Problem 7: Too Many Meetings

Just as the traditional approach to succession planning can create resistance

owing to the massive paperwork it can generate, so too can it lead to resistance

because it can require numerous and time-consuming meetings. For instance,

to carry out SP&M, management employees may need to participate in the

following:

▲ Kickoff Meetings. If an annual SP&M procedure is in place, management

employees may be required to attend kickoff meetings, conducted by the CEO,

that are intended to reinforce the importance of the effort.

▲ Organizational, Divisional, Functional, or Other Meetings. These

meetings may focus on SP&M for each job category, organizational level, function,

or location.

▲ Work Requirements Meetings. If the organization makes it a policy to

base succession on identifiable work requirements, competencies, success factors,

or other ‘‘objective criteria,’’ then management employees will usually be

involved in meetings to identify these criteria.

▲ Employee Performance Appraisal Meetings. In most organizations,

management employees appraise the performance of their immediate subordinates

as a part of the SP&M program.

▲ Career Path Meetings. If the organization attempts to identify predictable,

desirable, or historical relationships between jobs, then management employees

may be asked to participate in that effort by attending meetings or

training.

▲ Career Planning Meetings. If the organization makes an effort to discover

individual career goals and interests as a means to do a ‘‘reality check’’

on possible successors, then management employees may have to take time to

meet with each employee covered in the succession plan.

▲ Potential Assessment Meetings. Assessing individual potential is futureoriented

and may require meetings different from those required for performance

appraisal.

▲ Development Meetings. Planning for individual development, as a

means of narrowing the gap between what individuals know or do presently

and what they must know or do to qualify for advancement, may require timeconsuming

individual meetings.

▲ Training, Education, and Developmental Meetings. As one means by

which succession plans may be realized, meetings centered on training, education,

and development may demand considerable time.

While meetings can be consolidated to save some time, each meeting listed

above serves an important purpose. Attending meetings can require a significant

time commitment from employees at all levels.