Succession planning is a strategic approach to ensure that necessary talent and skills will be available when needed, and that essential knowledge and abilities will be maintained when employees in critical positions leave. The smooth operation and future development of IT systems are indispensable to a company. Succession planning in the IT department is critical because you want to make sure the business is always prepared and protected while the technology’s role as a business enabler continues to grow. It is also particularly important in high tech because the field is so specialized and ever changing. An executive can never be in a position where he/she is leaving the business, worried about getting the support the organization will need once they are absent. As the impact of technology has grown across global enterprises, IT has become critical to every corporate function, and IT effectiveness has become a competitive weapon. The key to maintaining department wide continuity and reliability is identifying not just the stars of tomorrow, but going a few levels deeper to scope out employees with the potential to step up to the plate years from now (Nash).
Globalization and corporate productivity is driven increasingly by information technology’s ability to make data available to decision makers anytime, anywhere. The CIO must understand the company’s products, services and structure like never before and wear a number of different hats while working with internal and external stakeholders globally. In addition to critical knowledge and experience, world-class CIOs possess a portfolio of personal and performance competencies that define them as true business partners within the corporation.
The common refrain is, “Why should we take efforts for identifying a successor when the organization itself does not show interest?” Secondly, it is a feeling that grooming