INDEX
SR
NO.
PARTICULARS
1.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
PAG
E
NO.
6
2.
INTRODUCTION TO HRM
3.
INTRODUCTION TO SUCCESSION
PLANNING
IMPORTANCE OF SUCCESSION
PLANNING
SUCCESSION PLANNING PROCESS
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
ADVANTAGES OF SUCCESSION
PLANNING
MISTAKES TO BE AVOIDED IN
SUCCESSION PLANNING
SUCCESSION PLANNING:THE INDIAN
PROSPECTIVE
STUDY OF INFOSYS SUCCESSION
PLANNING
CONCLUSION
12
14
25
27
30
42
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The project explains the concept of succession planning and how it isimportant for
the successful functioning of a business. It proceeds tohighlight the business
functioning trend in India which mainly is aboutfamily businesses. But seeing the
recent trend of few of the big Indianbusinesses opting for proper professionally
planned succession planning,it isnt long when India will pick up this practice in
every aspect.Many recent examples of succession planning in the Indian
businesseshave been stated such as axis bank, Tatas, Infosys, ONGC, Eicher etc.
With main focus on Murugappa group succession planning.Murugappa group of
companies is a great example of family businesstraining their heirs in a
professional manner to lead the business.
Human resources are the most valuable and unique assets of an organization. The
successful management of an organization's human resources is an exciting
dynamic and challenging task, especially at a time when the world has become a
global village and economies are in a state of flux. The scarcity of talented
resources and the growing expectations of the modern day worker have further
increased the complexity of the human resource function.
Even though specific human resource functions/activities are the responsibility of
the human resource department, the actual management of human resources is the
responsibility of all the managers in an organization.
It is therefore necessary for all managers to understand and give due importance to
the different human resource policies and activities in the organization. Human
Resource Management outlines the importance of HRM and its different functions
in an organization. It examines the various HR processes that are concerned with
attracting, managing, motivating and developing employees for the benefit of the
organization.
Succession Planning
Thinking About Tomorrow Today
In organizational development, succession planning is the process of identifying
and preparing suitable employees through mentoring, training and job rotation, to
replace key players such as the chief executive officer (CEO) within an
organization as their terms expire. From the risk management aspect, provisions
are made in case no suitable internal candidates are available to replace the loss of
any key person. It is usual for an organization to insure the key person so that
funds are available if she or he dies and these funds can be used by the business to
cope with the problems before a suitable replacement is found or developed.
Succession Planning involves having senior executives periodically review their
top executives and those in the next-lower level to determine several backups for
each senior position. This is important because it often takes years of grooming to
develop effective senior managers.
There is a critical shortage in companies of middle and top leaders for the next
five years.
Organizations will need to create pools of candidates with high leadership
potential.Succession planning involves a careful balancing of the concerns and
needs of a firms founding and senior managers, on the one hand, and its more
junior investment professionals and managers, on the other hand. The founding and
senior managers want to be properly rewarded for their efforts in building and
growing the firm, and this may include rights to continue to participate in fund
economics after these managers have begun to wind down their active
involvement. These desires must be balanced against the need to provide increased
economic benefits and firm governance rights to junior managers and investment
professionals in order to develop the next generation of managers for the firm.
Definition
Succession planning can be broadly defined as identifying future potential leaders
to fill key positions. Wendy Hirsh1 defines succession planning as 'a process by
which one or more successors are identified for key posts (or groups of similar key
posts), and career moves and/or development activities are planned for these
successors. Successors may be fairly ready to do the job (short-term successors) or
seen as having longer-term potential (long-term successors).'
According to Hirsh, succession planning sits inside a very much wider set of
resourcing and development processes called 'succession management',
encompassing management resourcing strategy, aggregate analysis of
demand/supply (human resource planning and auditing), skills analysis, the job
filling process, and management development (including graduate and high-flyer
programmes).
Enforcing the succession plan:
A careful and considered plan of action ensures the least possible disruption to the
persons responsibilities and therefore the organizations effectiveness. Examples
include such a person who is:
suddenly and unexpectedly unable or unwilling to continue their role within the
organization;
accepting an approach from another organization or external opportunity which
will terminate or lessen their value to the current organization;
Coverage
Organisations differ in size, scope and type, so it is difficult to point to any single
model of succession planning. However, it is most common for succession
planning to cover only the most senior jobs in the organisation, plus short-term and
longer-term successors for these posts. The latter groups are in effect on a fasttrack, and are developed through job moves within various parts of the business.
This focus on the most senior posts - perhaps the top two or three levels of
management - means that even in large organisations, only a few hundred people at
any given time will be subject to the succession planning process. It also makes the
process more manageable, because it is much easier to concentrate on a few
hundred individuals rather than (say) several thousand. That said, however, many
large organisations attempt to operate devolved models in divisions, sites or
countries where the same or similar processes are applied to a wider population.
The role of HR
planning. Resist the temptation to solely carry the entire weight of creating
and then sustaining a plan.
A succession plan can help sustain income and
support expenses. Talking about money should be a priority. People
generally don't want to work for free and things don't pay for themselves. A
succession plan can provide answers as to what you and your staff will
need for future income, as well as what kinds of expenses you may incur
once you step out of the main leadership role. Ask yourself questions about
your annual income and other benefits including health and dental insurance
for you and your dependents, life insurance premiums paid for by the
company, your car, professional memberships, and other business-related
expenses.
Succession planning gives you a big picture. Some
companies mistakenly focus solely on replacing high-level executives. A
good succession plan can go further, however, and force you to examine all
levels of employees. The people who do the day-to-day work are the ones
keeping the business going. Neglecting to add them to the succession
planning mix could have dire consequences. As you develop your plan,
incorporate all layers of management and their direct reports.
Succession
relationships.
planning
When
strengthens
regular
communication
departmental
occurs
between
10
evaluation process, which can help when deciding whether to fill vacancies
with internal candidates.
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12
13
14
15
DECISIVENESS
Is proactive and demonstrates the ability to make informed, balanced
decisions in a timely manner and stand behind them.
Typical Behaviours:
Understands fully the effect and consequences of each decision and stands
accountable for decisions.
Deals with performance issues in a timely, fair and constructive manner
Demonstrates commitment to performance management in actions and
words
Takes decisive action/is proactive in moving initiatives forward or solving
problems.
DISCRETION
Demonstrates good judgment
Typical Behaviours:
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Establishes scope for decisions by individuals and balances this with need to
make independent decisions.
Administers and supports staff development in a proactive, equitable and
consistent manner.
Provides recognition to support teamwork and individual contribution
Communicates on behalf of the department/unit when required
Ensures the development and application of performance measures and
targets to assess results
Provides opportunities and promotes an environment that encourages
continuous development
Supports [coaches/mentors] others to take responsibility for achieving the
highest possible levels of performance
Builds effective communication links with other departments and effectively
facilitates resolution of issues/needs, which cross-departmental lines.
Pushes decision making down to the appropriate level and provides
necessary guidance and support to other decision makers.
ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT
Demonstrates identification with, support and commitment to the
organization
Typical behaviours:
Puts aside personal preconceptions and self-interests and concentrates on the
common goal and the betterment of the University.
Demonstrates pride in working for AthabascaUniversity
Supports the University [e.g. Its plans, policies, programs] in a positive
constructive manner.
Promotes and acts with integrity in dealing with students and employees.
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TEAM PLAYER
Works in all types of committees and groups, supports the committee or group
and contributes to its effectiveness.
Typical behaviours:
VISION
Views current events and future possibilities from multiple perspectives,
develops future oriented scenarios and communicates these effectively to
others in the organization.
Typical behaviours:
Suggests and embraces new methods and ideas that enhance the
achievement of AthabascaUniversitys vision.
Clearly understands and communicates the AU vision as it applies to the
department or unit.
Keeps in mind the organization context and direction, looks beyond the
immediate environment for opportunities for improvements and
enhancements.
Continually scans current and future environment and identifies themes and
emerging issues.
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ANALYTICAL/SYSTEMIC THINKING
Takes a logical approach to planning and problem solving and establishes
priorities. Analyzes issues and problems systematically and thoroughly. Focuses on
critical details while maintaining a broad perspective.
Typical behaviours:
Grasps complexities and critical details quickly and accurately
Develops well-defined, step-by-step approaches to analyze and solve
complex problems.
Identifies relevant alternative and evaluates the potential consequences of
each before taking action
Makes an effort to solve common problems by drawing from previous
experience or similar circumstances.
Assembles and integrates information from a variety of sources to present
what is relevant to a given issue or situation.
ACCURACY AND THOROUGHNESS
Makes sure that work is done correctly, completely, and with high quality in a
timely manner.
Typical behaviours:
Verifies assumptions and information by checking with credible sources,
experts or first hand experience.
Carefully reviews own work for accuracy and completeness
Carefully reviews other peoples work for accuracy and thoroughness.
Identifies and addresses all details that are needed to ensure smooth
functioning
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Follows up to make sure that tasks have been completed and others have met
commitments.
SERVICE ORIENTATION
Anticipates and responds to the needs of internal and external customers.
Develops and maintains strong relationships with internal and external
customers.
Typical behaviours:
Responds promptly to customer needs or requests of others
Expends significant time and effort to meet important commitments made to
internal or external customers
Offers unsolicited help to those in need.
Takes advantage of opportunities to present examples and scenarios
illustrating importance of client service
Presents examples and/or suggestions on how to improve services to
customers
Presents arguments and/or suggestions that convince clients that their
interests are being well served
CONFIDENCE
Demonstrates a genuine belief in the likelihood of personal success and
communicates a positive self-esteem to others.
Typical behaviours
Creates a feeling of confidence in the department or units ability to provide
timely and quality service.
Shows strong assertiveness skills when dealing with customers and peers.
Demonstrates a genuine belief in the likelihood of personal success.
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PERSERVERANCE
Continues steadfastly toward results/objectives until the desired result is
achieved or is no longer reasonably attainable.
Typical behaviours:
Leads by example, ensuring actions are implemented and goals are achieved
Focuses on outcome, allows flexibility on how the outcome is achieved.
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Besides the obvious benefit of not leaving your company in the lurch of proper
Succession Planning will help your company in other ways, too. Heres a rundown
of the benefits. Remember, not all benefits will apply, depending on your specific
situation. Succession Planning can:
Reduce taxes, in some situations with family-owned businesses. For
example, if a company gets new ownership after an owner's death, lack of
planning can result in steep estate taxes. Other tax issues, such as
transferring ownership to a child, might apply.
Ensure continuity. Customers, clients, vendors, and employees all want and
need to know that a business will continue to function as they know it, even
when theres a leadership change. Choosing and grooming a successor who
fits your mold will help this happen.
Provide training plan for possible successors. If you identify who you
might choose as a successor early, youll know that that person needs more
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training and one-on-one time with your current leader to gain as much
knowledge for the position while its still possible.
Help you plan for the future direction of the company
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reminded that doing jobs at each level requires different competencies, and
the best way for them to compete is to prepare for future challenges rather
than expect promotions for past performance at a different level of
responsibility.
Trying to Do Too Much Too Fast. The strong results-orientation of many
organizations today emphasizes quick results. Senior leaders expect to see
all the components of a comprehensive succession system in place
immediately. That is not always realistic. It is advisable to think of
implementing systematic succession in a phased way - either from the top
down or else starting in specific divisions or locations with greatest need.
Giving No Thought to What to Call It. A fifth mistake is to devote no time
to considering what to call the succession program. As any marketer knows,
product names do matter. It is not necessary to call a spade a spade. Many
organizations choose alternative namessuch as leadership development
program, human capital management program, or even talent program.
Assuming that Everyone Wants a Promotion. A sixth mistake is to assume
that everyone wants a promotion. That is not always true today. In many
downsized organizations, workers have seen what pressures their bosses
have to deal with. Some say leave me out of that. Hence, it is unwise to
assume that everyone wants a promotionor even to assume that money will
convince everyone. It will not. Check first. Find out what people want to do.
For that reason, many organizations launch both a top-down succession
planning program and a bottom-up career planning program to galvanize
development
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among the lowest performers on this count. This is evident in the fact that today,
fewer than 20% of Indian businesses work to develop future leadership, or to
engage actively in succession planning. Strong Indian leadership has been
emerging across multinational companies (both Indian and foreign), but these
competitive traits, and the drive to succeed in global markets, have not yet been
focused on developing people. India now requires its leaders to work towards
nurturing its pool of future managers, instead of merely driving their companies.
According to the ABB (Assocham Business Barometer)report of 2007
Corporate India not ready with succession plan, says Assocham Business
Barometer
India Inc. has a long way to go for putting in place its succession plan at top level,
which has an important bearing on the market valuations of the companies,
confidence of the business associates and morale of their employees, an Assocham
Business Barometer Survey has revealed.
The ABB Survey of 275 leading management consultants, corporate, academicians
and professionals on Missing Link in Succession Plan found that a select few
companies in India formulate and effectively implement succession plan for the
key positions in their organization structure. This was confirmed by 75 per cent of
the ABB respondents. They rated Indian companies four on a scale of 10 in terms
of long term planning and grooming of the successor to the head of a firm.
Ninety two per cent of those surveyed said a considerable weightage is being given
to the companies, which have a hierarchy in place top-down. The analysts rate
succession planning as a crucial component of an impeccable management
structure.
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which
include
shareholders,
investors,
employees,
29
question mark is put after a stage in the growth path of even the best performing
official due to the absence of clearly laid succession policies.
Management line of command becomes highly concentrated in a company with a
single individual at the helm. It does not trickle down through a well-defined
structure. Fifty-nine per cent experts felt that in a highly concentrated command
structure, a ''coterie'' is established among the CEO who is not fed the true picture
by those who benefit from such a situation. Well performing employees with selfdignity get demoralized lot and become vulnerable to high attrition.
About 55 per cent of the consultants were convinced that the movement of
professionals across the companies is to some extent influenced by the succession
plan and overall hierarchy structure of these organizations.
Family run business is a way of life for India Inc. However, it has not come as a
hindrance for the growth of these business concerns. Although it is easy to define
succession planning in such firms, off late instances of intra-family disputes are
being increasingly witnessed. This could hurt the interest of minority shareholders,
as this is an evidence of gaps in corporate governance among such
companies, 72 per cent of the ABB respondents felt.
Around 60 per cent of the survey respondents were optimistic that the family run
businesses in India are moving fast towards professionalising their organization set
up. Twenty five per cent of them believed that the change in the management set
up of these companies is taking place at very slow pace. Some of the IT companies
in India have set excellent example of timely identifying, planning and grooming
of the successor to the key person leading the organization.
The factors like lack of long-term vision, self-confidence of existing CEO,
majority shareholders exercising control over management, are responsible for
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31
increasing
change
and
tackle
the
expected
upturn".
Economic Developments in India have put the focus on how to develop and
prepare leaders to manage in a growing economy. The primary business priorities
for Indian organizations according to their top executives are growth and
improving
and
leveraging
their
talent.
DDI has spent the last 40 years developing leaders at every levelnearly 6.3
million worldwideand helping organizations optimize their leadership talent.
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their scale of operations, it valued the need for a professional to run the operations
of the company in order to build a professionally-managed company with strategic
business outlook. And thats when Dabur India roped in an outsider as its CEO,
Ninu Khanna, rather than passing the reins to a family-member. Sunil Duggal,
Daburs CEO since 2000 has taken the business to new heights by strategic
acquisitions and has expanded the product portfolio to make Dabur a
comprehensive FMCG company from an Ayurvedic products seller. Today,
majority of the Board members at Dabur do not belong to the Promoter family. The
Tata Group too is on the lookout for a successor to Ratan Tata, who retires in 2012,
and for other group companies too, as the Heads of Tata Steel and Tata Motors
head toward retirement.
Passing on the reins of the organization to a family member has a lot of legal
implications too. Hiralal Walchand, Director, Walchand Associates, which deals in
will trust services and family law, says Family members (sometimes even far-off
relatives) join companies as employees but demand legal ownership rights during
division of assets. This should be avoided as dividing assets amongst so many
claimants completely devalues the company. In case of listed family-run business
houses, the first step towards planning a strategic succession is to increase the
holdings in various group companies. Explains Walchand, Increasing holding by
the parent company wards off the risk of future acquisition. B. K. Birla, for
instance has been working toward increasing the familys stake in its group
companies of cement, textiles, et al. Once that is achieved, the patriarch can
appoint either family members or internal and external candidates to take on the
mantle. This ensures that when the patriarch steps down, there is no change in the
way business is done. In the recent succession plan chalked out by RPG
Enterprises, Group Chairman R. P. Goenka segregated the ownership and control
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of various group companies amongst his sons Harsh Goenka and Sanjiv Goenka
where the former was named the Chairman and the latter Vice Chairman. The
business will, however, continue to run the same way with each brother continuing
to control and run the companies they were handling previously.
In spite of the political stifling, some PSUs have formulated very strong succession
planning practices. Dhruv Prakash, Managing Director - India, Leadership and
Talent Consulting, Korn/Ferry International, says, PSUs are unique in that almost
invariably grow their own timber. Public sector companies really do not have a
succession planning system per se, they have an internal promotion system.
Companies like Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum, Hindustan Petroleum, BHEL,
NTPC, ONGC, State Bank of India have worked on establishing leadership
competency frameworks, assessed managers for development and taken follow up
actions in terms of internal training and developed courses in collaboration with
the IIMs.
Some of these practices can be compared to the best in the private sector. For
instance, ONGC conducts succession planning three levels below the Board and
NTPC conducts rigorous succession planning two levels below the Board. NTPC
has constituted a high level Succession Planning Committee (SPC) comprising of
the Chairman and the Functional Directors to own the process of succession
planning. NTPC has identified 28 unique leadership positions for succession
planning. Most of the positions fall under the two top executive levels - General
Managers and Executive Directors. Against each position at least three potential
successors are identified for grooming. This is done to ensure that sufficient depth
is maintained in the leadership pipeline at all times. Succession planning is a
shared responsibility of the HR function and the organizations leadership. NTPCs
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Coca Cola Indias tea and coffee business (Georgia) and introducing innovative
regional brands such as Minute Maid and Nimbu Fresh made her a suitable choice
for Kellogg Indias strategic plan to strengthen the companys stranglehold on the
breakfast segment by introducing more regional flavors.
In certain other professionally-managed organizations, senior leaders have the
responsibility to design their own succession planning process, as in Lucent
Technologies, where senior managers are expected to develop at least two potential
successors using job rotations, challenging work assignments, special projects and
executive coaching. Companies like Hindustan Unilever, P&G and ITC have
traditionally groomed most of their senior management internally using a
combination of talent review sessions, comprehensive training programs, job
rotations and a combination of HR and leadership metrics.
Role of the Board & the CEO
For corporate Boards, CEO succession planning should be one of the most
important commitments toward the organization. Even though Boards across the
spectrum realize the need for an effective succession plan, they seldom devise
processes and practices and devote sufficient time to this activity. Dr. Arvind
Agrawal, President and Chief Executive Corporate Development & HR - RPG
Enterprises, says, It is imperative for the management / executive Board to
participate in the whole succession planning process. I am talking about the
involvement of management or executive Board and not the legal Board. The
process of succession planning is simple but the real difference lies in its execution
and thats where most companies falter. The process demands full dedication of the
top management and not mere compliance as one of the points on a meeting
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agenda. Not having a strategic succession planning process and an effective CEO
successor is a potential risk to companies and it is the obligation of the Board to
timely address this risk. This is also lacking because most companies do not have a
Chief Risk Officer (CRO) to identify the potential threats that may arise due to
little or no succession planning. In simple words, it is the responsibility of the
Board to make sure that the framework and guidelines for succession planning are
in place and are practiced to evaluate the developments on a regular basis. While
corporate Boards play a critical role in succession planning in professionally
managed companies, their role is limited in family run businesses where the family
patriarch is generally the one who takes such decisions. In PSUs, the final decision
of choosing the successor is taken by an external authority (generally the Cabinet)
in consultation with the Board.
The Leadership Pipeline
A recent research by Heidrick & Struggles and Stanford Universitys Rock Center
for Corporate Governance (based on a survey conducted on 140 CEOs and
Directors on Boards of North American public and private companies) found that
while 69% of respondents think that a CEO successor should be ready to replace
the departing CEO, only 54% are actually grooming executives for this position. In
the Indian context, the 2010 DDI India Leadership Report findings highlight that
while 44% of multinational organizations in India have a process to identify
leaders, only 26% have a process to develop them.
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pyramid for the ages that runs three levelsdeep and is 750 people wide,
reports Pankaj Mishra
MATTHEW FRANK BARNEY HAD A PERSONAL connection with India that
goes back to 1997. The 41-yearold American met his Bengali wife, Shreya, in a
romantic semi-conductor factory in Orlando. Last year, Barney also sealed a
professional connection with India. He, Shreya and their two young kids moved to
Mysore, where Barney joined Infosys Technologies for an assignment that will
have a great bearing on how this iconic Indian software company is run and
perceived for generations to come.
Barney is the head of leadership development at Infosys Leadership Institute.
Never in the storied 29-year history of Infosys has so much hinged on this
responsibility. The seven founders, each of them pillars in their own right, have
built and run a company that is solid in its business construct and has values that
are unimpeachable.
But they are leaving, one by one. Ashok Arora left in 1989 and NS Raghavan in
2000. Last year, Nandan Nilekani went to work for the
government. In the next five years, the remaining four NR Narayana Murthy, S
Kris Gopalakrishnan, SD Shibulal and K Dinesh will also walk away from
Infosys, in deference to Murthys decree that all founders retire from operational
roles by the age of 60 and from the board by 65. Says Barney: Its an inflexion
point for Infosys, and we need to prepare for it.
In his earlier assignments, Barney helped some of the worlds top companies,
including Motorola, AT&T and Lucent Technologies, to identify their next set of
leaders. But, with Infosys, hes working for the first time with founders seeking to
pass on the baton.
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In July, Barney kicked off a hunt to identify 750 leaders, across levels, in Infosys
the largest such exercise the company has ever undertaken. Its not a random,
one-time exercise to meet a pressing need. Its a formal,structured response that is
intended to become an integral part of the company. It will, continuously, identify
the sparks in the company and groom them to become leaders.
Infosys has plenty of leaders, says Tv Mohandas Pai, who heads HR in Infosys and
who brought in Barney.
We believe we have around 100 leaders who can be CEOs of companies of
different sizes, says Pai. That doesnt mean, though, all of them can become the
CEO of Infosys. What Infosys lacked all these years was asystem that could
efficiently identify, organise and hone that leadership, especially in the lower
ranks. Which is what Barney and his seven-member team are putting in place.
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TO EXPLAIN THAT SYSTEM, ONE NEEDS to start at the top. At the top, there
is a 13-member board. Five of its members are executive members, which means
they also hold operational roles in Infosys. CEO Kris Gopalakrishnan and COO SD
Shibulal are both members of the board.
Below the board is a four-member executive council: Subhash B Dhar, Chandra
Shekar Kakal, BG Srinivas, and Ashok Vemuri. The highest decision-making body
below the board, the executive council is the grooming place for the next CEO,
CFO and COO.But the beehive of activity is below the executive council. Out
here, Barney has created a three-tiered pyramid
that is intended to identify leaders at all levels from the 115,000 employees in
Infosys.At the first level, or tier-I, Infosys is looking to identify 50 Infoscians who
can join the board in three to fiveyears. We want each leader to be outrageously
successful before they even come to my process, says Barney of this set. At this
leadership level, people typically have about 15 years of experience, and are
geographicalheads or business unit heads. We need to make sure that the person is
passionate about business, says CEO Kris, of this elite pool. Also,the person
should know Infosys well. Thats why we have always been saying that the leaders
should come from inside and they should have a successful track-record.
At the second level, the hunt is for leaders capable of graduating to tier-I or
running a business unit in three to five years. The target number is 150. The
candidates here are vice-presidents and those reporting to unit heads,
and have about 10 years of experience.
At the last level, the search is for leaders capable of graduating to tier-II position.
This pool, which is intended to be 550-strong, is chosen from business and
technology managers who are associate vice-presidents or below.
They have about 5-7 years of experience. They are like the Suresh Rainas of the
Indian cricket team.
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BEFORE BARNEY AND THIS THREE tiered structure, Infosys was identifying
and grooming leaders, but it was more unstructured and the leadership pool was
smaller. But as the company grew and its operations became more complex, as it
went beyond its founders, the imperative for a leadership system increased.
They are the first among major Indian companies to go through this transition,
says John McCarthy, senior vice-president and principal analyst, Forrester
Research. Its always a challenge when you move the original management out.
So far, they have done it in a transparent and orderly manner. But a CEO of a
leading rival says
the founders will be missed. Infy is surely ahead in terms of planning its
transition, but it will miss Murthys vision and Nandans ability to win and retain
large accounts like BT, he says.
Professor David V Day, who is helping Infosys as an external consultant to identify
sustainable leadership models, advises against benchmarking to the past. First of
all, you can never replace such visionary founders like Mr Murthy and others
they are really one of a kind. You first have to let go of the assumption that they are
going to be fully replaced, he says. The challenge then is how are we going to
develop leaders we are going to need not just now, but also in the future.
Barney has some answers. Beginning this year, we will have the tier top-off
process every year, he says. The tier top-off is essentially a routine measurement
of the numerical deficiency in the companys leadership pools.
The last time, Infosys did such an exercise, it was 2007 and its leadership pool was
about 50.
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Barney and his seven-member team are now looking to do this annually, with a
target size of 750. At every level, currently, Infosys is short. Against its earmarked
number of 50 leaders in tier-I, Infosys has identified 37. Down the ranks, the
vacuum increases. In tier-II, the number sought is 150 and it has identified 120. In
tier-III,against 550, it has identified only 200. At each level, the method of
identifying talent is different. Tier-I is self-nominated. Infoscians who think they
are up to it can apply. Their candidature is decided after an interview with the
board. For tier-II, its the tier-I leaders who work with the members of the Infosys
Leadership Institute and the heads of business units to identify potential leaders.
Tier-III is through a computer-adapted assessment tool. The tier-I leaders are
fewer and relatively easier to
find, says Barney, who speaks fluent Bangla. But when I get to tier-III, there are
nearly 10,000 people who can apply. With the tool, I can do it in less than half the
time we did the same process.
NEXT COMES THE GROOMING. INFOSYS draws on several resources to
groom leaders. These includementoring, leadership workshops and simulation
exercises. Mentoring is a big part of the initiation, and it runsthrough Infosys.
Murthy mentors the board. The board members, including other founders, mentor
6-8 leaders atany point of time from the tier-I pool, which includes the four
members of the executive council.
We normally mentor different people every year, says Shibulal. Thats because
what I can mentor, say, Kris cannot, and vice versa. So, Shibulal mentors on
operations and execution, Kris on innovation and technology,Murthy on
leadership, Dinesh on quality. Nilekani, when he mentored, was doing strategy.
When Pai mentors, he will focus on entrepreneurship. Adds Shibulal: Its more
about experience sharing and passing on the belief, and also how you would have
dealt with a particular problem.
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For future leaders like Jamuna Ravi, who is currently vice-president and head of
Infosys European business for banking and capital markets, mentoring by board
members is a huge bonus. Ravi was selected as a tier-I leader about three years ago
and is currently being mentored by Shibulal. When I was the delivery head for
banking and
capital markets, I used to share my ambitions with him (Shibulal) and also ask
about the new competencies I wanted to acquire, she recalls. He told me to make
my competencies visible to other people, in terms of
positioning for the next role.
Barney and his seven-member team also put the 750 potential leaders through
exercises that simulate business challenges such as coping with an unprecedented
economic crisis or renegotiating contracts with
customers. Day, the Woodside Professor of Leadership and Management at the
University of Western Australia Business School, compliments Infosys on how it is
going about it. I dont think anyone, with the exception of perhaps the US Army,
is doing a little bit around simulation, or is doing this in any way with regards to
leadership
development, he says.
KRIS SAYS THE FOUNDERS WANT TO BE around to see the big transition
through. Part of that handover is passing on the values that Infosys was built on.
We have created a platform with certain values, and we would like it to command
respect, says Kris. Thats very, very important for the founders.
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CONCLUSION
At the end of the day, the crux of the issue lies in the fact that it is theshareholders
representatives who should own the succession planningprocess. Corporate India is
placed at a critical juncture where the massiveinflow of funds will reflect in the
gradual change from concentratedownership (Government, Promoter families) to a
more diffused anddiverse ownership pattern. Regardless of the ownership structure
of acompany, the shareholders representatives (company Board or the(cabinet of
ministers or patriarchs of Promoter families) will need to create mechanisms and
processes to constantly groom a leadershippipeline and to identify the best
candidate internal or external forleading the company into the future and
creating shareholder value.So Indian companies have finally taken their first step
of understandingthe importance of succession planning and taking necessary steps
to put itinto action for the welfare of the company and its shareholders against the
age old practice followed in India of handing the heir the reigns of thecompany.
There are a number of areas to keep our eye on as part of our successionplanning
activities.Top of the list has to be that as we formulate our ideas to get those people
organized to be top class performers, we need to know how they aredoing, right
now.The most important priority, above all, is that we keep our eye on overall
performance of the business.Then, its all about those who work for we, because
from them, and themalone, will our business success come now, and into the
future.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Succession_planning
http://hrcouncil.ca/hr-toolkit/planning-succession.cfm
http://www.entrepreneur.com/topic/succession-planning
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infosys
http://www.livemint.com/Companies /Infosys-appoints-BG-Srinivas-UB-PravinRao-presidents.html