Human resource management practice I also available by michael armstrong

Chapter 

20

  Talent Management

277

management,  arguing  instead  for  a ‘talent  on  de-

mand’  framework,  ‘based  on  managing  risk  (not 

overestimating  the  places  to  be  filled)  and  using  

talent  pools  to  span  functions’  (ibid:  256).  They  

reported that some people are more positive about 

the value of ‘leadership pipelines’, which enable the 

organization to:

 

●

focus on development;

 

●

identify critical ‘lynchpin’ roles;

 

●

create transparent succession management 

systems;

 

●

regularly measure progress;

 

●

ensure flexibility.

Succession  planning  is  based  on  the  information 

about  managers  in  supply  and  demand  forecasts, 

talent audits and performance and potential reviews. 

In  some  large  organizations  where  demand  and 

supply forecasts can be made accurately, there are 

highly formalized succession planning processes based 

on  the  sort  of  management  succession  schedule  

illustrated in Figure 20.7.

However, the scope for formal succession plan-

ning  may  be  limited  in  today’s  more  flexible  and 

rapidly  changing  organizations,  where  elaborate 

succession  plans  could  be  out  of  date  as  soon  as 

they  are  made.  In  these  circumstances,  the  most 

that can be done is to use talent management and 

management development processes to ensure that 

there are plenty of talented people around in ‘talent 

pools’ to fill vacancies as they arise on the basis of 

‘talent on demand’, bearing in mind that the most 

talented or ambitious individuals may not want to 

wait very long.

As McDonnell and Collings (2011: 64) emphasized:

Succession planning has evolved from the 

traditional short-term focus on replacing senior 

managers if they happened to leave without prior 

warning. There is now a more long-term aim of 

developing a cadre of key talent who able to take 

on higher level roles, potentially roles that may not 

currently exist... The utilization of talent pools 

consisting of employees with key generic type 

competencies and skills allows the organization far 

greater scope when positions become available. 

Management will be able to select the most 

suitable candidate from a pool of candidates and 

train the person into the specific requirements of 

that particular role.