Assignment: Discussion-Leadership Development and Succession Planning

An effective succession plan is essential to ensure the continuity of a company's business objectives across multiple leaders. For this assignment, you will research and discuss the very public leadership changes that occurred in Apple Inc. and Yahoo! Inc.

Using the Argosy University online library resources and the Internet, research the leadership changes that occurred in the following two companies during the specified time period:

1. Steve Jobs leaving Apple Inc. in 2011.

2. Yahoo! Inc. between the years 2007 and 2012. During this period, the firm had over six individuals in the chief executive officer (CEO) position. When answering questions about Yahoo! Inc., you may include comments about any of the leadership changes within the specified time period.

For both companies provide a brief summary of the circumstances surrounding the changes in leadership and answer the following questions:

• What was the public plan prior to the departure of the CEOs?

• What business and HR objectives were most important prior to the switch?

• Was the chosen successor an internal or external hire? Why do you think that method was chosen? Was it successful?

After your initial posts respond to the following:

• How did the transition affect the business objectives of the company?

• Imagine the current CEO for each company internally announces that he or she is stepping down in one year. What strategies do you recommend HR implement to find a successor? How do these strategies align with the overall business objectives? How do they align with HR objectives?