Abstract

Organisations are becoming concerned about the ageing population and specifically the impact on current workforce profiles, especially for senior positions. A high proportion of senior executives of private sector organisations are due to retire within the next five years, so that identifying talent and developing future leaders becomes a vital part of Human Resources Development. In the public sector, it is no less of a problem. At Derby City Council, they have identified that of 100 Heads of Service, at least 41 are expected to retire within 15 years, of which 17 will be within 10 years, and 3 within 5 years. Many Heads of Service have expressed concern regarding a lack of leadership to succeed them. The Council have therefore embarked on a Succession Planning initiative. This paper uses the City Council as a case study example of introducing a new Workforce Development Strategy, with regard to succession planning. The policy and procedure; the succession pool purpose, scope and development activities; roles and responsibilities; methods for monitoring equality impact; and self-review are discussed. The paper gives an account of how organisations are attempting to identify talent and to develop future leaders, culminating in a developmental model.