Succession Planning: Who's Next? Succession planning is a very important part of any organization—and it is not limited to senior positions. Many companies are finding that their middle managers are not ready to move into upper management positions because their skills are weak or they lack experience. Succession planning involves identifying and tracking high-potential employees as they develop in their careers and work experiences. In some instances, interpersonal relationships such as mentoring and coaching help organizations identify key people and allow them to "stretch" by taking on additional responsibilities and assignments—even before they are placed in senior management or promoted in the organization. In this exercise, please read the mini-case and answer the questions that follow. Rachel Stone is the managing editor for a small publisher in Washington, D.C. She has worked her way up to this prestigious position from an entry-level position more than six years ago. She loves what she does and is committed to staying with the organization. There are three levels of management above her current position (director, vice president, and CEO), and each person has been very generous with time and expertise to help Rachel improve her managerial and interpersonal skills. Her immediate supervisor tells her that he has been selected to run the company's start-up operation in the United Kingdom and will be leaving shortly to find a place to live in London. He tells Rachel he has recommended her for his position and asks if Rachel has a successor in mind for her managing editor's job. Rachel has always thought that Heather Reed would make a terrific managing editor but never asked Heather about her career aspirations. Heather has done an exceptional job as a production manager for the last four years, and everyone expects her to be next in line to take over Rachel's current duties. Now that Rachel looks likely to get promoted to director, she talks to Heather about taking over the managing editor's role. Rachel is stunned to learn that Heather wants no part of management and says she wants to stay in her current position. Rachel is scrambling and has to come up with plan to fill her position as quickly as possible.

1) Which of the following is NOT true about succession planning?

A) It helps retain managerial employees

B) It ensures top-level managerial talent is available

C) It happens on a random basis

D) It identifies high-potential employees

E) It provides development opportunities for managers

2) What is the term for employees the company believes are capable of being successful in high-level management positions?

A) Rising star employees

B) Agile nonperformer

C) High-risk employees

D) High-potential employees

3) Many groups of managers and executives use the _____ to compare candidates to help them determine which ones can be groomed for top-level management positions.

A) Competitive matrix

B) Employee survey results

C) Performance grid

D) Talent review grid

E) 9-box grid

4) One of the major disadvantages of whether to tell employees if they are on or off the lists of potential candidates for high-level manager positions is that they will

A) Feel they were not given a fair opportunity to compete and become discouraged   

B) Share their frustrations with coworkers on social media, and in some cases to shareholders

C) Remain complacent in their current positions

D) Bring down morale among their colleagues

5) In the succession planning matrix, an employee would be a Technical/Subject Expert when demonstrating which characteristics?

A) Solid performer, moderate potential

B) Outstanding performer, low potential for leadership position

C) Needs improvement in current position, no new challenges

D) Outstanding performer, high potential for leadership

E) New to position, needs experience