I must admit, the term succession planning did strike me as rather ‘alien’ when I first heard it in academia. Nevertheless, as soon as the lecturer begun explaining what it was, I had a big ‘aha’ moment! I realized I had seen succession planning over and over again but in a simpler fashion. I have always been surrounded by people who come from business oriented families with mini empires whose career paths paved from birth. Therefore, I saw firsthand succession planning with a twist of nepotism in such cases where the father grooms his beloved son to one  day become the worthy CEO of his empire.

Succession planning becomes more complicated when you take the twist of nepotism out of the equation.  It becomes a complex matter of selecting, developing and retaining the best candidates with the potential to succeed in key roles within an organisation.

Whilst researching succession planning in Ghanaian organisations, I stumbled across Tigo which is nothing short of exemplary in this domain. Tigo practices succession planning with impressive detail to their business strategy and the labour market. The company firmly believes succession planning should be an ongoing process with the aim of identifying, developing and retaining the following; talent, general successors (with excellent leadership skills) and key successors (for specific positions).

I therefore enlisted the help of the HR Manager of Tigo, Mr. Eric Van Kuijzen and with his kind assistance; these tips for succession planning were formed.

v  It all begins at the recruitment stage!

 It is detrimental to underestimate the importance of a well devised recruitment process in a firm. Mr. Van Kuijzen emphasizes the importance of the recruitment stage, stating that organisations should hire the best candidates not only in terms of skills, but also in terms of their corporate strategy and values.

Recruitment can be done internally or externally. Therefore, organisations should look outside if they fail to find suitable candidates internally. Nevertheless, internal recruitment enhances employee retention; people generally value employers who provide opportunities for career advancement hence, they are likely to stay with an organisation that practices internal succession planning. (There is also the advantage of decrease in staff turnover, due to the development of a discernible succession planning system.)

v  Training is essential and time is of the essence!

The ideal succession planning process identifies the suitable candidates to fill the key roles within the organisation at an early stage (perhaps 5years or more), allowing time to train and nurture their talents. Consequently, talent management is a vital tool in this process because effective recruitment, retention and development of highly-talented individuals are also fundamental to succession planning. Accordingly, Tigo practices talent management and selects candidates, allowing a minimum of two to five years for preparation; using training and development programs to ensure candidates are highly equipped. Some of these programs are Leadership Development Programs, Individual Coaching, Specific out-company leadership courses and supporting MBA studies.

v  Look to the Future!

In designing a succession planning process, an easy option is to use the methods adopted in the past. Nevertheless, this is not advisable; succession planning is best devised bearing in mind the established direction of the organisation. In the age of innovation and a volatile business environment, organisations need to be conscious of the direction in which they want to head and the leadership skills they require to achieve their goals. This can be achieved by projecting succession planning against their business development goals, ensuring an alignment to the company’s strategy.

v  Constant Review

A remarkable emphasis is given to the value of ‘review’ by Tigo as the succession planning process is reviewed regularly, to ensure the company is indeed focusing on the right people. This is done by taking the labour market into consideration. Mr. Van Kuijzen explains that the state of the labour market can have significant implications on succession planning.  For example, a shortage in highly skilled IT technicians in the labour market can create the need to develop, train and retain potential successors within the organisation.

So, there you have it, some tips for effective succession planning and the secret to Tigo’s success. After giving great thought to succession planning in the Ghanaian context as opposed to the foreign ideology and practices our academic text books provide; what I once considered an ‘easier said than done’ concept seems rather practical. Thorough research will present numerous tips and ‘How to’ literature on succession planning. However, I still stick with my conviction that, there is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to succession planning. I can only hope that this article serves as a guide and inspiration to HR practitioners as they consider devising a ‘best fit’ succession planning process for their own organizations. This is undoubtedly a challenge!

So in my usual fashion; I put this challenge to you all - my superiors, contemporaries and aspirants of my beloved profession.

By Mame Kufour