7.1 Establish and implement succession plans that are inclusive of women
Content
Description of Best Practices
Ensure succession planning[1] is the process of identifying long-range needs and cultivating a supply of internal talent to meet those future needs
Use succession plans to anticipate the future needs of the company and assist in finding, assessing, and developing the necessary human capital (internal and external)
Ensure gender-equitable succession plans include the identification of key positions, gender-neutral selection criteria, a plan for how to develop candidates selected and goals for inclusion at all levels of leadership
Set a minimum number or percentage of female participants in the succession training group
Challenges of Implementation
Companies may not have succession plans in place
Promotion is often seniority-based
In some countries, performance appraisal[2] is between the supervisor and employee and not shared with HR, so those appraisals cannot be used for succession planning
There may be an unconscious gender bias regarding who should fill a particular position
Women may not apply for leadership positions in a workplace that is not specifically supportive of women workers’ development
What Success Looks Like
Gender-equitable succession plans are written and implemented, specifically closing gender gap and pay equity gaps through a primary focus on recruitment, retention, development, and accountability activities
Increasingly, equal representation is achieved in leadership positions (long term)
Aspirational goal or quota set for percentage of women selected succession candidates
Resources and Tools
Guide: Tailoring Organizational Practices to Achieve Gender Equality: A Best Practice Guide (Chapter 4: Promotion and Succession Planning) (Gender Equality in Decision-Making, GEM)
Guide: Building Gender-Inclusive Workplaces in Singapore: A Practical Guide for Companies and Human Resource Practitioners (Singapore Management University)
Report/Study: 7 Steps to Conscious Inclusion: A Practical Guide to Accelerating More Women into Leadership (ManpowerGroup)
Article: Fostering Women Leaders: A Fitness Test for Your Top Team (McKinsey & Company)
Video: The Career Advice You Probably Didn't Get (Susan Colantuono)
[1] SUCCESSION PLANNING. Strategy for identifying and developing future leaders at a company — not just at the top but for major roles at all levels. It helps a business prepare for all contingencies by preparing high-potential workers for advancement. (Source: Robert Half, What Is Succession Planning?)
[2] PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL. Periodic review and evaluation of an individual's job performance. (Source: Society for Human Resource Management, Glossary of Human Resources Management Terms)