
Institutional Memory
Much information is held by tenured employees who have
had years of experience, know the landscape, understand the
culture, and know the basis for decisions.
12
13
Knowledge Transfer happens in many ways. . .
• Performance Evaluations
• New-Hire Orientations
• Standard Operating Procedures
14
Knowledge Transfer happens in many ways. . .
• Mentor/Mentee Relationships
• Staff Meetings
• Individual Development Plans
15
Knowledge Transfer happens in many ways. . .
• Written Documents
• Lunch/coffee
• On-site Classes
16
Organizational Culture
The values and behaviors that contribute to the unique social and psychological
environment of an organization.
Represents “how things are around here” and provides unwritten and
often unspoken guidelines for how to get along in the organization.
…dictates approaches to take:
• One-on-one coaching/mentoring
• Group mentoring
• Job rotation
• Tiered promotions
17
One-on-one Coaching/Mentoring
• Identify suitable staff for coaching assignments.
• Provide guidance, training, resources.
• Assess areas of strength and need.
• Develop a plan to realize desired outcomes.
• Stress tools for effective communication.
18
One-on-one Coaching/Mentoring
OUTLINE
• What will we discuss -competencies
-areas of strength/need
• Involvement
-meetings to attend
-projects to be completed
-people to meet
• Itinerary -When/where will we meet?
-How often will we meet?
-What is the best communication approach?
19
Group Mentoring
• Identify staff with common interests.
• Establish guidelines for discussions.
• Assign topics (if desired).
• Determine group timeline.
• Agree on rules of engagement.
20
Job Rotation
Data Analysis
21
People/Project Management
Policy Review, Implementation,
Maintenance
Budget Management
Job Reassignment Promotions
Reorganization
22
Develop broad skills in variety of jobs
“Man’s mind stretched to a new idea never goes back to its original dimensions.”
--Oliver W. Holmes, Jr.
Expose staff to new career options
Discourage boredom, encourage cross-functional skills
Expand knowledge of organization and human resources
Encourage interdependence, discourage silos
Objectives of Job Rotation
Tiered Promotions
• Identify position(s)
• Develop selection process
• Determine timeline for job shadowing/coaching
• Agree on terms of promotion
23
Tiered Promotions
24
• Director announces retirement
-Director conducts recruitment
-Director selects “Deputy Director”
• Deputy Director work alongside Director for (up to) 6 months
• Director retires
• Deputy Director is appointed as Director
Tiered Promotions
25
More seamless transition/less anxiety.
Expanded opportunity for knowledge transfer.
Limited performance gaps.
Incumbent's knowledge is valued.
Incoming Director has benefit of shadowing incumbent.
Opportunity for upward mobility/ succession.
26
Tiered Promotions
Amy Fortenberry
Director, Parks and Recreation
Jerry Cosgrove
Director, Public Works
Cathy Ziegler
Director, Libraries
“Even though I had worked in the Department for 13 years, it was a great help to work side by side with Alan Upchurch for 6 months. It made the transition to Director of Public Works a lot smoother. My job would have been a lot harder with out the job shadowing. It was a benefit for both me and the city.”
“The months as a Deputy Director allowed library staff time to accept the change in leadership. They became confident that the transition would go smoothly. For me personally, as a field department member who had never worked at City Hall, the months of accompanying the Director helped me meet all the City Administrators and non-library staff whose jobs intertwined with the workings of the libraries.”
“Having the opportunity to transition into a Director position while being mentored by the person who held that position for 24 years was invaluable. Advantages included the transfer of information, protocol in different situations, unfinished business, effective management techniques, personality differences, areas of opportunity, and more. The formal guidelines and policies are important, but it was the unwritten items that were crucial to me in this transition. This knowledge probably put me a year ahead of schedule, in terms of understanding my role in the organization and how to maximize my effectiveness as a department head.”
27
“Every day is a training day and every event is a training event.”
James Pritchert
28
Municipalities and other organizations will continue
to experience challenges as rapid change, growing scrutiny, increasing expectations, and economic uncertainty remain a
reality.
Being poised to manage these issues (succession planning) makes the difference between excellence and mediocrity.
Rel
ease
d i
n 1
99
8
Cultural Shifts
Awaken Emotions
Joe Fox
“It wasn’t personal.”
Kathleen Kelly
“What is that suppose to mean?”
“I’m so sick of that. All that means is that it wasn’t personal to you, but it was
personal to me. It’s personal to a lot of people.”
What’s so wrong with being personal anyway? Whatever else anything is, it ‘oughta
begin by being personal.”
30
Challenges
• Desire to retain “power.”
• Value proposition.
• Individual tolerance for change/competition.
Challenges of Extracting Institutional Knowledge
• Myth of “not enough time.”
31
Organizational Success
• Activate systems that transcend human capacity.
• Keep what furthers future goals.
• Discard what has outlived its usefulness.
• Be intentional when planning organization’s success.
32
Do not neglect the front door by being too focused on the back door
• Effective hiring processes/decisions
• Culture of inclusion/sharing
-cross functional activity
-financial brainstorming
-knowledge sharing…open discussions
-group retreats
• New hire orientation that stresses organizational expectations
• Establish basis for policies/decisions
33
Be intentional about capturing Institutional Knowledge
• Implement an explicit strategy
-Make no assumptions about communication
-Don’t risk organizational knowledge atrophy
-Knowledge sharing…open discussions
-Group retreats
• Use technology to memorialize and share
• Identify what each person should know
-On-boarding, staff meetings, retreats, documents
Institutional Knowledge
34
Planning has always been about preparing to successfully address what awaits us at the next intersection of decisions.
Institutional Knowledge
• Know your organization.
• Extract what is needed and relevant.
• Know your people.
• Equip the organization and people to succeed.
35
Am I planning only for the next budget cycle?
. . . only for my own success?
. . . for long-term success of my organization?
36
In the United States
34.9% of adults are obese and growing According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Dietary Supplements
Fitness Clubs
Weight loss Plans
Healthy Eating
Gastric Bypass Surgery
Diet Sodas
Workout Videos
Dietary Shakes
Walking
Weight Measurement
Workout Equipment
37
“It’s not the will to win that matters— everyone has that. It’s the will to
prepare to win that matters.”
Paul “Bear” Bryant Former and longtime head coach
of the University of Alabama
TMHRA Annual Conference
Succession Planning:
Capturing the Institutional Knowledge Walking Out The
Door
39