Succession Planning
A change in executive leadership is inevitable for all organizations and can be a very challenging time. A succession plan policy is a tool to help an organization be prepared for planned or unplanned absences of the director, clarifying authority and decision-making and thereby maintaining accountability and ensuring stability.
The following sections outline the key components of succession plan policy and provide a brief sample policy. For practical advice on how to develop a policy, see the July 2003 issue of Transition Leader, which includes a case study on emergency succession planning.
Elements of a Succession Plan Policy
• Statement of commitment to prepare for inevitable leadership change.
• Statement of commitment to assess leadership needs before beginning a search.
• Plan to appoint interim leadership to ensure smooth operations and compliance with contractual obligations.
• Outline of succession procedures including:
o internal management succession to the interim position,
o time frame for making the interim appointment,
o time frame for appointing a board transition committee, and
o roles of the transition committee, e.g., communication with stakeholders, identifying a transition management consultant, conducting an organizational assessment and designing the search plan.
Sample Executive Succession Plan Policy
Policy Statement:
A change in executive leadership is inevitable for all organizations and can be a very challenging time. Therefore, it is the policy of the [ORGANIZATION] to be prepared for an eventual permanent change in leadership ? either planned or unplanned ? to insure the stability and accountability of the orga ...