Succession Planning Workshop

Effective succession planning is an integral part of every organization’s plan for sustainability and uninterrupted delivery of services in case of movements of key leadership positions. Since leaders are essential in achieving organizational goals, especially in the public sector, where continuous public service delivery is crucial, there is a need to provide stability in leadership positions to ensure unhindered continuity of plans and services. To aid the management and leaders to have a systematic process in building a pool of potential successors and prepare the next generation of leaders, the HRDO designed a 6-hour training session on Succession Planning on July 31, 2023, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm at 8th Floor, Social Hall, PGH Building.

The HRDO invited Ms. Maria Viven C. Arnobit, former Executive Director of Meralco Power Academy and one of the resource persons of the Civil Service Commission - Civil Service Institute (the training arm of CSC), to facilitate the workshop. A total of 48 participants, comprising Heads of Unit, Administrative Officers, and REPS with Supervisory functions from the different Colleges, Units, and Offices of UP Manila, attended the Succession Planning Workshop.

Ms. Arnobit started the workshop by asking the participants three words that come to mind as they hear Succession Planning and the questions they want to be answered during the workshop. Each group was given ten minutes to discuss the questions assigned to them, and they were asked to present their answers afterward. Their answers, which they wrote on small pieces of paper, were discussed and later posted on the wall. This is for the participants to see the collective input and facilitate a better understanding of the diversity of opinions as a product of their collaborative brainstorming.

After the activity, Ms. Arnobit started her discussion with the definition and objectives of Succession Planning and Leadership Development (SP&LD), which she defined as the process of selecting and developing key talent to ensure the continuity of critical roles. She also highlighted the benefits of SP&LD and the roles of leaders for its successful implementation. This was followed by the SP&LD processes, comprising of selecting potential future leaders/candidates, assessing candidates' readiness, identifying, implementing, and evaluating development and activities, and selecting and recommending the best candidate for the vacant positions. 

During the afternoon session, Ms. Arnobit introduced the different tools and forms commonly used in SP&LD, namely the 9-Box Grid, Leader’s Information Sheet, Selection Criteria, and Individual Development Plan. For the last part of the workshop, Ms. Arnobit gave the McDonald’s Succession Planning Case Study, where the participants were asked to describe the key points of McDonald’s Succession Planning Program and process how McDonald’s develops its leaders. The training concluded with a discussion about the best practices in Succession Planning & Leadership Development.