in terms of successon management, hgh- potental employees have both strong techncal sklls as well as the potental to develop a strong leadershp competence. At present, there are no agreed- upon answers to these important questions. HR professionals are encouraged to carefully evaluate the potential pros and cons of leadership competency models and avoid blindly jumping on the competency bandwagon. As the box “Not All Competencies Are Leadership Competencies” illustrates, there are other competencies in addition to leadership competencies. This is an important distinction in terms of succession management and workforce development. Some knowledge and skills that are gained through training or experience are more appropriate for addressing the technical challenges that organizations face. These are the kinds of problems that can be solved by experts or senior authorities in a given field. On the other hand, adaptive challenges are those issues that come “without easy answers.” The solutions to adaptive challenges lie not in technical answers but with the people themselves.[22] Leadership is inherently about people, which is why adaptive challenges require the application of highly developed leaders. It also helps to explain why the most sophisticated technical experts may not make the best leaders in a given setting. In terms of succession management, high- potential employees have both strong technical skills as well as
the potential to develop a strong leadership competence. obstaCles to eFFeCtive suCCession ManageMent Ultimately, an investment in succession management is an investment in individual and organizational learning. But like many things, this is easier said than done. There are many potential factors that can derail a succession management process. Here is a brief list and discussion of some of the most likely culprits: • Event-based or episodic thinking: This one plagues succession planning as well as leadership development. Both are ongoing processes, yet the conventional thinking is that they are addressed episodically. Succession planning typically is conducted only once a year, and leadership development is treated as a series of “loosely coupled” events or episodes, usually in the form of programs. Some of the most potent forms of development are embedded in the actual work (e.g., action learning, job assignments). It is a mistake to try to completely de-couple development from work. • No strategy for development: What is the organization’s philosophy of leadership and development? These are key concerns in terms of presenting and defining the concepts and principles that will serve as the pillars of the conceptual framework for the initiative.