Case Study: Succession and Business Continuity

Situation:

A large transit public agency, with over 3000 employees, determined approximately 20% of their workforce would be eligible for retirement every year for the next five years, including the entire senior leadership team. They were seeking assistance in defining executive leadership competencies to assess internal candidates for succession.

Approach:

Direct Effect Solutions (DES) began the engagement by reviewing existing strategic plans and job descriptions to identify existing and required competencies for the executive team. DES worked collaboratively with human resources and executive team members to draft competencies for future leaders at each level of authority. These competencies demonstrate a progressive career path up through the leadership levels and align with development paths. After defining the competencies, DES began the process of assessing emerging and existing leaders against the competencies to define a readiness development plan for succession and business continuity.

Results:

Consistent leadership competencies defined for all levels within the organization. Career path profiles for leadership development. A cohort of emerging leaders was identified and has begun the career path development for potential succession.