This HR Manager's Guide provides comprehensive information on the theory and practice of succession planning.

Several factors have contributed to a renewed interest in succession planning in recent years, including a real and perceived lack of bench strength among the leadership teams in many organizations, demographic challenges including the pending retirement of the large cohort of Baby Boomers (many of whom currently occupy senior leadership roles), perceived skills shortages with respect to leadership skills and competencies, and the realization that many organizations had taken a haphazard approach to succession planning for far too long due to budget cuts to talent management programs and inadequate investment in training and development.

As a result, many organizations now have a keen interest in developing and implementing new succession management programs or enhancing their existing programs to increase their effectiveness and implement best practices in talent management. Succession planning or succession management is a discipline that ensures an organization has a sufficient pool of talented and highly-skilled employees who are able to help meet the organization's strategic goals and objectives by moving into senior leadership roles as they arise. The goal of succession planning is to create a pipeline of talent to fill future vacancies in senior roles of strategic importance and key positions throughout the organization.

HR Manager's Guide to Succession Planning provides comprehensive information on the theory and practice of succession planning, it examines succession planning from a holistic perspective by considering not only the actual succession planning process itself, but also the important program planning, preparation, and implementation work that must be completed in order to ensure that succession planning is aligned with other aspects of the organization's talent management strategies and programs, as well as its overall organizational strategy and its vision, mission, and values.

Accompanying the book is a USB key with several sample forms, worksheets, and policies to help facilitate succession planning particularly in small to mid-sized organizations. These helpful tools and templates are designed to be modified and used by readers in their own organizations. While this book would apply to succession planning in any jurisdiction and would more or less be applicable in a global context, another unique feature is the discussion of Canadian legal compliance issues relating to succession management. The book will appeal to HR practitioners (particularly at the intermediate and senior levels), executives, board members, management consultants, students in human resources programs, and lawyers.