Succession planning! It’s a word that appears just about everywhere today. Everyone talks about it, but very few CIOs think seriously about the concept, and an even smaller number take up the task of creating the pipeline for leadership for a smooth transition.

Most of the CIOs spend a great deal of time and resources on developing their staff's technical capabilities and motivating them to go for certifcations, but helping them with  fnancial modelling or leadership skills takes a backseat.

A recently conducted research by the US-based Centre for CIO Leadership concludes that 93 percent of CIOs say they are very well aware of the IT skills and competencies that their organisations need to be successful, yet only 77 percent say they are actively involved with helping their organisations to develop the business skills needed. What is most startling is the fact that only 64 percent CIOs indicate they have a plan in place to acquire and grow the right talent in their organisation.

We often overlook the fact that absence of a proper succession plan can lead to an ad-hoc, reactionary solution if a CIO leaves the company for whatever reason. This type of a reactionary approach places the entire enterprise at a high risk due to the resulting disruption, lack of direction and loss of institutional knowledge. When are we going to look beyond short-term issues and other pending tasks to take the bull by its horns?

To ease the succession planning process, CIOs have to treat it as a part of their ongoing employee development process rather than regard it as just a namesake, annual exercise. This will help potential leaders in acquiring experience and leadership skills while benefiting the organisation by leading to more satisfed employees.

This issue’s cover feature, The Leadership Pipeline, is a collection of expert interviews, success stories and practitioners’ viewpoints. In short, we are pleased to present a “Best Practices” guide on succession planning.

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rahul.mani@9dot9.in