Description of This Tool

Leadership transition, also known as succession management, can be a delicate topic to bring up in most organizations, whether leadership changes have taken place in recent history, or, conversely, where a leader has been place for a long time. Because of the sensitivity of the issues involved, leaders and staff alike tend to avoid any discussion until a crisis arises—often the abrupt departure of an existing leader and the urgent need to choose a successor. This GEM offers a structured group conversation through which organizations can thoughtfully consider the issues in a non-threatening manner before they reach the crisis stage.

Potential Uses

This conversation can be used to raise awareness of the many aspects of leadership transition and to set the stage for future changes in leadership. The conversation need not be restricted to considering leadership at the top; formal and informal leaders can be found at every level of an organization, and the demise or departure of these leaders can have an impact on all fellow-workers, as well as on the people who replace them. Recognizing that changes in leadership are inevitable and discussing them before crises arise can dispel secrecy and suspicion and create an environment that will facilitate future transitions.

How to Use This Tool

The conversation can be conducted within one hour, with staff at all levels participating. It can be introduced at any time: when a leader is about to retire or leave, when a new leader has been appointed, when there has been a series of disruptive leadership changes, or—best of all—when things are going smoothly and leadership transition isn’t anticipated for a long time to come.

1. Each participant is asked to imagine that the current leader of the organization, department, or unit suddenly is no longer there, for whatever reason. (If that situation is too close for comfort, the participant can think of another organization with which s/he is familiar.) The following questions are posted on a flip chart or distributed as handouts. For about 15 minutes, each participant considers the questions and writes her/his responses on a piece of paper.
   • What parts of the work of the organization, department, or unit would continue without problems?
     
   • What would fall apart, stall, or stop altogether?
     
   • Who would step in to fill the void? How quickly would that happen? How controversial would this be? Why?
     
   • What part of the institutional memory would vanish, what would persist?
     
   • What links with the outside world would be in jeopardy?
     
   • How prepared is the organization or department for this eventuality?
     

2. In groups of two or three, for 10 to 15 minutes, people share their responses to these questions.

3. For the rest of the hour, in plenary, people share the feelings, insights, ideas that have come out of their small group conversations. The following questions might help to structure the plenary conversation:
   • What were some of the responses in your small group that really caught your attention, or surprised you?
     
   • What feelings did the questions evoke in you?
     
   • What insights or ideas came to your mind?
     
   • What processes and systems might an organization want to put in place to prepare for leadership transitions.
     
   • For those who are in a leadership position, how relevant is this reflection for you?
     
   • What are some of the things we ought to do to prepare for a leadership transition?
     

Developed by: Sylvia Vriesendorp and Ann Buxbaum, MSH, and Maria Eugenia Arras, Independent Consultant
Used in: United Kingdom
Language: English